Welcome to this meditation for self-compassion,
Which really just means taking some time to offer yourself deep kindness and support.
So as we settle in here,
Maybe take a moment to loosen any clothing that might be tight or grab a pillow or anything that might make you more comfortable.
You can even take a moment to just gently massage the muscles in your face,
Maybe starting with your forehead and moving just gently into your temples and maybe your jaw.
Just working your fingers down the sides or back of your neck,
Letting your breath be full,
Letting something go with each exhale.
You can even run your fingers over your scalp,
Just giving your entire head a little massage so something can loosen up and feel more relaxed and at ease.
And as you're ready,
You can settle into a seat or lying down in a way that you feel really supported.
Just let your breath be full and beautiful.
Just unhurried breath.
It can really allow you to come back to yourself and really relax into yourself.
You can relax the muscles around your eyes and then letting your entire face and jaw be heavy,
Soft.
Just like with each exhale,
You're melting or softening.
If it feels good to sigh,
If that supports you in letting go of any stress or tension that the body might be holding,
Letting yourself sink into stillness.
And maybe there's even a place in your body that feels really peaceful and relaxed.
You can bring your awareness to that.
Just letting that sensation inform you on some level,
Allowing more of you to access this peaceful and relaxed sensation.
Very good.
And I wonder what it's like if you bring your attention to your heart,
The area of your physical heart.
And at first,
Just notice what you're aware of.
Maybe you can feel your chest moving with each breath.
Maybe you can feel your skin.
Maybe there's a certain energy there that you can sense.
Maybe you don't feel anything.
It can be helpful to put a hand or two hands over your heart.
And as much as possible,
Invite your awareness to just rest at your heart.
Maybe you can become aware of your heartbeat.
Maybe there's a warmth or a vastness.
I wonder if there's any emotions present that you can be aware of in your heart.
That's it.
Even this receptivity,
Offering this space of whatever's there to show up.
And there's more than enough room and holding here that if anything needs to be released,
Maybe there's tears,
Maybe there's a sigh,
Maybe there's some other sound.
And I wonder what it's like if you just fully allow that.
And if there's nothing present,
Just offering this space is so powerful.
It sends such a powerful message to some deep part of yourself.
This understanding that there's this space of safety,
Of unconditional support.
You can just let the weight of your hands be a sense of comfort,
Just a beautiful sense of being held.
And we'll just breathe,
Just slow,
Beautiful breaths,
Relaxing into the surface beneath you and with the heart.
If your attention wanders,
That's okay.
You can gently bring it back to the sensation of your hands over your heart,
Or maybe to the softening of your face.
Just allowing yourself a few more breaths of being soft and open,
Relaxed,
And connected to your beautiful heart.
Very special.
You can start to gently bring your awareness back into the body,
Maybe allowing a little bit of movement,
Maybe wiggling your toes or stretching a little bit.
Just noticing if anything has relaxed or softened.
And as you open your eyes and start to come back more fully into this moment and re-engage with the rest of your day,
I wonder what it would be like to stay connected with your heart.
You can even put a hand over your heart whenever it's needed.
Just offering yourself this deep refuge of support and space and deep self-compassion.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
