Welcome,
I'm so glad you're here for this self-compassion meditation to extend yourself some much needed kindness and care,
The type of support we so often show others but can find hard to offer ourselves.
Let's begin by settling into a comfortable position,
This may be sitting or lying down,
Honouring however your body feels today,
Let your comfort be your priority.
And now closing down your eyes,
Or you can lower and soften your gaze,
Inviting yourself to tune inwards,
Drop down into your body,
Quieten,
Soften and settle into your practice.
And I invite you to place one hand on your chest,
Close to your heart and another on your belly,
Offering yourself a gentle,
Caring hold.
So often we live up in our thinking mind and neglect the body,
It's feelings,
It's wisdom.
And so now just connecting through that gentle touch,
Exploring the feel of clothes or skin beneath your hands,
Noticing it's temperature and texture and just enjoying the warmth and care of touch.
Notice your hands moving as your body breathes.
Feel into the rise and fall of the chest and the belly as you breathe.
As you inhale think about breathing into your heart space and feeling the expansiveness of your heart.
And as you breathe out think about letting go with each exhale releasing stress and tension and some of that pressure we place on ourselves.
Letting yourself relax,
Rest,
Restore as you breathe.
Keeping your awareness on your body now and paying attention to how it feels today.
Sometimes you notice some fatigue or thirst and scanning the body for places of tension,
Knowing we tend to store stress in certain hot spots of the body,
Like the forehead and between the eyebrows.
And so now just inviting the brow to release.
Next noticing any tension in the jaw,
Letting it loosen and open.
Then scanning the shoulders and upper back.
Inviting the shoulders to drop down,
All the muscles in the upper back to soften and release.
Then coming to the belly,
A place we so often contract and criticise.
Now just letting the belly be soft and natural.
Then wandering your awareness down your legs,
All the way to your feet.
So often the legs feel restless,
With a constant need to move,
Run,
Hurry.
Now just allowing them to rest,
Be heavy,
Sink into the surface below,
Feel how the ground holds and supports your legs and your whole body as you settle down into it,
Relaxing,
Enjoying the sense of being grounded and supported.
Now in this more relaxed state,
We're going to practice some self-compassion.
We know that suffering is a universal experience.
We all struggle at times,
Emotionally and psychologically.
And often when we experience difficulties,
We don't extend ourselves the compassion we give others.
We tend to judge and criticise ourselves,
To dwell on our mistakes and regrets.
We are so much harder on ourselves than anyone else,
But we can practice being our own best friend,
Sitting with our discomfort and extending ourselves compassion.
And so now bringing to mind an issue that is troubling you right now.
Nothing mildly to moderately stressful,
Nothing too heavy or difficult.
Picturing this situation and the people involved.
And then rather than trying to think through this issue,
Drop down into your body and notice how it makes you feel.
What physical sensations do you notice?
Perhaps tightness in your chest,
Or your neck and shoulders,
Or another hot spot.
Maybe some gripping or discomfort in your belly,
Or somewhere else.
And if you can,
Silently name the emotions you feel.
Perhaps sadness,
Frustration or anger.
Feeling these emotions in your body,
And meeting your feelings with compassion.
Knowing it's natural to feel triggered,
Your feelings are understandable.
Now offering yourself some words of reassurance,
Care and compassion,
As you would for a dear friend in this situation.
Perhaps you would say,
I understand,
This must be hard for you,
I know you are doing your best,
Go gentle on yourself today.
What are the words of kindness might you need to hear?
Coming back to the breath now,
To breathe in these kind messages.
With every inhale,
Think about welcoming compassion,
Care and understanding.
And on every out breath,
Think about letting go,
Softening around the emotions,
Releasing tension and struggle as you breathe.
You might like to offer yourself a soothing touch,
Perhaps holding one hand in the other,
And stroking the skin on your hand,
In any way that feels comforting.
To breathe,
And bathe yourself in compassion and care.
And now let my voice start bringing you back to your day.
And inviting back some movement into your body now.
Start by wiggling your fingers and toes,
Rolling your shoulders back and down.
And stretching your body up and out.
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Thank you for your practice today,
For taking the time to love and care for yourself as you deserve.
Today may you be kind and gentle with yourself.
May you find comfort and peace in self compassion.
