Hi,
This is Madeline.
This is a short version of our self-compassion meditation,
Great for starting off the day or when you need a quick pick-me-up.
There is science behind this meditation,
So just give it a try and let your mind and body do the rest of the work for you.
You're here and that's a wonderful self-care step already.
A daily self-compassion practice changes your brain over time and helps you be more resilient in the moments you need it most.
So I invite you to close your eyes if it's comfortable for you,
Or if not,
You can just leave them in a low gaze in front of you on a neutral point.
And take a few deeper breaths with the out breath being a little longer than the in breath.
And on the next out breath,
Just relax the muscles around your jaw,
Dropping your jaw down,
Releasing any tension around your jaw and mouth.
And on the next out breath,
Relax the little muscles around your eyes,
From squinting and smiling,
Just relaxing those muscles that get tight around your eyes.
And on the last deeper exhale,
Relax any tension that might be in your shoulders,
Just letting that tension roll out of your shoulders onto the ground.
And if you can,
Bring your attention out of any thoughts and planning and thinking,
Just bring that attention down into your body,
Noticing your feet,
Touching whatever they're touching,
The floor,
The bed,
Whatever surface they're touching.
Notice that contact point,
Notice the contact point of your back,
The back of your legs,
Your seat,
Touching the chair,
The cushion,
The bed.
How do you know your body is not floating?
What contact point do you feel?
Just for a moment,
Place it back down.
Notice that contact point.
What is your hand or your arm resting on?
That's what we're focusing on right now.
Just shifting our attention out of the head,
Down into the body,
Contact points of the body touching something.
You might even notice feet,
Seat,
Hands.
What are you touching?
What are the contact points?
Feet,
Seat,
Hands.
And now we're going to shift our attention to how we're feeling right now.
We're just using mindfulness to shine a light on what's happening right now.
Maybe there's a physical pain or sensation in the body or some emotional pain.
Just let it be there.
Just let it be there right now.
Instead of pushing it away or avoiding it.
There's times in our day where we have to push these things away to go about our business.
But right now,
Just let it be there.
Whatever's there is okay.
And after I say these words,
Repeat them to yourself silently.
I'm going through a hard time right now.
This is a moment of suffering.
This hurts.
We're just letting whatever is here right now be here.
It's okay.
This is a moment of suffering.
And now let's tap into the common humanity of this situation.
Just reminding ourselves that it is normal to feel this way sometimes.
Everyone does.
And you're not alone with this suffering.
Say to yourself,
I'm not alone when I feel this way.
We all struggle in this way sometimes.
Suffering sometimes is just part of life.
There's nothing wrong with me.
So just remembering that we see everyone having good times and happy times.
But everyone also has bad times,
Times of suffering.
It's not something that has to be fixed every time.
It's just part of being human.
And we will get through it.
And now we're going to shift to showing ourselves some kindness.
Our body doesn't know the difference between kind words and a kind touch coming from other people or coming from ourselves.
Either way,
It releases endorphins and oxytocin,
Which is our own way of picking ourselves up and helping us feel better.
It's amazing that we have this power to turn this on ourselves.
So place a hand on your heart or just place one hand on top of the other one,
The way you might do if you're comforting a friend.
Feel the touch and feel the warmth.
Say to yourself,
I'm doing the best I can right now.
And that's enough.
May I be kind to myself.
May I be patient right now while I'm hurting.
May I feel the compassion that I need right now.
What do you need to hear right now to feel some kindness?
Say whatever that is to yourself right now.
Practicing these three components of self-compassion,
Even just briefly,
Every day,
Helps to imprint them.
It's mindfulness,
Just shining the light of awareness on what's happening in the moment for you.
The common humanity,
Knowing that we all suffer sometimes.
It's normal and nothing is wrong with you when you feel this way.
And self-kindness,
Giving ourselves the kind words and touch that we need to lift ourselves up.
I'm going to ring a bell three times and just focus on the sound,
Listening to the sound all the way out until you can no longer hear it.
The answers to what you are seeking to feel better are within.
And this practice will help you realize this truth for yourself.
Now you can wiggle your fingers a little bit,
Maybe tilt your head from side to side as we come out of this meditation.
And if your eyes were closed,
Open them slowly with a low gaze and take in your surroundings with fresh eyes.
Until next time,
Be well.
Thank you for your practice.
