Welcome,
I'm Lisa and I'll be your guide for this meditation practice.
We'll be working with self-compassion through practicing self-kindness,
Seeing common humanity,
And practicing mindful awareness.
As we begin to practice,
Ask yourself,
What posture would be most supportive for me right now?
It may be standing up,
Finding a seat,
Or lying down.
This act alone is a self-compassionate act.
Listening to what your body is asking of you is tending to yourself.
You're welcome to keep your eyes open,
Soften your gaze,
Or gently close down the eyes.
Here you are.
You made it all this way,
Through all of the accomplishments,
All of the transitions,
All of your schedules,
All of your suffering,
And all of the many waves of life.
And yet,
Here you are,
By no accident.
You are just where you need to be,
Here and now.
Invite a gentle awareness to what's been happening in your life lately,
All with a sense of kindness.
There may be a lot happening and it might feel overwhelming,
Or there may not be a whole lot happening,
And it might feel like you're stuck.
Whatever you're experiencing and feeling in your body as you reflect on what's been happening as of lately,
Become aware of any sensations in your body.
Is there any tension?
Is there any temperature you can sense?
Any softness?
What's your breath like?
Let's be with ourselves just as we are and begin with some deep breathing.
Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth with a sigh.
Breathe in through the nose,
Expanding through the abdomen,
Through the chest,
And exhaling back out through the mouth.
Continue to go through these breaths a few more rounds like this.
Now let's see if we can add a little pause at the end of the inhalation.
So breathing in through the nose,
Sipping up the air all the way through the top,
And pausing just before the air leaves the body.
Exhaling out through the mouth or through the nose,
Pausing at the bottom of the exhale,
Leaving a moment between the next inhale.
Inhale through the nose,
Maybe one more sip of air,
Pausing at the top.
Exhale out through the nose or the mouth,
Letting it all go,
Pausing at the bottom of the exhale,
Inhaling again,
Filling up all the way,
Pausing at the top.
Exhale,
Let it go.
Last round.
Breathing in,
One more sip,
Pausing at the top.
Exhale,
Let it go,
Allowing the breath to come back to natural breathing.
You're welcome to continue with deep breathing if that feels supportive for your journey today.
Reflecting on recent events in your life or moments where you might need some more self-compassion,
Saying this phrase either out loud or in your head to yourself.
In life,
There are moments of suffering.
In life,
There are moments of suffering.
In life,
There are moments of suffering.
These moments will come and they will go as our breath travels in and out.
Acknowledging these moments of suffering can allow for a sense of spaciousness around them.
Naming these moments as difficult,
Stressful,
Challenging,
And still here you are riding the waves of your breath.
Self-compassion is also about seeing that there is a shared experience.
Everyone in life at some point experiences suffering.
Offer yourself these words in your head or out loud.
Suffering is a part of life and I am NOT alone.
Suffering is a part of life and I am NOT alone.
Suffering is a part of life and I am NOT alone.
Now bring your hands together and shifting the hands up and down,
Creating a gentle friction between the palms,
Creating heat between the hands,
Moving as slowly or as quickly as feels supportive.
We'll be here for 5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Placing your hands somewhere that would feel nurturing,
Perhaps your heart,
Your face,
Or your arms.
Receiving this touch as a gentle reminder that you have everything you need in this moment to self-soothe.
Taking a breath in through your nose,
Exhaling out through the mouth.
Next I invite you to explore placing your hands over your heart space.
Gently pressing the top palm onto the bottom back of the hand and offering yourself some compassionate wishes here.
You may try out some of these phrases or any other phrase that would feel good for you.
May I be patient with myself.
May I learn to accept myself.
May I love myself as I am right now.
May I be kind to myself.
Choosing any affirmation that you might be able to see yourself using next time you're going through a challenging time.
It may feel familiar to say these compassionate wishes or it may feel unfamiliar and strange.
Bringing a mindful awareness to your experience.
Holding everything with a sense of curiosity and kindness.
What is it like to feel myself,
Offer some compassionate wishes to myself.
Let's take three deep breaths here.
Now bringing to mind one way that you can continue to nourish yourself through compassion,
Perhaps this week or this month.
It may be as simple as taking some more deep breaths.
Offering yourself a couple minutes to sit with your breath after your alarm goes off in the morning.
Finding soothing touch during a difficult moment.
Saying any of these affirmations or reminders to yourself or anything else that would bring you to a space of compassion and away from a space and place of judgment or criticism.
Let's take a closing breath in together,
In through our nose,
Big exhale out through our mouth.
Welcome home.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
