Softening Into Our "Flaws"

In this meditation travel to a safe sanctuary in order to meet up with the version of yourself who was first made to feel they were flawed, that they were "too much" or "not enough." Spend some time offering this version of yourself love and understanding, inviting both versions of yourself to soften your own judgments about these "flaws." This meditation contains a brief chant and was recorded live.

Transcript

Let's begin with three deep oxytocin breaths.

You can add that grounding oomph on the third one if you'd like.

As you breathe,

Bring your awareness,

Your mind into this moment.

Let go of what happened earlier today before this point.

Let go of what happens when we're finished or what happens tomorrow or the rest of the week.

Let yourself just breathe here for a few moments,

Continuing to use those oxytocin breaths,

Sighing that breath out.

And as you're ready,

Continue to breathe deeply,

But you can release that sighing if you'd like.

And very intentionally tonight,

Let's open that crown chakra,

The top of the head.

Let's set the intention of clearing space in our energetic field to invite in that divine energy,

That unconditional love,

That flow of grace.

Let's invite that in through the top of the head and the face,

Growing spacious,

Allowing space for this energy to come into your neck and throat,

Your shoulders and upper arms.

Let this acceptance and love flow into your forearms,

Into your wrists and hands.

Let this beautiful light flow into your chest and your upper back,

Into your belly,

Into your mid back,

Low belly and low back,

Into your pelvis.

Bring this light,

This spacious,

Unconditional acceptance through the hips and pelvis,

Down into the thighs,

Into your knees.

Really let your knees get spacious here.

Let go of anything you've been carrying,

Any burdens you've been holding in your knees and your shoulders.

Continue allowing that energy to flow down your shins and calves,

Into your ankles and feet.

Let yourself grow roots down into the ground,

Knowing and setting the intention that you lovingly release anything that's ready to be released tonight into the earth for recycling,

For the highest good.

That energy can be used somewhere else,

Even after you release it.

Even if it feels like energy that no longer serves you,

It can serve somewhere or someone else.

Bring your energetic sanctuary into your space.

If you're unfamiliar with that concept,

Just imagine that you're sitting now in the most beautiful safe space you can imagine.

It's right here in the room with you.

There's no need to leave your body.

Stay spacious in your body.

We want to release from the body here,

Not from the mind,

Not from the spiritual realms,

But from the physical and energetic space of that physical body.

Let yourself come to a space on your planet in your sanctuary that feels most healing for you.

Perhaps it's that waterfall of joy or your healing cave or a new place you've not yet explored.

Perhaps it's just that safe space we use so often in this sanctuary.

But let yourself really feel that you're there.

Let yourself notice not just what it looks like.

What does it feel like to be in this space?

Feel that spaciousness come into your body.

Feel yourself relax here.

Feel how safe you are.

And know that you are safe through this entire exercise.

And as you're ready,

Let your awareness come to this struggle,

This fight,

This issue,

This topic,

Whatever word works for you.

Let yourself as usual intuitively come to this.

Perhaps you'll surprise yourself.

Perhaps your intuitive information is not what you have thought of.

And this may not be your longest standing issue.

It may not be a core belief issue.

It may just be something that you feel like you keep butting your head up against within yourself.

And if you're at a loss,

Think about you're too much,

You're too much this,

You're too much that.

Or maybe it's you're not enough this or you're not enough that.

Whatever comes to you then,

Bring it into your space.

Bring it into this physical space that we're in,

This safe energetic sanctuary.

And let your mind float back to where this all started.

And you may find that something comes to your mind but then you're drawn back a little further.

So give yourself a little bit of time here to find what feels like the origin of this quote unquote flaw of this belief,

This false belief that you've been fighting.

And as you find your place,

What's important here is that this feels like the origin to you.

This has to be the objective origin of when this started.

What feels like the origin to you is what you're holding in the body as the origin,

As the beginning of this belief about yourself.

This feeling that you needed to change this part of yourself.

And see yourself now in this origin space at the age that you were.

Really get a picture of yourself and stay with the observer meditative mind here.

Imagine this other version of you as a separate being from who you are right now.

If you have to change the picture of what you see,

You can.

It's most powerful if you can see,

Let's say the child version of yourself.

But if that's too difficult,

Then see yourself as something you can love.

See yourself as a kitten or a puppy or a zoo animal,

A little cuddly panda.

That's completely fine if that's what works for you.

If you can stick with where we're going and see yourself as your little person or your younger self,

Even if it was just last week,

It was your younger self,

Do that.

But if you need to adjust to stay with the exercise,

Then go ahead and adjust.

So first,

Sit down across from yourself or your zoo animal,

Your panda,

And hold out your hands and let this other version of yourself take your hands.

Just let yourself connect with this other person,

This younger version of you.

There's no need to say anything yet.

Let this littler version of you or younger version of you know that this is safe.

Let them feel into this energetic sanctuary because they may have never felt safe up until this point in their life when you are intervening to bring safety and acceptance and love.

And if this is enough for you,

If this is too much for you,

Then you can stop here.

If you need to breathe,

If you need to pause,

Try to keep your hands in the hands of your other though.

You don't have to go further in the meditation,

But try to just stay present with your previous self here.

If you're ready to move on,

If you'd like to go forward,

Maybe you cup your hands around this other you's face.

Maybe you bring this other you into an embrace.

And whatever you're called to do,

Tell this other self what he or she or they needs to hear.

What did this version of yourself need to hear at this time in their life?

What could you say to this version of yourself to make them understand that whatever they're too much of or not enough of is not a flaw?

In fact,

Maybe it's a gift.

How can you convince this younger version of yourself to fully embrace this issue,

This belief,

This quote unquote flaw?

Perhaps all yourself needs is just for you to hold their hands and gaze into their eyes.

That's a hugely powerful practice.

Perhaps this version of yourself is looking for a gift.

Perhaps you can give them something that they would treasure,

An ice cream cone,

A stuffed animal,

A flower.

Speak to this version of yourself in whatever love language calls to you.

Perhaps this younger version of yourself just needs a hug.

Perhaps they're craving physical touch.

And if you can offer that,

Then give that.

But whatever you do,

Tell this version of yourself out loud if possible.

There is no need to change who you are.

I love and accept you exactly as you are.

There is no need to fight who you are.

I love and accept you exactly the way you are.

And as you say those words,

Feel them in your current body.

Feel yourself soften as you say these words,

As you think these thoughts.

And let that softness travel through your hands into the hands of your other self.

Bring that softness into this version of yourself who may have never experienced softness at this point in time or felt that they hadn't.

And stay here for a few moments giving this other self whatever they need,

Whatever will help you both soften and release that fight,

That struggle to change out of fear or shame.

Open that space for love.

Open that space for unconditional love and acceptance.

Invite that golden light of the divine to come into that space now,

To come into your space,

Your physical body,

The physical space of your other self,

The emotional space of both of you,

The energetic space around and within the body of both of you.

Bring that unconditional accepting love of the divine into those spaces and let yourself soften.

It's bellowing,

Nice and chat Jewish.

Sat Naam.

Sat Naam.

Sat Naam.

Sat Naam.

Let the truth of your identity be that you are soft with love and acceptance for yourself,

All aspects of yourself,

Every single part of yourself.

The shadow and the light,

The fear and the shame,

Love and accept that too,

Soften toward that too.

And as you're ready,

Reassure this other version of yourself that you are available with support.

Leave them a gift if you like,

Give them a hug and a kiss.

Look deeply into their eyes and say,

I love you.

Invite them to stay in your sanctuary if you'd like until they are ready to go back to their own time and space.

Gently separate yourself from your other self,

Very gently,

Very slowly with so much reverence for the experience that you've just had.

Let yourself release your energetic sanctuary if you'd like back to where it's stored in your energy fields.

If you'd like to,

You can gently allow that crown chakra to close or leave it open for the highest good,

Love and acceptance of all things.

And one more time,

Let's seal this practice,

Let's fill this newfound spaciousness in ourselves with that unconditional love and acceptance that comes from that divine source that is all we are.

Bring it into the head and the neck,

Bring it into the shoulders and the arms and the hands,

Bring it into the chest and the back and the belly,

Into the pelvis and the hips.

Fill this newfound space with love and acceptance,

Let it come into your thighs and your knees,

Your lower legs and your feet.

Send this love,

This acceptance all the way down into the earth where you're connected to the ground.

Nourish the earth that nourishes you with this love and acceptance.

And affirm with me out loud,

I am fully present in my body.

I am fully present in my body and I love and accept all the parts of myself.

I am fully present in my body and I am love.

Go ahead and wiggle your fingers,

Roll your wrists if you like,

Wiggle your feet,

Your toes,

Move your head around,

Just let yourself discharge a little bit of energy,

Let yourself come back to yourself.

And as you're ready,

You can open your eyes.