Hello and welcome.
This is an informal practice.
This is called a self compassion break.
And this exercise is for times when you notice that you're feeling stress or any emotional discomfort.
And it involves seeing if you can find the discomfort in your body,
Noticing what it is you feel the most.
And where you feel it.
And then making contact with those sensations,
Not trying to push them away,
But getting in contact with them,
Seeing as they arise in your body,
How they feel.
And then what kind of message you would like to deliver toward those feelings.
And this is a means of helping you to confront these types of stressful situations.
So we're going to practice.
And as we begin,
I invite you to find a position that's comfortable for you and to close your eyes.
Now imagine yourself in this situation that is mildly stressful.
Not something extreme,
Not something that elicits strong emotions.
If we were to put this on a scale of one to 10,
One being not stressful at all to 10 being extremely stressful,
Stressful in a sense that you may need extra help.
We don't want it to be a 10 we want this to be more of a three or four.
So allow yourself to imagine yourself in this mildly stressful situation in this three or four category stressful situation.
Now where do you feel the stress and the discomfort the most in your body?
You might notice it in the neck,
In the back.
Perhaps it's deep in the chest or the stomach.
Maybe it's somewhere completely different.
But notice where you feel this discomfort and now say to yourself slowly,
This is a moment of suffering.
Saying this is mindfulness.
Recognizing that there is pain and there is discomfort.
Perhaps saying something like this hurts or this is stressful.
Maybe even just simply ouch.
Simply recognize that there is discomfort and there's pain.
And now say to yourself slowly,
Suffering is a part of living.
Suffering is a part of living.
And that's common humanity.
Recognizing that you're not the only one who suffers,
But other people do too.
Maybe you can say to yourself,
I'm not alone.
Others are just like me.
We all struggle in our lives.
Or maybe even this is how it feels when a person struggles in this way.
And now put your hands over your heart or wherever it feels soothing.
Allow yourself to feel the warmth and the gentle touch of your hands.
And now say to yourself slowly,
May I be kind to myself.
And this is self-kindness.
Another thing is you can say in place of this is,
May I give myself what I need.
May I accept myself as I am.
May I live in love.
And if you're having difficulty finding the right words,
Imagine that a dear friend or a loved one is having the same problem as you are.
What is it that you would say to this person?
Heart to heart.
Now if your friend were to hold just a few words of your words in their mind,
What would you like them to be?
What's the message that you would like to deliver to your friend?
Now see if you can offer the same message,
The one you're offering to your friend.
See if you can offer that to yourself.
And be gentle.
Try offering this message to yourself.
And now allow yourself to let this situation,
This memory of the situation you were in dissolve from your mind's eye.
Now here you are.
And this meditation,
This practice is one you can use in any situation,
Any time you feel a need to.
Recognizing that you are suffering,
You're experiencing some discomfort.
Recognizing that this is part of our common humanity that others also suffer.
And then offering yourself some compassion,
Whatever compassionate words feel right to you at the time and at that space.
And that is the self-compassion break.
Thank you for practicing it with me and if you ever feel the need to use it,
I hope this is a meditation,
That this is a practice that you will be able to use and benefit from.
