If you're having a bad day and need some comfort,
This meditation is for you.
Take a moment to get comfortable wherever you are,
Either sitting or laying down.
Rotate your wrists and then allow your hands to rest gently on your lap or beside you.
Give your shoulders a bit of a roll.
Just letting go of any unneeded tension.
Once you're settled,
Begin to deepen and slow your breathing.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Just noticing the sensations of breathing in your body.
In and out.
With the tide coming in and the tide going out.
Sometimes life doesn't go our way.
We feel such disappointment,
Anger,
And fear.
I want you to know that you are not alone.
I am not alone.
We are not alone in this.
Experiencing difficulties is a natural part of life.
And it's often in the moments we want the least that we can grow the most.
At these times we can either add to our suffering with endless criticism or deepen our compassion.
Decide which way of being you want to commit to.
Make that decision in your heart.
Breathe in and out.
Self-compassion means you act warmly and with understanding when you are suffering.
Rather than meeting your suffering with coldness and anger,
You respond to what hurts like a loving mother or friend.
Rather than lashing out at yourself or others.
Listen to these words and allow them to wash over you.
Don't let what hurt you yesterday hurt you today.
Make a decision to let the past stay in the past.
Today is a new day unlike any other.
Breathe that in.
Trust that the love you give will come back to you.
Trust that the kindness you've shown will come back to you.
And remember when you least expect it,
What you think you've lost will come back to you.
Breathe that in.
Remember you cannot control other people.
Isn't it hard enough to control yourself?
Ask yourself how many times you need to learn this lesson.
Let go of the need to control.
When did it ever really serve you?
Or serve others?
Do what you can.
Take positive action.
Then trust the universe.
Trust nature.
Trust the rhythmic ebb and flow of life.
And let that do its work.
Remember,
Give yourself grace for being other than what you want.
Give others grace for being other than what you want.
There will always be highs and lows,
Good days and bad days.
Celebrate fully the good days.
And remember to practice conscious compassion on the rough ones.
Believe that you can decide to be content,
Even in the midst of suffering,
By meeting your pain again and again with love and care and tenderness.
Choose to give yourself the compassion you need right now.
Don't wait for permission.
Don't wait to be perfect.
Choose to give someone else the compassion they might need right now.
Liberate yourself.
Now,
Decide that your happiness will not rest on whether or not someone chooses you.
Freeing them of the prison of your expectations frees you.
Open to what is beautiful around you.
Drink in the sight of a tree.
Rest your mind in a sweet memory.
Fill up with fresh air.
Just breathe in and out.
Remember,
Every thorn just might be attached to a rose.
Even now,
There are possibilities all around you,
Even now.
Today,
Practice patience for yourself and others.
Breathe in and out.
Today,
Practice kindness for yourself and others.
Breathe in and out.
Today,
Practice saying,
I care about you,
To yourself and others.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe.
