Beginning the practice by finding a comfortable position.
Either sitting or lying down.
And beginning by taking our awareness to our experience in this moment with friendliness and curiosity.
Noticing sensations throughout the body.
And the sensations of contact between the body and the surfaces supporting us.
Noticing feelings or emotions present.
Holding them in kind awareness.
Noticing thoughts as they come and go through the mind.
Now moving the awareness to the breath.
Following the flow of the inhalation and the exhalation as the air enters and leaves your body.
And if it's helpful you may choose to place a hand on the low belly and deliberately deepen the inhalation.
Feeling the belly rise against the hand.
And feeling it fall back on the exhalation.
Allowing this to lengthen.
And perhaps taking a few deeper breaths in this way.
Facilitating a soothing breathing rhythm to emerge.
So in this practice you're invited to practice with your imagination in a playful way.
First by allowing a place of safeness to come up in whichever way it presents itself today.
And letting all the senses participate.
Noticing what you can see and hear,
Smell and taste.
Sensations of contact.
And imagining you are the receiver of kindness from this safe place that surrounds you.
And then in this safe place or independent from it,
Imagining a compassionate companion emerging in whatever way it may appear.
And exploring being the receiver of kindness from another being that accepts you just the way you are and wishes you well.
Imagining how this being embodies all the qualities of kindness and compassion.
And now imagining you embody compassion yourself.
Allowing all the qualities you imagined in your compassionate companion also to be present in yourself.
And remembering this is a practice.
There is no need to achieve any particular results.
Just letting your imagination playfully create a compassionate version of yourself while you mindfully explore what happens.
So imagine you are deeply sensitive to the needs of others and yourself.
And committed to relieving suffering and promoting happiness.
You can sympathize,
Feel with and empathize,
Feel into experiences as they arise.
And understand what goes on inside our minds and hearts.
You have the courage to face what is difficult.
Tolerate suffering and be present with it as long as it needs.
You embody wisdom and a non-judgmental attitude.
Having learned from life's lessons you know how and when to respond in words and deeds.
You are patient,
Allowing space for not knowing and beginners mind.
Opening yourself to new possibilities.
Your whole being is permeated by warmth,
Kindness,
Calmness and playfulness.
And while you imagine embodying compassion also explore its effects on you.
What happens in your body?
Its posture,
Its feeling tone,
Its temperature.
In the face,
Eyes,
Mouth,
Throat,
Chest,
Belly,
Arms and legs.
Allowing your whole body to be involved.
And how does this affect your mind and mood state?
All experiences are part of the practice and can be mindfully acknowledged.
Also your reactivity to the exercise,
Thoughts like I can't do this or feelings like disappointment or frustration.
Mindfully holding these in kind awareness is already embodying compassion.
The more you practice being in the compassionate version of yourself the more familiar it will become.
So being patient with yourself.
Mindfully acknowledging whatever arises and returning again and again to the imagery practice of embodying compassion.
Both in its gentle and powerful qualities.
You may also like to explore imagining,
Embodying and radiating compassion.
When you look at something painful in yourself or something painful in the world around you,
Like the suffering of another person.
Imagining compassion flowing from you to wherever it is needed.
And you can end the practice in your own time.
Coming back to your body and the sensations of contact between body and surface supporting you.
Coming back to the breath.
Reconnecting with the breathing rhythm.
Opening the senses to the sounds in the room or outside the room.
Stable,
Present,
Fully aware.
Just as you are.
Right here.
Right now.
