Quieting The Inner Critic Meditation

This is a guided meditation practice on identifying the inner critic that we all have. Once we are able to identify and label it, we can then move into letting go. We can then realize when it's just trying to protect us but isn't being helpful.

Transcript

Hi, I'm Shania Gordon and I am so glad you're here. I'm a mindfulness meditation practitioner and this session is on quieting your inner critic. But before we begin, I would love to acknowledge a few things. The practices I share are rooted in ancient mindfulness traditions and they originated in South and Southeast Asia and I offer them here in a trauma-informed, Secular way. I also just want to remind you that this space is yours. There's no need to get anything right, Nothing you need to push through. You're in full control of your experience and my guidance is just an invitation. Your body and your spirit get the final say. So when you are ready, Allow yourself to get into a comfortable posture. Straighten your back, Relax your shoulders, Keeping your head evenly balanced. Rest your hands in your lap and once you've settled in, You can gently close your eyes if that feels comfortable. If not, You can just soften your gaze. I invite you to spend a few moments just focusing on your breath. Allowing any outside distractions to float away. Following the rise and fall of your belly and chest. Noticing what's present here. Maybe noticing the state of your breath today. Maybe it's short or longer. Maybe it's shallow or deep. And there's no need to change the breath in any way right now. Just observing the natural state of it. Just sensing, Feeling. And tuning into the sensations. Settling back in awareness. And noticing how the breath comes and goes. Allow your sense of awareness to be spacious, Open and receptive. Maybe notice how everything comes and goes. In this inner place of awareness. Imagine this awareness as a vast, Open sky. It's spacious and you are present to everything that happens in it. The breath. Sounds. Sensations. Feelings and thoughts. And notice that you are not your sensations. You're not your thoughts or your feelings. It's the place of awareness. That is your real home. And whenever you may feel pulled to any of these thoughts or feelings. Just allow yourself to take a deep breath. And take a step back to your awareness. Observing everything that comes and goes. From a place of detachment. And now let's begin to deepen the breath a little bit. Taking a long, Deep breath in through the nose. And breathing out slowly and gently through the mouth. Allowing the body to know it is time to slow down and to relax. By breathing more deeply, We are grounding ourselves to the present moment. We are not rushing anywhere. There is nowhere else we are trying to go. There is nowhere else we are trying to get to. Nothing else to accomplish. But to be present with the breath. Breathing in deeply. And breathing out slowly. Breathing in. And breathing out. Breathing in. And breathing out. And now maybe you begin to slow down your control of the breath. Until it returns back to its normal soothing rhythm. Just let your breath be soft and natural. Coming in and out of your nose. And breathing out slowly and gently through the mouth. Spend a few moments noticing if there are any areas of tension or discomfort in the body. Just noticing and acknowledging what is present without any judgment. Without trying to change anything. And accepting. Letting things be exactly as they are. Accepting all of our sensations, Thoughts, And emotions from a place of compassion and loving-kindness that allows your emotions to be what they are without holding any power over you. And with this understanding in mind, Bring to mind a troubling emotion you have experienced recently. So maybe it was anger, Jealousy, Or fear. Explore your thoughts and feelings about that emotion. Notice what thoughts or feelings arise as you hold the emotion in your mind. And if at any point this becomes uncomfortable or too much, Please take care of yourself. And if you need to turn this off, Please do so. And with that troubling emotion in mind, Maybe you feel ashamed of it. Maybe you think you should have been able to avoid it. Maybe you think you are weak or foolish because you experienced it. Bring your attention to your body. Notice what is present without any judgment. Noticing if you experience any tension or tightness as you think about the experience of this emotion. Now, Acknowledge how all these thoughts and labels come from your very own critic. And we all have an inner critic inside of ourselves. It's the part of us that judges our thoughts and actions more harshly than anyone else ever will. And this comes from holding unreasonable expectations of ourselves and allowing the inner critic to step up whenever we fail to meet those unachievable expectations. When we judge ourselves, We distance ourselves away from an opportunity for self-growth. Self-judgment carries a heavy and unpleasant feeling, Such as anxiety or depression. And that can later fall into other areas of your life. And onto people we love. Take a moment to acknowledge these heavy thoughts and feelings that you carry. Offer yourself some words of support and compassion. Holding yourself with care and understanding. Be here for yourself as you would for a friend. And maybe repeat the following phrases. I honor and support myself. I love and accept myself. I cherish and love myself. I practice peace and patience. I am worthy of my own compassion and kindness. So whenever you notice yourself being self-critical or judgmental, The first step is to identify your inner critic. Labeling it. Observing what it says and does without judgment. And then letting it go. When you recognize a self-critical thought, Simply recognize that this is a voice of your inner critic. You may practice thinking, Thank you inner critic, I see you, And I let you go. When we observe our inner critic in action, We may want to remind ourselves that our thoughts are just words and our beliefs are just that. Beliefs, Not always facts. The inner critic, It's nothing more than just an unhelpful noise of our endless chattering in our minds. We have the power to take a step back from our inner critic and create some space to think more clearly and compassionately. Whenever you find yourself being self-critical, Instead of saying something such as, I'm foolish, You may want to say, My inner critic suggests that I'm foolish. That way you are creating distance between the thought and you. And then you are able to observe the thoughts more objectively. And the intentions of our inner critics are not necessarily bad most of the time. It's only just trying to help us and keep us safe. So once we have identified and recognized that our inner critic is trying to help us, We can thank them for their care, Appreciate the good intentions, And let it go. I invite you to begin to deepen your breathing. And as this practice comes to an end, Start to come back to your surroundings, Stretching the body gently, Maybe wiggling the toes and the fingers. And when you are ready, You can open your eyes, Extend some compassion and love and gratitude to yourself for taking this time out for yourself. It has been an honor to guide you. I am grateful for your time. Grateful for the path, For the practice, And most of all you, The community. Until next time.