Cultivate Self-Compassion

Get ready to relax deeply and open your eyes feeling refreshed, revitalized, and more self-compassionate. In this meditation, you'll create the safety you need in your mind and body to separate who you are from your inner critic and cultivate more compassion towards yourself. For the best results, listen to this meditation at least once a day, for at least seven days.

Transcript

Go ahead and get comfortable.

Settle into a position that feels good to your body.

Take a nice deep breath in.

And as you exhale,

Go ahead and close your eyes.

Feel the velvety darkness behind your eyelids.

And notice this velvety darkness relaxes you deeper and deeper.

Good.

Let your body gently become soft.

That's right.

Already beginning to let go.

Already feeling even more relaxed.

Good.

Go ahead and continue to gently let your body soften.

Letting the softness continue to deepen and expand through your body.

Let your mind begin to gently slow down.

Feeling even more deeply relaxed.

That's right.

Good.

And now go ahead and relax your forehead.

Especially your eyebrows.

Let your eyebrows soften.

Let them smooth out.

Good.

Relax your eyelids.

And relax the tiny muscles next to your eyes.

Relax all the little muscles in your face.

Good.

Relaxing all the way down through your jaw.

Let your jaw be loose,

Spacious and relaxed.

That's right.

Good.

Relax your neck and your shoulders.

Relax all the muscles in your arms.

All the way through to your fingertips.

And now allow your heart to relax.

Let your heart become soft.

Good.

Relaxing your chest.

Beginning to relax each and every corner of your torso.

Good.

Really softening and relaxing your heart.

Very good.

And as you relax your torso,

Go ahead and release your belly.

Let it be exactly as it is.

Let it rise and fall comfortably with each and every breath.

Good.

Relax your hips.

Relax your glutes.

And relax your sit bones.

And your pelvis.

Relax all the muscles in your legs.

All the way down through the tips of your toes.

And all the way down through the soles of your feet.

Good.

Let your body relax into the surface holding you.

Beginning to relax deeper and deeper.

Really feel your body held.

And gently lean into that feeling of being held.

Take a nice deep breath in.

Exhaling comfortably.

Good.

In a moment,

I'll count down from three to one and after each and every decreasing number,

You'll hear me say the words deeper and deeper relaxed.

When we get to that final number,

You'll notice yourself arriving in a beautiful and safe place.

Where it's safe for you to return to your unique essence.

Where it's safe for you to dwell in who you truly are.

In this beautiful and safe place,

You get to truly let go.

You get to be exactly as you are.

You get to feel exactly what you feel.

And you get to grow in whatever direction you feel called to grow in.

Notice that you're already looking forward to being there in your safe place.

Beginning with three.

Deeper and deeper relaxed.

Two.

Deeper and deeper relaxed.

And one.

Deeper and deeper relaxed.

Go ahead and be there now in your beautiful and your safe place.

Good,

Feel how good it feels to be there and allow your senses to open up.

Really feel and experience the delight of being there in your safe place.

Feel the joy of what it's like to be somewhere you truly love.

Good.

And as you notice the details and as you allow your senses to open up,

Go ahead and interact with the textures.

See and experience the colors.

Notice and be with the sounds.

Take a deep breath in and enjoy the fragrance of being there.

Maybe notice the way the air feels.

Really basking in and enjoying the details of being there in your safe place.

Receiving the beauty of where you are.

Really tuning to your environment in your safe place.

And now find a spot there in your safe place where you can settle in comfortably,

Where you can enjoy the view and really enjoy and take in the beautiful scenery.

Good.

You have arrived here in your safe place because having a compassionate relationship with yourself is an important priority.

It's likely that there's an inner critic or a critical inner voice living in your mind which has likely had too much influence over your life and perhaps for far too long.

That critical voice is likely the culmination of the voices of your caregivers,

Your teachers and the other adults and peers who most influenced your self-concept during your formative years as well as over the course of your life.

Developing an inner critic is something that happens naturally as a result of your life experiences and as a result of your relationships with your caregivers and peers.

The voice of your inner critic exists in your mind as a form of self-protection.

This self-protection is normal,

Natural,

It's valid and it is intelligent.

Self-protecting is what intelligent beings do as a result of experiencing trauma and other trauma confirming experiences.

In other words,

It's completely okay and normal to have an inner critic.

In fact,

It's a natural response to your lived experiences.

Go ahead and take a nice deep breath,

Really allowing the truth and the power of those words to seep deep down into your consciousness,

Really take them in.

It's okay and safe to view your inner critic as a natural response to your experiences.

It's something that manifested within you through zero fault of your own.

Notice how it feels to realize that or to be reminded of it.

Together you and I are going to support you in cultivating the voice of your self-compassionate nature while allowing the instinct for self-protection to become your ally.

The voice of your inner critic has kept you safe in one way or another.

It may have dulled the impact of potential criticism from other people or perhaps it has served you in some other way.

Reflect for a moment about the ways in which this form of self-protection may have served you.

Good.

And now notice how this form of self-protection may have been detrimental to you.

Just allow the truth to emerge.

Notice what feels true.

Maybe you lean in one direction or the other or somewhere in between.

But go ahead and just feel into the truth of your experience.

Notice that the truth of your experience is exactly right.

Your truth as it presents itself right now makes sense.

Go ahead and take a nice deep breath in and exhale comfortably.

There's something beautifully wise in you that knows it's possible to cultivate your self-compassionate inner voice.

There's something deeply intelligent within you that is guiding you towards the wisdom of your inherently self-compassionate nature.

You have felt the impact of how it feels and what it's like for your life to be influenced by the voice of your inner critic.

And maybe you've felt the impact of what it's like for you when someone is compassionate and kind to you.

When someone sees you through a compassionate lens.

Maybe a friend,

A mentor,

A parent perhaps,

A lover.

Maybe a kind stranger or someone else entirely.

You've also likely felt the impact of what it's like when you experience yourself being compassionate and kind towards someone else.

Today you and I are going to speak to and nurture the wise,

Loving,

And self-compassionate voice which already lives within you.

It's time to gently awaken this voice,

To nurture it,

To get to know what it needs,

And lovingly meet the needs of your self-compassionate inner voice.

Together over the coming days and coming weeks and months,

You and I will gradually nurture your relationship with your self-compassionate voice so that your self-compassionate voice organically and naturally over time becomes a safe voice for you to trust.

This is a process.

Your process may be gradual and incremental at times and at other times you may experience expansive breakthroughs.

It's safe to enjoy the experience of this process as you grow and shift in your own time.

It's safe to let go of any outdated ideas that would ask you to measure the validity or the importance of your process and growth.

Your growth is yours.

Your process is yours.

You are right on track as you experience each and every part of this change in your mind,

In your body,

And in your life.

Whether this process is gradual and incremental or otherwise,

You are always right on time.

You are always right on track.

Where you are is exactly right and deeply important.

Where you are has its own correctness and where you are right now is deeply appropriate.

Go ahead and take a nice deep breath in and really allow everything that you just heard to gently seep into your body,

Into your subconscious,

Really allow it to settle in.

This journey of nurturing your self-compassionate inner voice will become a beautiful work of art that continues to shift,

Grow,

And evolve with you as you live your life,

As you continue to get to know yourself,

And as you continue to explore what it's like for you to live according to the blueprint of your unique,

Authentic self.

You know that nurturing your self-compassionate inner voice improves many things in your life.

Notice how you're already soaking up and absorbing exactly what you need right now to enjoy this change and shift in your life.

And allow those pleasant feelings and pleasurable sensations to deepen and expand through your body,

Your heart,

And your mind.

It's safe to learn how to create safety in your mind.

It's safe to explore creating safety inside your own skin.

It's safe to explore what it might mean and what it might look like for you to create safety in your body and in your heart.

Notice how good it feels when you have a safe,

Open,

And intimate relationship with your authentic self.

Just by listening to this recording,

You're already taking important steps towards that kind of relationship with your precious and your authentic self.

As you enjoy the beautiful view in your safe place,

Go ahead and notice that somewhere nearby is a beautiful and important seed.

This is the seed of your self-compassionate voice.

Notice that you have everything there in your safe place that you need to plant this seed.

If you require help with the planting of your self-compassionate seed,

Notice that a safe person has arrived to assist you.

You and or the person assisting you can plant this seed in the ground somewhere nearby,

In a beautiful pot,

Or through some other means.

How you feel guided to plant your self-compassionate seed is exactly right and completely correct.

These self-compassionate seeds carry the blueprint of your unique and authentic self.

Go ahead and enjoy this process now.

Perhaps feeling your hands caring for the seed,

Perhaps working with the soil and the tools you use,

Notice the colors and the textures,

Perhaps enjoying the experience of your safe person assisting you,

Feeling nurtured and supported by their assistance.

Enjoy the little details of the sounds,

The earthy potent or fragrant aromas.

Really allow your senses to gently and richly open up,

Really enjoying and savoring this process.

Very good.

Whether this is your first,

Second,

Third,

Or even 50th time listening to this meditation,

You can always plant new seeds for your self-compassionate voice and enjoy tending to those seeds and plants which you've already planted.

And now notice what your seeds and plants of self-compassion require in order to thrive in this moment.

Maybe water or sunlight.

Maybe the sunlight it needs is low sunlight or direct sunlight or something else entirely.

Go ahead and give your seeds what they need.

Good.

And now notice that these seeds are beginning to grow and perhaps even blossom.

These gorgeous plants hold the blueprint of your unique,

Authentic self.

You may see that reflected in their shape,

Their blooms,

Their colors,

The way in which they grow,

Their textures,

Their branches,

Their leaves.

Go ahead and enjoy all of those beautiful details.

And with all the love in your heart,

Go ahead and speak to these plants,

Speaking to this self-compassionate voice which you are cultivating.

Go ahead and say to them what your heart feels drawn to say.

And if you'd like,

You can just sit in silence and just appreciate and marvel and adore these plants non-verbally.

Very good.

Take a nice deep breath in and allow all of the pleasant feelings and pleasurable sensations you experience to deepen and gently expand through your heart,

Body,

And mind.

Notice with each and every breath,

Your body and mind absorb everything that's for your highest good,

Everything that's right for you.

Really soaking and absorbing it even more deeply.

Good.

Before you gently open your eyes,

Go ahead and put your hands over your heart.

Put your feet flat on the ground beneath you.

Feel yourself grounding in and integrating everything that you absorbed over these last several moments.

Good.

Take a nice deep breath in and gently open your eyes as you exhale.

Good.

And now bring some gentle movement into your body,

Maybe wiggling your fingers or your toes,

Moving your legs or your arms.

Good.

Maybe putting your hands on your cheeks.

Feel the ground beneath your feet.

Good.

Go ahead and take one last deep breath in and feel that gentle buzz of calm that you've cultivated in your body and mind.

Enjoy a moment of celebrating anything that feels good to focus on and celebrate.

Maybe giving yourself a good hug.

Excellent.

I'm sending you all my love and wishing you a wonderful rest of your day.

Reviews

One of my favorite self-compassion practices I've done in some time 🙏 Great intro, pacing, messaging, and i also loved your voice. Very soothing.