Welcome to this gentle meditation on finding compassion for yourself and those around you.
Compassion is a beautiful emotion.
It means to show concern and caring,
To understand how you or another person is feeling and to express kindness.
Find somewhere quiet to sit or lie down.
Make sure you are comfortable and warm and won't be disturbed.
Then take a slow breath in.
Hold it for just a moment.
Then gently let it out again.
Breathe in once more slowly.
Hold it for a moment.
Then let it out again with a soft,
Deep sigh.
Then softly close your eyes.
Start to feel yourself relax and allow all thoughts of your day to drift away as you begin to unwind.
Most of us are brought up to show compassion for others,
To think of their needs and how we may help them.
These are wonderful qualities but it isn't always easy.
Especially when we are caught up in our own emotions and beliefs.
Be it anger,
Envy or just expressing our opinions forcefully,
It's very easy to judge others without listening to them or showing compassion.
When someone has hurt us or upset our way of thinking,
It's easy to apportion blame.
But what if we stopped instead and listened?
Listened to our thoughts and emotions and how we are feeling.
And how we are feeling.
Were we right in our judgment or were we too hasty?
Do we know their story or have we just made up our own narrative?
What if we learned to show forgiveness?
Not to condone someone else's behaviour or actions,
But to allow us to move on.
Showing compassion may be the first step in our own healing.
In our own healing.
Sit softly now.
And breathe in compassion.
Then breathe out forgiveness.
Breathe in compassion.
Then breathe out judgment.
Breathe in compassion.
Breathe out love.
Let go.
Let go.
Let go.
Let go.
And what then of ourselves?
How can we begin to find that love and caring for ourselves?
Especially if we are accustomed to giving it to others.
How can we find that peace within ourselves when sometimes it feels so hard?
How can we be kind to ourselves when everyone else calls for our attention?
How can we show love towards ourselves when instead we are always quick to criticise?
How can we give ourselves time?
It's so easy to feel that we aren't enough.
Not clever enough.
Not thin enough.
Not pretty enough.
We are so quick to judge ourselves.
But what if we saw ourselves as that beautiful person that we are?
The amazing,
Talented,
Loving person that is unique from everyone else in this world.
What if we saw ourselves within that perspective rather than the perspective of our failings?
Rather than the perspective of our failings.
Take a deep breath in.
And begin by understanding.
Accept where you are now.
No judgement.
No criticism.
Just gentle acceptance.
Sit in the beauty of acceptance.
Allow it to flow through your whole body.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in acceptance.
Then breathe out judgement.
Breathe in compassion.
Then breathe out love.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Know that you are whole and perfect just as you are.
We all make mistakes.
That's part of being human.
It's part of our growth.
We all show anger.
Joy.
Fear.
Worry.
And love.
All human emotions.
Allow yourself then to begin to feel forgiveness for yourself.
For all the times that you have believed that you are not enough.
The times when life has felt too hard.
The times when you felt that nothing was going right.
The times when you felt small and broken.
The times when life felt empty and bereft of joy.
Know that you are more than enough.
You are an amazing,
Beautiful,
Beloved child of the universe.
A divine spark lives within you.
You deserve to be here.
And you deserve love.
Begin to feel the peace within your heart.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Slowly breathe in peace.
Slowly breathe in kindness.
Slowly breathe in tenderness.
Slowly breathe in love.
Bring your thoughts back to your body.
And feel love and empathy surround you.
Feel it fill you up.
Then feel this love spread through every single cell.
Feel this love as it starts to flow from the top of your head.
Feel it filter down your face and neck and into your arms and fingers.
Feel this love softly fill your chest.
Then flow down gently into your digestive system.
Feel this love flow down your back,
Into your legs and then to the tips of your toes.
Feel yourself full of love and compassion.
Accept others for their uniqueness.
And accept yourself for all that you are.
Rumi once said,
In this earth,
In this soil,
In this pure field,
Let's not plant any seed other than the seeds of compassion and love.
Place your hands on your heart.
And slowly breathe.
Feel the warmth of your hands caress your heart.
And the love in your heart caress all of you in turn.
Find the peace you are longing for.
And feel the light of compassion fill up every cell in your body.
You are beautiful and whole.
You are light and the essence of the world.
Feel the arms of the universe envelop you and shower you with love.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
When you are ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
You are beautiful and whole.
