Thank you for taking these 10 minutes out for yourself today.
Start in a seated position.
Bring your attention to your breath.
Take a moment to connect inwards.
Notice how you are feeling right now.
You may have chosen to do this practice as you are struggling with a difficult situation right now.
So let's stop and do a self compassion break meditation created by Kristin Neff.
Start by bringing mindful awareness to what is happening and acknowledge that it is a difficult situation.
Secondly,
Realise that suffering like this is part of life and that it is normal to feel the way you do.
Thirdly,
Have compassion for yourself.
Put your hand on your heart and repeat after me.
May I be kind to myself.
Take a moment to reassure yourself,
Like you would a friend,
That everything is going to be okay and that you are going to get through this.
Allow yourself to be as you are in this moment.
You will now do some mindful stretching.
Begin to drop your chin to your chest.
Slowly and gently start to rotate your neck to the right.
Continue to roll your neck back,
Making slow circles.
Notice if you feel any tension at any point and stop and breathe into that area.
On your next exhale,
Bring your neck back to neutral.
Let your shoulders relax down your back.
On your next in-breath,
Raise your shoulders up to your ears and as you breathe out,
Roll them down your back.
Repeat this a few more times,
Reaching them up on your inhale and letting them melt down your back on your exhale.
Move to the edge of your seat.
Place your left hand on your right knee.
Twist to the right.
Reach your right hand behind your back towards your left hip.
Breathe here.
Slowly release the twist.
Cross your arms in front of you and bring your hands to your shoulders,
Giving yourself a nice big bear hug.
If you like,
You can comfort yourself with some kind words here.
May I be more compassionate to myself?
Now bring your right hand to your left knee.
Rotate to the left,
Gently twisting your spine,
Placing your left hand on your right hip.
Breathe into the stretch.
Gently release from the pose and give yourself another big hug.
If you like,
You can say to yourself,
May I be more loving and accepting of myself?
Bring your hands to your thighs.
On your next in-breath,
Arch your back,
Open your chest and slightly lift up your chin.
As you breathe out,
Roll your back,
Bring your chin towards your chest.
Move through seated cacao as you follow your breath.
Come back to your neutral spine.
Next you will do a music meditation.
Find a comfortable position to relax in and listen to the song.
Connect to the music and its message of self-care.
If you like,
You can sway,
Move or sing along to the song.
If you like,
You can also listen to the song.
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You can now choose to do a self-care practice,
Enjoy a mindful meal,
Or move your body in a way that feels good to you.
And don't forget to be kind to yourself this week.
