Hello,
And welcome to this gentle guided meditation practice that will invite you to cultivate compassion for your whole body.
Before we get started,
Take a moment to find a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
Gently lengthen your spine if possible,
And then allow your limbs to relax.
Begin by noticing the parts of your body that make contact with the surface beneath you,
And becoming aware that you are held and supported by gravity.
Now draw your attention to your breath and take a few cleansing breath cycles.
Consider that each breath in fills you with fresh,
Restorative oxygen,
And each breath out clears you of what you no longer require.
After your next cleansing out breath,
Continue to breathe naturally,
Mindful of the breath's effortless ebb and flow.
In a moment,
We will move into a body scan,
Calling upon loving energy to fill each part of the body.
This process will look and feel different for each one of us,
Since we all occupy our very own unique bodies.
Some body parts will feel spacious or light,
Others might feel numb or contracted,
And some might hold difficult emotions.
Our intention in this practice is not to judge what is present within the body,
But to nourish it with compassionate awareness,
Regardless of how it feels or how we feel about it.
Know that at any time during this practice,
If a body part feels too difficult to be with,
You can let your attention move elsewhere,
Resting in a place that feels easier to witness with love.
While we aren't here to avoid difficult feelings,
We might need a bit of time before we can fully embrace certain body parts with compassion.
So,
To begin,
Draw your attention towards both of your feet.
Notice how each foot feels,
Without judgment and without expectation.
And regardless of what you observe here,
Send your feet the gift of your loving awareness.
You might experience this loving awareness as a gentle,
Soothing quality,
Or perhaps as loving words such as,
I see you,
I love you,
I thank you.
Gently let your attention rise from your feet now,
Passing through your ankles and into your lower legs.
In the same way,
Notice what is here,
And then offer your lower legs the gift of your loving awareness.
Move gently up through the knees and into your thighs.
And in the very same way,
Hold your thighs with open,
Curious,
Non-judgmental awareness.
And then offer them your love,
Your care,
Or your gratitude.
Again,
This might be a sensory experience,
Or it might come in the form of words like,
I see you,
I love you,
I thank you.
When you are ready,
Gently draw your attention up into your hips,
Holding your entire pelvic region in your awareness,
Offering this gift of your loving awareness to your feet.
As part of your body,
The same quality of presence,
Curiosity,
Care,
And compassion.
If you encounter any difficult emotions or sensations along this journey,
See if you can witness these without making them right or wrong.
Recognize the difficulty that is present,
And then offer it your love,
Your care,
And your tenderness,
Befriending your experience entirely.
From your pelvis,
Draw our attention into your entire core,
Belly,
And lower back,
Feeling a sense of self-care,
Self-compassion,
And self-nurturance pervading this space.
And then rising into your chest area,
Invite a sense of care and ease to fill your heart and the entire space around it.
Know that this practice is not about forcing good feelings upon ourselves.
Rather,
It is about opening up to our inherent ability for self-nurturance.
Let your attention rise up from your heart and into your shoulders.
Allow your shoulders to feel your care,
And then allow that care to seep all the way down your arms,
Eventually landing in your hands.
Let both arms in their entirety feel your love and compassion.
Reaffirm with any loving words that arise naturally for you.
Draw your awareness now all the way back,
Up your arms,
And into your throat,
Feeling a sense of care filling this region.
And when you are ready to move on,
Gently guide your awareness into your face,
Noticing what it feels like to grant the fullness of your face,
Your love,
And your care.
Remember that there is no right or wrong way to experience this.
Each one of us will experience body parts differently,
And even that will change from moment to moment,
Day to day.
So allow even your own experience to be fluid.
And then let your entire head fill with this loving awareness.
Your forehead,
The crown of your head,
And all the way down the back of your head.
Hold your entire body in your awareness now.
Now offer your full body your compassion,
Your tenderness,
And your care,
Without it having to be or feel or look a certain way.
You are worthy of your unconditional love and compassion.
I invite you now to gently rest a hand upon your heart,
And then silently repeat,
May I move forward with love and compassion for my whole body.
May I move forward with love and compassion for my whole body.
May I move forward with love and compassion for my whole body.
Take a couple more mindful breaths.
Feel into the surface that continues to hold you.
Gently wiggle your fingers and your toes.
When you are ready to transition out of this practice,
And in your own time,
You can gently open your eyes.
