This meditation is called soften,
Soothe and allow and it can be used as a way to meet difficult emotions with compassion.
So if you are currently experiencing a challenging emotion it may be a helpful practice to listen to.
So beginning by finding a comfortable position and closing the eyes either partially or fully and taking in a few deep embodied breaths.
Arriving with the exhale,
Perhaps having a sense of settling.
And the invitation is to offer yourself some supportive touch,
So perhaps a hand over the heart or somewhere else on the body that feels supportive.
As a gentle reminder that we're not just bringing our awareness but a loving awareness into our practice.
Taking a few moments to remind yourself that you are in the room and that you too are worthy of kindness.
And beginning to let yourself recall a mild to moderately challenging situation that you are in right now.
Maybe it's a work issue,
A health concern,
Perhaps there's some stress in a relationship.
Maybe it's a perceived personal inadequacy.
Not choosing a problem that feels overwhelming,
Nor a trivial one either.
Please choose a situation that can generate a little stress in your body when you think of it.
And beginning to visualize the situation in your mind.
Who was there?
What was said?
What happened?
What might happen?
Bringing the issue to life in your mind's eye.
And as you relive the situation,
Notice if any emotions arise within you.
And if so,
Seeing if a label for an emotion comes up,
A name.
For example,
Anger,
Sadness,
Grief,
Confusion,
Fear,
Longing,
Despair.
And if you are having many emotions,
See if you can name the strongest one associated with the situation.
And now,
Repeating the name of the emotion to yourself in a tender understanding voice,
As if you were validating for a friend what they were feeling.
For example,
Ah,
That's longing.
Or ah,
That's grief.
Grief is here.
Now taking a moment to expand your awareness to your body as a whole.
Recalling the difficult situation again if it's begun to slip out of your mind.
Naming the strongest emotion you feel and beginning to scan your body for where you feel it the most easily.
In your mind's eye,
Sweeping your body from head to toe,
Stopping where you can feel a little tension or discomfort.
Just feel what is feelable in your body right now,
Nothing more.
And now,
If you can please choose a single location in your body where the feeling expresses itself the most strongly.
Perhaps it's a point of muscle tension in your neck,
A painful feeling in your stomach or an ache in your heart.
In your mind,
Gently inclining toward that location and seeing if you can experience the sensation directly,
As if from the inside.
And if that's too specific,
Seeing if you can just feel the general sense of discomfort.
And now,
Beginning to soften into that location in your body,
Letting the muscles soften.
Letting them relax as if in warm water.
Softening.
Softening.
Softening.
Remember that we're not trying to change the feeling,
We're just holding it in a tender way.
If you wish,
Just softening a little around the edges.
And now soothing yourself because of this difficult situation.
If you wish,
Placing a hand over the part of the body that feels uncomfortable.
Just feeling the warmth and gentle touch of your hand.
Perhaps imagining warmth and kindness flowing through your hand into your body.
Maybe even thinking of your body as if it were the body of a beloved child.
Soothing.
Soothing.
Soothing.
And are there some comforting words that you may need to hear?
For instance,
You might imagine you had a friend who was struggling in exactly the same way.
What would you say to your friend?
I'm so sorry you're feeling this way.
I care deeply about you.
Can you offer yourself a similar message?
Oh,
It's so hard to feel this.
May I be kind to myself in this moment?
I'm here for you.
If you need,
If there's ever too much intensity with this practice,
Just letting go of the exercise and feeling your breath.
Taking care of yourself every step of the way.
And finally,
Allowing the discomfort to be there.
Making room for it.
Giving it plenty of space.
Releasing the need to make it go away.
And allowing yourself to just be you.
Just like this.
If only for this one moment.
Softening.
Soothing.
Allowing.
Softening.
Soothing.
Allowing.
Taking a moment to perhaps revisit the three steps on your own.
You may notice the feeling starts to shift or change location.
That's okay.
Just stay with it.
Softening.
Soothing.
Allowing.
Now gently letting go of any images or words.
Allowing them to fade into the background.
And letting go of the practice and getting a sense of your body as a whole.
Allowing yourself to feel whatever you feel and to be exactly as you are in this moment.
Beginning to become aware of the points of contact between the ground and the feet.
The body and the chair or cushions.
And whenever you're ready,
Gently and slowly opening your eyes.
