A warm welcome.
See if you can find yourself a little nook for solace.
Maybe a pillow for the back,
Your feet rooted to the earth.
For the next little while you'll be guided on a meditation to get to know your inner critic part.
Before we begin,
I invite you to acknowledge the land you're joining me from.
Today I guide you from the lands of the Wurundjeri people here in Naarm,
Melbourne,
Close to the Birrarong,
The River of Mists.
I invite you to contemplate your connection to the land that supports you.
Together we play homage to elders past,
Present and emerging as we gradually shift our attention inward.
We open to the humming at our edges,
To the electricity of our collective pulse.
As we enter this contemplative space together,
I invite you to gradually slow the rhythm of your breathing and arrive in this moment.
To take in the quiet,
Absorb the sounds that vibrate around you.
Breathe in the aromas.
Connect with the alive surface of your skin and gently sink into sensation.
Now scan your entire body from the crown of your head across your edges to the ground of your feet.
On the out-breath,
Allow these spaces to soften.
Melt into the ground that supports you.
Now feel into your bigness by bringing awareness into your arms and legs.
Sense the expanse of your energy field.
Imagine breathing through your limbs,
A vessel for your breath.
Now observe the hum of presence in your limbs that your gentle awareness has made manifest.
I invite you now to shift your awareness to the inner critic part.
This part can appear in thoughts,
Sensations and images.
Recall a recent memory when this part was present.
Perhaps you were being hard on yourself about a mistake.
Now bring your awareness to being the vast container that this part resides within.
Imagine growing your energy field and expanding at your edges,
Remembering that the inner critic part resides within the benevolent vessel of your soul.
I invite you to bring a quality of curiosity,
Compassion and non-judgment towards this part.
If other parts of the psyche that have negative feelings towards the inner critic come up,
Ask them to give you some space.
Now from a place of genuine curiosity,
Ask the inner critic what is its job.
Sit with its response and acknowledge its positive intentions towards you.
This part is usually trying to protect us,
So allow that awareness to be there.
Now ask the inner critic how old does it think you are.
Note the first image or number that comes up.
Now gently and patiently share with the inner critic how old you are now.
Slowly show the inner critic all the ways in which you've grown,
The strength and capacity you've developed,
The wisdom you've acquired and importantly the love,
Support and resources you have available to you now.
Take a breath and notice any changes in your felt sense.
If any tender or younger parts show up,
Acknowledge that they're there and ask them not to flood you.
Now ask the inner critic part how you can help it so it doesn't have to work so hard on your behalf.
Listen for its response and see if you can make a commitment to the inner critic so it can soften.
Now make that commitment with a sense of clarity and sincerity.
To many people this part can feel all powerful,
Overbearing and unyielding.
So I want you to imagine now deauthorizing the inner critic.
Maybe you visualize the inner critic part shrinking in size.
You could give your inner critic a childish or absurd voice.
Perhaps you imagine your inner critic speaking from your elbow.
Give your inner critic the character of a person you wouldn't readily go to for counsel.
Taking a breath now,
See if you can sense more space in your system.
Before we end this part of the meditation,
Remember your commitment to the inner critic,
Remembering that it's just part of you.
As we transition into the last chapter of our time together,
I invite you to connect with your heart center,
Placing your hands on your chest.
Visualize your own loving energy moving from your hands into your heart space.
Exchange a whisper,
I love you,
I am here.
Notice any changes in your experience as your heart center takes in your presence.
Now feel into the bedrock of your being,
Solid,
Awake and alive.
Feel your whole body's contact with the ground that supports you.
Connect your attention into your senses,
The smells in the room,
The vibration of sound around you and the touch of your clothes on your skin.
Feel the space in your body.
Now create a snapshot of this moment and commit it to memory,
Knowing that in the future you can acknowledge the inner critic part and it's positive intention and ask it for space.
Now rub the sides of your arms with your hands,
Feeling the hum of energy underneath your skin.
Allow your arms to gently fall beside you.
Bring your attention to your breath.
When you're ready,
I invite you to slowly open your eyes.
Take in the formal qualities all around you while staying connected to your ground.
Observe in the coming days if the inner critic part has reduced in intensity and frequency.
Thank you for sharing this time with me.
All the very best.
