Self-Compassion For Fatigue

An invitation to radical rest through breath, body and gravity. Asking the body what it needs to rest and giving permission to soften. Finding common humanity in fatigue and joining the family of living beings in resting and digesting. What might rest look like for you today?

Transcript

So an invitation to self-compassion for fatigue,

Choosing right now what would feel good for your body as a posture.

Is it sitting or maybe lying down on your back or your side and also offering your body as much support as you can,

So gathering,

Right now if you need to,

Gathering extra pillows and cushions,

Maybe a blanket,

Taking your time even before we move into meditation,

Taking your time to offer your body a position which is easeful,

Restful.

Maybe you need to prop limbs on cushions or pillows.

A pillow under or between the knees can often be really relieving for the lower back or the hips.

If you're sitting sometimes a cushion under your feet helps offer more ease to the body.

Just checking also that you have enough privacy,

Quietness,

That the door is closed,

The phone is silenced,

You're not going to be interrupted.

Giving yourself time to relax into this space right now and turning to the body,

Maybe asking the question,

Is there anything else that you need,

My body?

You might like to make that even more loving and personal.

My darling,

Is there anything you need?

And as you become present as best you can in your body right now,

Noticing if there are any areas of tension and allowing the possibility for softening in those areas.

Not forcing yourself to relax but simply noticing,

Is there tension here that I don't need to hold?

And as you do this you might invite the breath to assist you.

Breathing in with the out-breath,

Offering permission to relax,

Permission to soften.

You might like to wriggle or move or adjust the posture just allowing for even greater ease in the body.

For example,

Allowing the jaw to soften,

Perhaps slightly parting the lips and the teeth,

Noticing the teeth do not need to be clenched.

Maybe it would help to drop your chin slightly or adjust your neck if you're lying down,

Letting the shoulders,

The chest,

The collarbone relax.

And it may not feel possible to relax all parts of the body and if so maybe you can find one small place in the body that can soften,

Perhaps a hand,

The eyes,

Maybe the belly.

Can we let the belly soften?

Can we let the belly be soft and round?

And the invitation now is to bring attention to the breath,

If this feels good for you.

If not,

Please feel free to tune out my voice and to use any other anchoring point in your body,

A sense of pressure from where you're sitting or lying,

Maybe the touch of a blanket,

Maybe a surface that you like to stroke rhythmically.

And I invite you to bring attention to this anchor,

If it's the in-breath,

Notice where you feel this in the body.

Where is it showing up most vividly?

Where is the breath most juicy?

Maybe it's at the nose and mouth,

Perhaps in the rise and fall of the chest or belly.

Breathing in,

A sense of permission to rest.

Breathing out,

Into restful ease.

Breathing in,

May I rest.

Breathing out,

I am resting.

May I rest,

I am resting.

All living creatures experience fatigue,

Physical,

Mental,

Emotional.

You are not alone in becoming tired or sick.

To be a creature alive in this soft body is to experience fatigue at times,

To feel tired,

Maybe to think I don't want to do another thing.

And you are not alone.

All living creatures feel this way at times.

Right now there are countless beings sleeping,

Resting and digesting.

Not jumping up to do things,

Pushing themselves through another day.

Everywhere there are living creatures,

Human and more than human,

Resting.

You might notice what arises in the mind or the heart as you receive that idea that everywhere,

Right now,

There is a being resting.

Breathing slowly,

Conserving or replenishing energy,

Digesting,

Sleeping.

And if you notice that that idea feels good,

Then we might offer ourselves permission,

Permission to find space today,

To move into ease,

To rest.

Whether it's for three hours or three breaths,

Approaching it with the same permission.

May I rest,

I am resting.

Knowing that this rest is the birthright of all living beings.

Rest is the birthright of all living beings.

Resting and digesting,

Integrating what has happened in the mind,

The body,

The heart through rest.

And this permission to rest,

This radical rest is essential for our growth,

Our healing.

It's an act of deep self-compassion and love to bring ease and rest into our lives.

So as you sit or lie here,

Noticing the way that gravity,

Acting on all of us,

Is inviting you to land.

Gravity is inviting you to stop,

To not jump up and move around.

Gravity is inviting you to stillness,

To form a still point in this turning world,

To find rest and ease in this moment and for this next few minutes,

To let gravity hold you in its gentle embrace,

To hold you safely,

To not resist gravity,

Even to lift a finger.

And as we land in this moment,

In this place,

Expanding into a sense of not doing,

The spaciousness of being,

There is nothing to do right now,

Not even listen to my voice,

Not even to meditate.

You may just be offering yourself the ease of being,

Nothing to do,

Nowhere to go,

Right now,

Resting.

And I invite you now to ask that simple question again of your body.

My darling,

What do you need?

And notice what answer bubbles up for you,

And it might be rest,

Or it might be movement,

Or food for energy,

Or to move that arm,

Or that stiff neck,

Just slightly.

My darling body,

What do you need?

Now I invite you,

If your eyes are closed,

Just to keep them closed,

Lightly closed,

And just take a moment to begin to perceive the space around you with closed eyes.

So maybe noticing the temperature of the air on your skin,

Or the texture of the surface under your hands,

Perhaps sounds in your room or your immediate environment.

Becoming aware of this world around you,

And taking in the truth that even in this busy world,

You have a right to rest,

You have a right to rest,

And you might like to take a moment or two to think about what that might look like today.

What rest might you like today?

If there is an open,

Unbusy day ahead of you,

What does rest look like in that context?

What might intentional,

Radical rest look like?

Or in a busy day,

Full of things to do,

Meetings,

People,

A to-do list,

What might rest look like?

Maybe three conscious breaths,

Maybe being present whilst you drink your cup of tea,

What might it look like to be present,

To go nowhere,

To do nothing for three breaths?

How might that be?

And finally,

As we come to the end of the meditation,

Opening your eyes when you feel ready,

And taking as long as you like to get up from this space,

To shift gradually back into your day.

Reviews

Wonderful!

Lovely and relaxing.

Exactly what I needed after ten days of attending generously to a houseguest: time to gently attend to me 🙏🏼🥰

I find this is helpful for this time in my life of complex chronic illness: Meditation and rest are helping me heal. This practice is quiet, still and compassionate..... and I love this white cat !! 😊

Wonderful. I felt so connected with the animals at rest, particularly the two cats asleep at the end of my bed 😍

I appreciated the invitation and permission to rest. It helped ease my inner perfectionist that has me feel guilty when i am wiped out, even when i am too tired to be of much use. ;) Thank you.

Lovely. I have chronic fatigue syndrome and this was just what I needed today. Thank you