People are in a fight or flight response,
And they're hard to be around.
Their hearts aren't really open.
And yet we also have this vast experience of connection and being held and being seen.
So sometimes that's by someone else,
And often we start with ourselves.
So if you were to see yourself.
Imagine that you're holding your own hand.
Putting your hand on your heart,
Looking in the mirror.
Taking some breaths.
What might you say?
What do you want to hear?
What words do you want to have received?
Just notice whatever comes up.
I want people to know that.
Or I want myself.
To come into awareness that.
Whatever that is.
That I have a younger self that feels vulnerable.
And needs some love and care.
Some softness.
Some nourishing.
And if you want,
You could bring in someone else who says that to you.
Start with,
What do I want to hear?
What do I want to be witnessed around,
Perhaps,
Is another way to say that.
What do I want to be listened to around?
And can I listen to myself?
Some of these things are kind of painful and we just kind of veer away from them.
And for the next few minutes,
We could really settle into that.
What is difficult for me to be present with,
But that I really want,
Some part of me really wants to be known?
You might see yourself saying that or you might say the words out loud if you're in a circumstance where you could do that.
You might pretend it's happening and let yourself experience it that way.
Our mind doesn't know the difference between our thoughts and what's actually happening.
And that's a problem with catastrophic thinking because we get really revved up into the danger.
But we can also work with it in this sense.
Maybe I'm imagining somebody who's not here anymore or someone I don't know in person.
But who I really respect.
Or myself and just say to them,
This is what's going on.
And let yourself be witnessed.
And let yourself be comforted.
What would they say?
What's it like listening to those words?
It might be your adult self to your child self.
It might be someone else.
What does it feel like in your heart area right now?
There might be a softness and openheartedness.
Avoid.
Let's move into a little loving-kindness practice.
May I know the power of being witnessed.
May I experience being held.
And cared for.
May I know the lightness of releasing shame and judgment.
And may I have the experience of looking into another's eyes.
And seeing love.
Connection.
My own eyes,
Someone else's eyes.
May I know the experience of being witnessed with kindness.
Let yourself feel that in your body.
And bringing to mind someone you care about,
A friend.
May that person know the power.
And have the experience of being witnessed with kindness.
And compassion.
May any burdens of shame be lifted from them.
May they know love and compassion.
And then bringing to mind all the people in the world who might be annoying us with their noise.
Around who is a little more challenging to be open-hearted.
May those people.
Know the power.
And the feeling of connection,
Of being listened to.
Of being held with love.
And compassion.
And may all beings everywhere.
Have the experience.
Of lightness.
Every leasing of shame and shoulds and I should,
I shouldn't,
I should be better.
I shouldn't respond this way.
Can we all let that go?
May we all know the experience of being accepted.
Of being loved,
Of being held in compassion and kindness.
And may we all carry that out into our world.
And sit with that in our heart.
Let yourself feel that in every cell of your body.
You can have your hands on your heart if you want or just feel into that.
I have had the experience of being held with love and compassion.
By myself and I could practice that more often.
And sometimes with others.
And a person that might be in a forest.
Might be with your dog or your cat.
Bringing these back into our experience through this kind of a practice reminds us.
But this is also true.
