Hello and welcome.
This is Rhonda Hart and this is a guided meditation on the intention of self-compassion.
So I'd like to invite you to settle in and get comfortable into your seated position or perhaps you prefer to lie down or stand.
Before we begin our meditation today I'd like to invite you to check in with yourself and so far today have you brought kind awareness to your thoughts,
Heart,
And body.
Now as we begin this meditation I invite you to bring your kind awareness to the emotions that you can associate with the idea of self-compassion.
Perhaps you give some awareness to the positive and negative impact of any limiting beliefs you may have around self-compassion.
And I'd like to invite you to consider when and where you can apply an increase to mindfulness to this topic in your day-to-day life and how it might impact you living the intention of self-compassion.
Many of us have a tendency toward perfectionism.
Even in meditation we try to get it right.
We might be hard on ourselves for not having the experience or reaching the outcome that we think we should be having.
Something to remember when it comes to meditation is this.
Far more important than the outcome is our intention.
Having the intention to be present with what is and with what we are experiencing in the moment is how we unlock the ease to be discovered in meditation.
We will always get distracted.
We will always have days when it's much harder to not fall asleep.
We will also have days when it's very difficult to be kind to ourselves.
That's why our intention is so important in self-compassion meditation.
Even when self-kindness does not come naturally or easily,
Our intention provides us with a foundation.
This practice can be used on its own or as an introductory meditation to another self-compassion meditation or exercise.
So let's get started with this guided meditation and intention of self-compassion.
So if you can sit upright with a long back comfortably in a chair or on the floor,
Lying down is perfectly okay too if this feels like what your body needs.
If it feels right,
Close your eyes for this practice.
If it doesn't,
You can allow your gaze to be soft with a downward focus.
Take as long as you need to get comfortable.
And now let's start with a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in through your nose and allow your body to release and exhale through your mouth.
One more time and with the exhale,
See if you notice anywhere in your body where you might be contracting and allow those places to melt as feels comfortable and safe.
One more deep breath as you are breathing into your heart,
Your stomach,
And all the way to your legs and then release as you exhale.
Now gently place your right hand on your heart and your left hand on your belly and imagine what would it feel like right now if I were to hold myself a little more compassion.
Notice your body's response.
There is no right way of experiencing this.
Just explore what it's like to open up a little bit more to self-compassion and then explore what would it feel like in your body to receive kindness right now.
And then what would receiving compassion sound like?
You might tune into a word or phrase that feels compassionate and kind to you.
If nothing is arising just yet or if self-compassion feels difficult to access,
This is okay.
This is just warming up to the idea.
To strengthen your intention for being here,
You might repeat the following phrases silently or out loud.
May I be kind to myself.
May I be gentle to myself.
May I be at ease.
May I be compassionate to myself.
And then still with your hands on your heart and your belly,
Consider what would the experience of compassion feel like as a sensation.
Would it be an experience of warmth,
A softening,
A stroking of your cheek,
A hug from a loved one or spiritual guide?
See if you can allow your body to explore the physical experience of compassion and what it would feel like to receive this care.
If you like and it's comfortable for you,
You can experiment with these sensations yourself.
You can try wrapping your arms around your body,
Giving yourself a big hug.
You can stroke your cheek,
Your arm or your feet.
Or maybe you imagine kindness flowing in with every breath you take.
Take this moment to experience compassion as an experiment within your own body with these sensations.
As you continue to breathe,
Notice there's been an opening within you to self compassion today.
However small or large that opening might be.
If it doesn't feel like you've made much progress towards feeling a sense of self compassion,
That's okay.
This can be a very challenging mental exercise for some of us,
Especially those of us who have experienced trauma or extreme stress early in life or throughout our life.
But in any case,
Just by being here,
You have planted the intention of the heart and mind.
The more you come back to this intention,
The more you will notice changes arising in your ability to harness self compassion when you need it.
For now,
Take a few cleansing breaths,
Breathing fully in and a full exhale out.
Thank yourself for this short intentional practice on self compassion.
And when you're ready,
Begin to slowly open your eyes.
Come back to this practice anytime you wish to explore what it feels like to open even just a little bit more to intentional self compassion.
