Self-compassion.
Let's begin by taking a moment to settle our body in a comfortable position,
Feeling relaxed and alert.
You can close your eyes or look downward to limit visual distractions,
Dropping the shoulders,
Loosening the jaw,
Relaxing the belly.
Today we'll practice self-compassion,
Starting with a full breath in through the nose,
And a long,
Slow breath out through the mouth,
Inviting a sense of ease into the body,
And then bringing awareness to the legs and to your feet,
Feeling more grounded.
And I invite you to think of a situation now in your life that may be very difficult.
Maybe you're feeling a little stressed or worried about something happening.
Perhaps there's tension in one of your relationships.
Now this practice is only for a few minutes,
So choose something that isn't too difficult,
But bring this challenging situation to mind.
What happened?
What do you fear might happen?
What are some of the emotions that feel strongest for you?
Now that you're holding this difficulty in your mind,
I invite you to consider three things that you might be facing in your life and that you might be experiencing in your life.
First,
Simply acknowledge this is a difficult situation.
Find language that works for you to label what's happening.
Perhaps it's a really tough situation.
Maybe you're feeling a little afraid about this.
Just bringing mindful awareness to what's happening right now.
Next,
Acknowledge that difficulty is a part of life and something you've experienced before and everyone around you has experienced before too.
Reminding yourself of our common humanity,
Difficulty is a part of everyone's experience.
And like everything else,
It too will shift.
And finally,
I invite you to say,
May I be kind to myself in this moment?
May I be kind to myself in this moment?
You can do this out loud or internally,
Just repeating,
May I be kind to myself in this moment?
May I be kind to myself in this moment?
May I be kind to myself in this moment?
Acknowledging that no matter how hard the situation is,
You can always be kind to yourself using any language you'd like that supports the sense of kindness.
Perhaps choosing the wording that you would offer a friend,
Going through something similar,
I'm here for you.
It's going to be okay.
You are loved.
You are loved,
I love you.
And if you'd like,
You can rest your hand on your heart,
Offering kindness to yourself.
Feeling your heart with your hand.
Just taking a moment to take that kindness in,
Feeling the kindness in your body.
Remembering to breathe in,
And breathe out,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Offering a sense of compassion to yourself,
And to others,
Wishing ourselves a sense of kindness through difficulty,
And wishing ourselves a sense of kindness through difficulty,
And wishing ourselves a sense of kindness wishing ourselves a sense of kindness through difficulty.
