Hello,
Paschal Indy here.
Here's a short self-compassion practice designed to help soothe us when we feel a bit stressed or down.
So first,
Finding a comfortable sitting,
Standing or lying position.
Closing your eyes or leaving your eyes open with a soft gaze.
And placing one hand on your heart or anywhere else you find soothing.
Feeling the warmth and the pressure of the hand there.
Reassuring and gentle.
A sense of being a friend to yourself.
And taking a nice long deep breath.
Exhaling fully on the out-breath with a sense of letting go,
Releasing tension.
Breathing in in our own time.
Perhaps placing the other hand on our belly.
Breathing out any stress or tension,
Worries,
Thoughts.
And taking a few more soothing breaths like this.
Now exploring where on the body a sense of touch feels most soothing.
So inviting you to try these possibilities for yourself.
Maybe placing one or both hands on the heart.
One hand holding the other.
One hand gently massaging the other.
And continuing to take deep nourishing in-breaths with a sense of letting go on the out-breath.
We might like to explore crossing our arms and gently squeezing our arms.
Rubbing one arm reassuringly with our hand.
Massaging the chest lightly.
Placing one hand on the belly.
Even rubbing the belly lightly.
Or placing one hand on the belly and one on the heart.
And inviting you to choose a gesture now to stick with until the end of the practice.
Continuing to rest as we take deep nourishing soothing breaths.
And if you wish,
You can continue.
Perhaps using soothing touch like this at other times during your day.
Thanks for taking time to reconnect.
