Welcome,
I'm Lisa Bratney-Smith and today's practice is Giving and Receiving Compassion
from the Mindful Self Compassion Course by Chris Germer and Kristen Neff.
I invite you to find a comfortable seat or lie down if you prefer,
Allowing the weight
of your body to sink into the seat beneath you,
Lifting your heart with your inhaling
breath and allowing the shoulders to soften back and down with your exhale.
Please make sure that your legs feel supported,
Either crossed with something perhaps under
your knees if that feels compassionate for your body,
Extended or resting on the floor
or adding something underneath your feet.
Let's begin by taking a few deep,
Relaxing breaths,
Noticing how your breath nourishes
your body as you inhale and soothes your body as you exhale,
Letting your breath find its
own natural rhythm.
Continue the sensation of breathing in and breathing out,
Allowing yourself to be internally
rocked and caressed by the rhythm of your breathing.
If it feels natural to you,
You can even let your body gently sway with the movement of
your breathing.
Now focusing your attention on your in-breath only,
Letting yourself savor the sensation
of breathing in,
One breath after another,
Perhaps noticing how the in-breath energizes
your body.
If you like,
As you breathe in,
Breathing in kindness and compassion for yourself.
Just feeling the quality of kindness and compassion as you breathe in,
Or if you prefer,
Letting
a word or image of kindness ride on your breathing.
When you're ready,
Shifting your focus to your out-breath,
Feeling your body breathing
out,
Feeling the ease and relaxation of the body exhaling as you breathe out,
And as you
breathe out,
Sending the ease and relaxation of your exhalation into the world.
If you wish,
Also sending out kindness and compassion with each out-breath,
One breath
after another.
Now focusing again on the sensation of breathing both in and out,
Savoring the sensation of
breathing in and the sensation of breathing out.
Breathing in for me and out for you,
Letting the in-breath always be for yourself.
Now finding just the right balance at this moment of time between breathing in for yourself
and breathing out for others,
Giving yourself permission to breathe in for yourself as often
as you like,
One breath after another.
And when you feel your cup is full,
When you truly feel ready,
Begin breathing out for
others.
If you like,
Offering kindness and compassion along with your breathing,
Letting go of any
unnecessary effort,
Allowing this meditation to be as easy as breathing,
Allowing your
breath to flow in and out like the ocean going in and out,
A limitless,
Boundless flow,
Letting yourself be a part of this limitless,
Boundless flow,
An ocean of kindness and compassion.
Gently take a breath in and out,
Letting the practice go,
Taking a moment to notice
how you feel,
Allowing your practice to be just as it was,
No better,
No worse,
And allowing
yourself to be just as you are.
And when you're ready,
Gently opening your eyes and bringing your awareness back to your
surroundings.
