Let's begin by finding a comfortable position,
One that feels relaxed yet wakeful.
Whenever you are ready,
I invite you to gently close your eyes.
Let's start today's practice by taking a couple of deep breaths.
And as you breathe,
You can listen to the sound of your breath.
That can help you further feel anchored to the present moment.
Ok,
Now take a deep and gentle breath in,
Welcoming relaxation,
And a long and heavy breath out,
Completely exhaling and letting go.
Another deep breath in,
Creating space,
Openness,
And a long,
Complete breath out,
Relaxing even further.
And another deep breath in,
Feeling the energy provided with each inhale,
And an even longer breath out,
Completely letting go of that which you no longer need.
And one more time on your own.
You can now gently return to your normal breath,
Observing it as you breathe naturally,
Feeling more and more anchored to the present moment with each breath.
You might notice that your mind has wandered off.
If this happens,
Remind yourself that that is completely normal,
And softly,
Without any judgment,
Bring your awareness back to the breath.
You can note each inhale by silently repeating the word IN,
And follow each exhale by repeating the word OUT.
Begin like this for a couple of breaths on your own.
In life,
We may have slept in the same place,
But now we are in the same place.
In life,
We may have slowly strayed away from feelings of self-compassion,
Unconditioned self-love,
A sense of happiness that doesn't depend on outer circumstances.
We may have focused more on criticism,
Self-doubt,
Over-analyzing our mistakes,
Overthinking our faults.
But even if self-compassion doesn't come naturally to us,
With practice we can once again come back to it.
We can learn to cultivate compassion for ourselves,
Self-love that doesn't ask but simply gives.
We can learn we do not have to reach something to feel worthy of our own love.
That all we need to do is simply come back to our inner place of love and acceptance,
A place that all of us have deep inside,
Some hidden,
Harder to find,
But still there,
Shining brightly waiting for us to reach once again.
You can start by allowing a gentle smile to arise on your face.
And with your next inhale,
Welcome kindness and compassion into your body.
And with your next exhale,
Simply let go of any tension or stress that your body might be holding onto.
Release any resistance,
Any doubt,
Anything that no longer serves you.
And inhale complete acceptance.
And as you exhale,
Completely surrender to this moment.
Good.
You can rest your attention lightly onto the breath,
Not seeking out anything,
Not pursuing anything,
Not rejecting anything.
Simply accepting whatever arises,
Open to whatever the present experience is.
And remember throughout this and other practices,
Your mind may wander.
This is completely normal.
Distractions are a part of the process.
Simply welcome this experience.
Accept whatever it is that took you away from the present moment.
And when you are ready,
Simply come back to the breath.
With your next exhale,
Allow yourself to let go a little more.
Sink a little deeper,
Letting the muscles fall heavy,
Loosen,
Welcoming relaxation.
You can stay for a little while in this inner space you created and filled with pure feelings of compassion and love.
Notice how it feels to be here now.
How does your body feel?
Is there warmth present?
Is there a subtle smile on your face?
Enjoy this beautiful space.
And as our meditation practice comes to an end,
Slowly and gently allow your attention to expand.
Notice any sounds you might be hearing.
Become aware of your whole body.
Maybe stretch in any way that feels comfortable for you.
And when you are ready,
Gently open your eyes.
Thank you for joining me in today's practice.
I wish you a lovely day filled with kindness and compassion.
