Giving And Receiving Meditation

One of the core practices from the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program. Being with the natural flow of the breath, feeling your body being breathed. Finding your way to then simply allow each breath to ease-fully carry good will; kindness / compassion in and out.

Transcript

Welcome to this practice of giving and receiving compassion.

Starting by taking a moment to feel into the body and the position that you've chosen for this practice.

Feeling into the contact points perhaps with the chair or cushion and the floor.

Sensing into the way to view firmly connected here thanks to gravity.

Feeling the body quite grounded and settled.

And then narrowing the attention to feel the breath in the body.

So bringing the attention inwards to feel the breath.

Perhaps taking a few deeper than normal breaths to locate the breath quite easily.

Connecting with the rhythm of the breath in your body in this moment.

Knowing that there's nothing for you to do that your body knows how to breathe.

So bringing in a sense of ah yep simply feeling the breath.

No doing to be done here.

Allowing your attention to simply ride the waves of each breath.

The inward breath and the outward breath.

Inclining towards your breath as you would incline towards meeting a small child.

With those same qualities of kindness and tenderness.

Opening up to that sense of affectionate awareness of the breath in your body.

So now staying connected to this natural rhythm of the breath in your body in this moment and deepening this intention for this practice to be one of affection and nurturing practice.

Placing your hands on your heart space or wherever feels calming and soothing for you.

Breathing into this sense of contact.

This sense of soothing touch.

And letting the hands stay there for as long as feels right for you.

Knowing that at any time in this practice you can refresh the practice by coming back to that sense of contact.

Placing the hands back on the heart or wherever feels appropriate for you.

And refreshing this practice of affectionate awareness.

Now allowing your attention to focus mainly on the inward breath.

Feeling into that nurturing inward breath.

The natural flow of the outward breath.

And then focusing your attention once again on the inward breath.

The breath moving into your body nourishing your body.

Connecting to the flow of breathing in your body but allowing your focus to be mainly with the inward breath.

And really cultivating that sense of nourishment on the inward breath.

And perhaps certain words come to mind that increase this sense of warmth and nourishment.

And allowing the inward breath to simply carry these words.

Easefully carry these words.

Carrying the words into the heart space.

Whatever words come to mind for you it may be something like ease,

Settle,

Love,

Kindness,

Opening up to receiving this nourishment on your inward breath.

No right or wrong way to do this practice.

Simply connecting with the flow,

The natural rhythm of the breath in your body.

Focusing on the inward breath.

And opening to allowing this inward breath to bring that sense of nourishment.

There may be words that are carried on the inward breath or it may just be that felt sense of warmth.

Maybe a sense of lightness flowing into you on the inward breath.

As best you can allowing yourself to receive whatever's needed in this moment right here right now.

The body seated here quite grounded and settled.

The breath moving naturally like the natural flow of the sea.

The breath moving in and out.

And choosing to focus on the nourishment of the inward breath.

And now while maintaining a light touch on the breath.

Bringing to mind a person in your life who's quite easy to love.

Or perhaps a person who you know is having a hard time at the moment and who could do with a bit of compassion being sent towards them.

Allowing yourself to settle on just one person.

Keeping the practice easeful.

And then getting quite a strong felt sense of this person.

Like they're in the room next to you.

And then allowing the flow of the breath to come center stage once again.

And focusing this time on the outward breath.

So that's soothing and settling outward breath.

And with the focus on the outward breath.

Allowing that sense of soothing.

That sense of settling to flow out to this other person.

Sending warmth and goodwill to this person with every exhalation.

And trusting in whatever comes to mind.

Allowing words to be carried on the outward breath to this person.

With the ease of your natural exhalation.

Sending them your goodwill.

Or if it's the person who's having a hard time.

Sending them your compassion.

Allowing the breath to carry either that sense of goodwill or compassion.

Or whatever words come to mind.

It may be something like love or kindness.

Or even a few words like may you know this will pass.

May you feel lovingly connected.

Now opening up to feeling the full cycle,

The full flow of the in and the out breath.

Taking a moment to connect once again fully with both the in and the out breath.

Resting with the ease.

Of this flow of the breath.

The natural flow like the flow of the sea.

In and out.

And then when it feels right for you.

Allowing this flow of the breath in your body to carry goodwill towards yourself on the in breath.

And carry goodwill towards the other person on the out breath.

Linking this sense of giving and receiving with the very natural flow of the breath in your body.

Breathing in this nurturing for yourself and breathing out this nurturing for the other.

Like one for me,

One for you.

One for me,

One for you.

And keeping this practice neck down so to speak.

If you sense some kind of tightening or trying too hard to get it right.

Give yourself permission to simply let go of the practice altogether.

Come back to feeling your body quite grounded and then perhaps reconnect with simply sitting with the breath.

The flow of the breath.

And then in a way that works for you,

Easing in to this sense of the breath nurturing.

The breath carrying these well wishes.

And refreshing the practice once again.

No big deal.

The same with if the mind wanders.

Celebrate the fact that it gives you a chance to practice kindness.

To practice patience with the most important person,

Yourself.

Allowing the breathing to flow in and out like that gentle movement of the sea.

Flowing in and flowing out.

Letting yourself being part of this limitless boundless flow.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Receiving and giving.

And being your own wise friend for this practice.

So if you wish you can focus a little more on yourself and a little less on the other.

Or a little more on the other.

Whatever's needed,

Keeping it fluid.

And keeping it a practice that meets your need in this moment.

And if and when it feels okay for you,

Allowing yourself on the outward breath to let this giving of kindness and goodwill extend out to whomever else comes to mind.

With maybe other people,

Groups of people,

Or way out to all living beings.

Once again being your own wise friend in regards to this.

To breathing in for yourself and breathing out for the others.

Lovingly connected with this flow of giving and receiving.

Lovingly connected with this natural flow of the life giving breath in the body.

Giving yourself the freedom to make this practice of giving and receiving your own.

And being your own wise friend in regards to this.

And now when you're ready,

Letting go of the practice.

So giving the last well-wish,

The last warm feelings of nurturing to yourself and to the others.

And then allowing yourself to let go of the practice.

Sensing into the body.

Sensing back into the body in the posture you've chosen.

Aware of this breathing body.

Taking a few deeper than normal breaths as we come towards the end of this practice.

And expanding your awareness out to the spaciousness all around.

The vast and edgeless space that we all exist in.

Reviews

Lovely peaceful spacious meditation. Thank you Tina.

Beautiful. Nice long breaks and the breathing exercises were wonderful (and needed today too!). Thank you.

Thank you Tina.
I’m so grateful to be able to continue learning from and practicing with you

This works if you let it. What a glorious way to begin a wet, grey winter day. Thank you.

Wonderful and flowing 💜💙

Excellent meditation

Very nice and simple just the way I like it. Thank you

A whole new take on loving kindness. I liked the breathing in compassion to ourselves and our to the other. It gave me a sense of connectedness with the world.

Lovely meditation! Thank you!🙏🏼

Excellent - loved this one. Thank you

Lovely- beautifully paced

So relaxing! Tina's soothing message is wonderful, giving us the reminder that it's ok to take care of ourselves while sending out loving vibes to others. Thank you , Tina! 🙏🏻

Lovely and replenishing

Very easy listing even for a beginner like me.