Hello and welcome to this guided meditation based on compassion in a world of contradictions.
Begin by finding stillness,
Maybe seated or lying down.
Let your body settle.
Let your breath be easy.
Close your eyes if it feels safe to do so,
And let your hands rest gently on your knees,
Your heart,
Or wherever they feel most at ease.
Take a slow deep breath in and exhale fully.
Let these next few moments of meditation be an offering to yourself of quiet,
Of presence,
Of compassion.
And I'll start by sharing a poem by Deja Ray who says,
You can validate your pain while having compassion for the person who caused it.
You can ask for accountability while offering forgiveness.
You can honor your authenticity while creating space for disagreement.
Life is drenched in nuance.
It is colored with contradictions.
Every person has their own perspective and story.
Every individual has been both a villain and a victim.
Compassion happens when you begin to understand that no one is ever wholly right or wrong.
We are all one,
Learning and growing in tandem.
Letting that poem settle,
Bring your awareness inward toward your heart space.
You may call to mind a moment of pain,
A recent challenge,
Or something unresolved.
There's no need to dwell on the story.
Just feel what arises.
As these moments of pain or challenge or something unresolved come up,
You might practice saying to yourself gently and silently that,
This hurt and that's okay that it did.
Or,
I'm allowed to feel what I feel.
The goal is to let yourself validate your pain without rushing to fix it.
Without pushing it away.
This is the beginning of compassion.
Being with yourself in your truth.
Place one hand on your heart if that feels comforting and breathe here.
I know it can feel cheesy but can also be very warming and grounding.
Feel the warmth of your palm and let it be a reminder that you are worthy of kindness from yourself most of all.
This is always where we begin.
Bringing that attention inward and seeing what we can allow ourselves to be compassionate towards within.
And now,
If you feel ready,
Bring to mind someone who has caused you pain.
Not the most painful memory,
Just something you feel ready to hold gently in your awareness.
Picture them clearly or simply sense their presence.
And here,
Imagine yourself letting your pain exist right beside your compassion.
Both of them at the same time.
Maybe even one hand holds pain and the other holds compassion.
And as you do this,
You might reflect on this truth from the poem.
You can validate your pain while having compassion for the person who caused it.
And you can ask for accountability while offering forgiveness.
It's not about excusing harm.
It's about recognizing that every person,
Including the one who hurts us,
Carries their own story shaped by their own pain.
If you like mantra,
You might try saying to yourself as you breathe in,
I acknowledge my pain and saying on the breath out,
I soften around judgment.
Inhale,
I acknowledge my pain.
Exhale,
I soften around judgment.
Letting the idea land that compassion and boundaries can coexist.
That forgiveness and honesty can be held in the same breath.
And that love can be imperfect and still real.
We breathe in,
I acknowledge my pain.
We breathe out,
I soften around judgment.
As we do this,
We're embracing nuance and shared humanity.
Life is so rarely black and white.
It is always drenched in nuance.
We are all at times misunderstood.
And all of us have misunderstood others.
Let this reflection soften into your heart.
Every individual has been both a villain and a victim.
We are all learning.
We are all becoming.
We are all human.
The more we give compassion to ourselves,
The more we are going to be able to offer that to others.
Let this truth widen your perspective and open your heart.
Not just to those you love,
But to those you struggle to understand.
We are all growing.
And we are all learning.
Let yourself fully rest now in the heart of compassion.
For yourself,
For those you love,
And even when you're ready,
For those you don't.
Remembering that we have to offer this practice to ourselves before we can extend it outwards.
Let your breath move gently.
Let your heart stay open.
And let this quiet thought echo in your awareness.
No one is ever wholly right or wrong.
We are all one,
Learning and growing in tandem.
And know that in choosing compassion,
You are participating in healing,
Not just for yourself,
But for the collective.
For these last few moments of meditation,
Let go of any manchas in your head.
And rather than holding the word compassion within,
Maybe you allow the feeling of compassion to settle.
And just be here,
Softly with your breath.
As always,
If you have the gift of time today,
I encourage you to hang out here a little bit longer.
When you're ready to move on,
And move into the rest of your day,
Carry this softness with you.
Let compassion walk beside you,
Not as a weakness,
But as a strength.
Remember you are allowed to feel,
You are allowed to forgive,
And you are allowed to grow.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
