Welcome to your compassion meditation.
Please begin by finding a comfortable position that feels supportive for your body.
You don't need to sit perfectly,
Just allow yourself to be held by whatever is beneath you.
And when you feel ready.
Gently begin to bring your attention to your breath.
Noticing the rhythm.
Of inhales.
And exhales.
And see if on your next breath you can slowly inhale through your nose.
And gently exhale out through your mouth.
Again,
Inhaling in through your nose.
And a steady exhale out through your mouth.
And then allow your breath to just be calm back to its normal pattern.
Allowing your nervous system and your body to register that right now,
In this moment,
You are safe.
And as your breathing settles back into its rhythm,
I gently invite you to bring to mind a colour that you associate with compassion.
There is no right colour.
It could be a blue,
A warm gold,
A rose pink.
A deep green.
Or maybe a faint sense of warmth or light.
Just trust whatever arises.
And as this color comes to your mind,
Imagine it surrounding you.
It might feel like an energy or a light that completely surrounds your body.
And just let yourself be held here,
Not overwhelmed by it.
Just present,
Noticing it.
And then,
If it feels okay,
Imagine this color slowly entering in through your heart area.
And spreading gradually throughout your chest,
Down your arms,
Into your hands.
Down into your torso,
Your stomach,
Your back.
Down through your legs and all the way into your feet.
Allowing it to quietly fill the spaces inside you.
Allow the energy of this colour to move through your body.
Imagining that it is carrying the quality of compassion and warmth.
Strength.
Wisdom.
And a total kindness.
Type of kindness that doesn't evaluate,
Criticize,
Or judge you.
It's not trying to fix you.
The only purpose is to allow you to feel supported by it.
To strengthen you.
And as you inhale,
Allow this compassion to gently surround your face,
Feeling your jaw soften.
You might even have a slight smile,
The slightest expression of kindness on your face.
The kind of warmth you would show towards somebody you deeply care about.
Allowing your eyes to rest,
Your forehead to smooth.
Than to just be here.
And the warmth.
Of this compassion.
And now,
If it feels safe enough,
Bring to mind the part of you that carries shame.
Without diving into a story or a loop of thoughts,
Just see if you can sense where the shame lives in your body.
Perhaps you might notice a tightness in your chest,
Heaviness.
A hollow space.
Tension.
As you notice it.
Allow that compassionate colour to gently move towards that place.
Not to erase it,
Not to push it away,
But to surround it.
Almost like you're placing a warm blanket around something that has been very cold.
If any thoughts arise such as,
I don't deserve this,
This is silly,
This won't work.
Simply just recognize these as protective parts of you.
Pots that learn to keep you safe through criticism,
Through judgment.
You don't need to argue with them.
They're welcome here.
Just gently acknowledge them.
Let them know you hear them.
And then bring your focus back towards your breathing.
Focusing on your inhale.
And gentle exhale out through your mouth.
And maybe remind your system.
That the purpose of this practice is not perfection.
It is to begin to bring into your awareness the parts of you that do carry deep compassion,
Safety and care.
And also the pods that are holding heavy shapes.
To begin to understand and build a relationship with them.
And know that each time you return back to your breath,
Each time you return back to the warmth,
The kindness,
The compassion.
You are building new pathways.
New ways of being.
New ways of connecting with your internal world.
And just bring your focus back to where you notice the shame laying in your body.
If it feels intense.
Come back to your present awareness,
Feeling your body on the surface beneath you.
Recognizing your breath.
Letting that color of compassion fill your whole body again before gently allowing it to touch and surround this part that is carrying shape.
And see if you can allow that shame part to just notice this compassionate colorful energy.
See if it can be in relationship with her.
You can feel the energy of it.
See if it can be held by a thread.
We are not trying to fix or remove anything.
We are trying to build connections.
Reminders that these parts of us are not alone.
And then just be here.
Noticing these energies in your body.
Noticing the aliveness,
The warmth and the tension.
Just holding space for them to exist.
And before we close,
Maybe gently remind that part of you that carries shame.
It is not bad.
It is not broken.
Does not need to be fixed.
It has been trying to protect you.
Take one more steady,
Deep breath in through your nose.
And a long,
Slow,
Steady exhale out through your mouth.
And when you're ready,
You can gently open your eyes,
Carrying with you even a small trace of that compassionate warmth that lay within you.
