Welcome to this meditation for self-compassion.
Self-compassion is a cultivated practice that every human being has to take time and intention to create in their own internal world.
Often we can recognize when there is a lack of self-compassion,
But it is hard to know what self-compassion really looks like.
My name is Maya Rain and I am going to be guiding you through today's practice of cultivating and discovering self-compassion and how worthy you are of it.
Self-compassion is a combination of self-forgiveness,
Mindfulness,
And self-love.
Self-compassion can manifest in many different ways,
Sometimes as an act of self-care,
Sometimes as a deep breath in a moment of stress,
Sometimes as a reflection of gratitude for how far you have come.
Often we can extend compassion to friends and loved ones in our life,
But we have a hard time doing the same to ourselves.
Treating yourself with kindness,
Understanding,
And care during difficult times is an act of compassion,
No different than you would show someone you care about.
Self-criticisms and blame sneak in after any small slight or wrongdoing.
Self-compassion is the way of navigating through the moral compass and personal expectations that you might hold for yourself and allowing more spaciousness,
More resilience,
More internal love.
Three key pieces in cultivating self-compassion are self-kindness,
Common humanity,
And mindfulness.
Self-kindness is about being warm,
Gentle,
And understanding to yourself when you are experiencing challenges or pain.
It's about supporting yourself and comforting yourself from a place of genuine openness rather than self-criticism or self-judgment.
Common humanity is about recognizing that every person makes mistakes,
Every person experiences pain,
Every person faces challenges,
And that you are not alone in the struggles.
And mindfulness is about being present in your current moment,
Your current experience,
Sitting with your thoughts and emotions and sensations without trying to escape them and without judging them.
Mindfulness helps you to observe and accept difficult feelings with greater clarity and non-reactivity.
This allows you to take a step back,
See the entire picture,
And find more compassion in the moment.
Now,
I invite you to repeat the mantra that I am going to share with you in your mind or out loud in a call and response manner as I speak it aloud,
Allowing each word to wash over you,
To allow yourself to find forgiveness and compassion.
Allow each of the sentences to be felt fully,
And notice which ones spark something deeply inside of you,
Which ones make you feel better,
And which ones might be hard to say aloud.
Whichever pieces strike your emotions the most are likely the ones to carry you forward,
To pay deep attention to,
And to bring into regular practice in your life.
Finding a comfortable seat,
Taking a few deep breaths,
To settle in,
Preparing to repeat the mantras,
Allowing yourself to be still and at ease,
And repeat after me.
I am worthy of love and compassion.
I embrace my imperfections with kindness and understanding.
I offer myself grace and acceptance in times of struggles.
I am enough,
Just as I am.
I forgive myself completely.
I release all judgments and self-blame.
I am worthy of love,
Understanding,
And healing.
I embrace my imperfections and allow myself to grow with compassion.
Now,
I am going to repeat those same phrases one more time.
Allow yourself this second time to deepen into the experiencing of each sentence,
Each mantra,
Letting it permeate to all the spaces that have held shame,
Embarrassment,
Or judgment,
Allowing the words to wash over you and cleanse you.
Repeat after me.
I am worthy of love and compassion.
I embrace my imperfections with kindness and understanding.
I offer myself grace and acceptance in times of struggle.
I am enough,
Just as I am.
I forgive myself completely.
I release all judgments and self-blame.
I am worthy of love,
Understanding,
And healing.
I embrace my imperfections and allow myself to grow with compassion.
Taking a couple deep cleansing breaths,
In through the nose and out through the mouth with a sigh,
Notice how you feel in your body,
Your mind,
Your emotions.
Notice how you feel in your heart,
Your emotions,
Your thoughts,
Your feelings,
And which ones struck you the most.
Your presence in this meditation and this practice today was a radical act of self-compassion.
Clicking on this meditation was a sign to yourself that you care deeply,
That you want to find more self-love,
More self-forgiveness,
And more freedom in your life.
Giving yourself a moment of gratitude for showing up in this way today.
Allowing yourself to come back into your body with a couple more rounds of breath in whatever way feels comfortable and natural to you.
Perhaps bringing movement into your body,
Stretching or wiggling your fingers and toes,
And maybe even bringing a smile to your face for the work that you have done here today.
The inner well of self-love that you have cultivated,
Knowing that each time you come back to this practice,
These feelings will grow,
Your self-compassion will expand,
And feelings of difficulty will lessen and shorten.
Thank you for being here in this practice today.
Take it with you as you move throughout the rest of your day today,
And enjoy yourself and your life.
