Hello my dear friend.
I am so glad that you are here.
Today I have a 15 minute practice for you for self-love and compassion.
Often in our culture at large we often feel pressure to be constantly making progress towards something and always achieving more and more and in order to do that we often push ourselves pretty hard and sometimes if you're like me,
Anxious,
Overachievers,
We become convinced that the only way that we will ever achieve our goals is to be hard on ourselves.
But I actually believe that we grow by nurturing ourselves with kind thoughts and encouragement the way our favorite teacher or coach might do.
So that's what today's practice is all about.
If we haven't met before,
My name is Amber and I teach people how to meditate and use mindfulness to manage their stress and anxiety.
So if you're ready let's jump right in and we'll begin to settle in starting with the body.
Getting the body ready to become still.
Finding a position that is both alert and at ease.
Let your spine be nice and tall here and let your shoulders drop down from the ears.
You can choose to keep your eyes open with a gentle gaze or you might close them.
It's up to you.
And we'll begin by taking a few breaths together in through the nose and out through the mouth.
So together we'll inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth.
Once more and together inhale through the nose and exhale let it out through the mouth.
And exhale let it out through the mouth.
And when you're ready let go of control allowing the breath to return to its natural pace and rhythm.
Bringing your awareness to the weight of the body sinking down into the chair or the floor beneath you.
Noticing any sounds present around you any light flickering behind your eyelids.
Noticing any areas of tension in the body and just becoming aware of them in a kind friendly way.
And one of the ways that we can cultivate self-love and compassion is to recognize all the things that we do day to day to take care of ourselves.
To protect the life that we live.
So I invite you to take a moment to think of something that you did recently to support your life.
And this can be something that you did in the past or something that you did in the past that you want to continue to do in the future.
And this can be something that you did at home or at work.
Something you did alone or in the presence of others.
And if you find yourself having trouble thinking of an example of a time when you did something to take care of yourself,
Don't forget the small things you do every day that you might take for granted.
Like making yourself food to eat or ensuring that you have a clean space to live in.
Clean clothes to wear.
Or maybe it's taking the time to be here and meditate today.
That's a big one.
And whatever you choose,
Start to bring the memory of this act of kindness close in.
Remembering where you were,
What you were doing.
If it's relevant,
Remembering who you were with,
Maybe what time of day it was.
Maybe what time of day it was.
And as you bring that memory to life,
See if you can start to sense into your body.
How do you remember feeling at the time?
Maybe you remember feeling energized,
Or maybe the opposite,
Maybe you felt tired.
Maybe you didn't feel anything at all.
Perhaps you performed this act of kindness on autopilot.
And how do you feel now as you watch this mental movie of yourself taking such good care?
Perhaps you might feel a little gratitude blossoming in your chest.
Maybe there's a feeling of tenderness towards your past self.
And noticing as well how gratitude shows up in the body.
And noticing as well how gratitude shows up in the body.
Perhaps there's a little warmth,
A little openness.
And take as much time as you need to feel into that.
And appreciating all the small efforts and things you do on a daily basis to take such good care of your body,
Mind,
And heart.
Taking a moment to say a silent thank you for all the things you do,
Day in and day out,
And day out to support the life that is yours.
Or if you're sitting there feeling like it's a bit much right now,
Or not within reach,
Perhaps just a simple acknowledgment that these small efforts do happen.
And as we start to come to the end of this meditation,
Take a moment to open your awareness to whatever is here right now.
And let your awareness come back into the body.
Connect once more to the breath,
Knowing that this feeling of care and unconditional friendliness that you've cultivated towards yourself today is a quality that is innate to you.
It's here whenever you need it.
All right,
My dear,
On your own time,
Take one last breath.
Slowly open the eyes if you've closed them,
And make your way back.
And make your way back.
Thank you so much for your practice today.
Have a wonderful rest of your day,
And I'll see you very soon.
