Hello and welcome.
My name is Nat and I'm here to practice self-compassion with you.
Self-compassion isn't always easy for me.
I've noticed a pattern that when life gets hard,
My first instinct is often to judge myself,
To push harder,
To try to fix everything or find solutions.
But I know what I need most in these moments is self-compassion.
I need kindness.
It's a practice,
One that I do over and over again because it doesn't come naturally to me,
But it is a muscle I can strengthen and access more readily with time and patience.
So in this moment,
I invite you to join me in a simple,
Gentle practice of self-compassion.
It's okay if it feels unfamiliar or even uncomfortable at first.
Simply allow yourself to be here,
Right now,
In this moment.
If you haven't already,
Find yourself in a comfortable seated position.
Feel your feet connect with the earth.
Allow them to help you access a sense of grounded safety.
And then find your sitz bones.
Allow them to feel rooted in place,
Secure.
And then maybe if it feels safe to do so,
You soften your gaze or close your eyes,
Gently dropping your chin to your chest.
As you do so,
Feel the length at the back of your neck.
Allow the shoulder blades to sink down away from the earlobes and just begin to observe your breath.
You don't have to change it.
Just notice your breath as it enters the body softly and as it leaves the body slowly.
Gently in,
Slowly out.
Think of a moment,
Recently or in the past,
Where you felt a sense of struggle.
It might be something from today,
This week,
Or perhaps it's reoccurring in your life.
Bring it to the mind gently,
Slowly.
Notice,
Notice how it feels in your body.
Do you feel tension or tightness?
Any uncomfortable sensations,
Just begin to notice them.
Maybe you feel a heaviness in your chest,
A knot in your stomach.
Just begin to draw your awareness to wherever you feel it.
Simply notice.
Be curious.
You don't have to change anything.
Just feel what's here with you.
Breathe through these sensations slowly,
Mindfully.
Allowing your breath to be your anchor.
As you observe these sensations,
Let your breath ground you back in this moment.
And in this struggle,
Can you remind yourself,
This,
This is a moment of difficulty.
This,
This situation,
It feels difficult and that's okay.
Struggling is part of being human.
This belongs.
Are you able to access a knowing,
A sense of remembering that everyone experiences pain,
Failure,
And loss.
You're not alone.
Others have felt this way too.
As you breathe in,
Acknowledge that difficulty.
And as you breathe out,
Silently remind yourself,
I am not alone.
I am human.
Gently placing one hand over your heart,
Or perhaps where the emotion feels most strongly.
Feel the warmth of the gentle pressure of your hand.
And say to yourself,
Softly,
In the mind's eye,
As you press the hand into the body,
I am here for you.
I've got you.
Offering kindness to yourself in this moment of struggle.
I'm here for you.
I've got you.
Give yourself the compassion you would give a good friend.
Allow yourself to feel what it's like to hold yourself with tender care.
Notice the softness,
Even if it feels small or perhaps unfamiliar.
Just notice.
And take a few slow breaths here.
As you do,
Imagine your breath carrying kindness to the areas of struggle in your body.
That place in your body where you felt discomfort,
How does it feel now?
Will you become very aware of it,
Just observing?
Separating yourself from it,
Becoming the observer.
Holding mindful awareness of this place in you that feels so deeply.
Now slowly begin to expand your awareness beyond this moment.
Know that you are doing the best that you can.
Are you able to access that unknowingness that you are doing the best that you can?
May you feel safe.
May you feel loved.
May you be gentle with yourself in this moment and in the next.
Take one last deep breath in and slowly exhale.
When you feel ready and not a moment sooner,
Slowly open your eyes,
Lift your gaze,
Carrying this sense of compassion with you into your day.
And it is from here that I thank you for showing up and practicing with me today.
It is from here that I wish you the best day yet.
