Hello,
Welcome to this guided meditation for receiving care for yourself and recognizing your needs.
The breath can aid your practice in many different ways,
Including acting as a vehicle toward peace and acceptance.
In this meditation,
You work with the breath to help cultivate care and loving-kindness toward yourself and those around you.
It is a practice of compassion for yourself.
Let's get comfortable in our seats,
Find a place to rest your hands,
Straighten your back,
And we're going to start with our breath and breathe together.
Let's go.
Inhale.
On your exhale,
Relax.
Again,
Inhale,
Relax.
As you exhale.
One more time,
Inhale.
On your exhale,
Relax.
Let your breath flow at a pace without any effort from you now.
Bring your attention to the present moment.
Notice where you are.
What can you feel in the body?
What parts of your body do you feel your breath?
Bring your awareness to a location in the body where you can feel the breath.
Be with the body breathing,
Feeling the inhalations and exhalations as they come and go.
We're going to start with the giving and receiving with an intention of self-acceptance.
Take an inhale,
And as you breathe in,
Visualize yourself breathing in acceptance.
As you exhale,
Let go of self-judgment.
Inhale acceptance.
Exhale self-judgment.
Now we will begin offering yourself some ease and peace with each inhale.
Let go of stress and anxiety with each exhale.
Inhale peace.
Exhale stress and anxiety.
Next,
Visualize breathing in a light of peace while exhaling the heaviness of stress.
Inhale peace.
See your light.
Exhale stress.
Now,
Inhale and offer yourself forgiveness.
You do not need to go into any stories.
Just set the intention to forgive yourself.
And as you exhale,
Let go of resentment.
Inhale forgiveness.
Exhale resentment.
Letting go of the forgiveness and resentment,
Picture yourself surrounded by people you love.
And wrap yourself in this feeling of love.
Now we move into the recognizing means of this meditation.
When you begin tuning in mindfully to your experience,
You may also start to notice your difficulties and struggles.
Part of mindfulness is recognizing what you need in these moments.
See if you can respond in a way that promotes your well-being and freedom.
And not in a way that perpetuates your pain and suffering.
This exercise offers a way to pause and look at your needs in a given moment.
Sit up straight.
And gently take a nice inhale.
And then relax as you exhale.
Pick a location in the body where you can feel the body breathing.
And tune in to the sensation of the breath.
Now bring to mind a recent situation that you found difficult or painful.
Without falling too far into the story,
Acknowledge how this experience feels in the present moment.
With the memory and experience present in your consciousness,
Ask yourself what you needed in that moment.
Was it an emotional need like compassion or understanding?
What would have helped you in that situation?
When a need pops up,
Say to yourself,
I need it and fill in the blank.
Continue to tune in to what you needed to help you through that difficult time.
And as another need comes up,
Pause to acknowledge it.
Now turn your awareness into your experience in the present.
Come back to now,
Refraining from stories and goals.
Ask yourself what you need right now.
Let go of thoughts of getting stuff done,
Completing tasks,
Pleasing others.
Focus on what you need in this moment.
What self-care can you do for yourself?
Reflect on your own ability to meet your needs.
Offer yourself self-care.
Offer yourself compassion.
Offer yourself patience.
All I need,
I have within me.
I do not need to look external.
I can give me what I need.
Namaste.
