This is a practice which is focused on using our imagination to create a compassionate other.
Another that we can connect with and that can be there for us whenever that would be helpful as we navigate and move through the challenges that are placed ahead of us in our life.
And just be aware as we go through this practice,
Imagination isn't just what we see visually in our mind's eye.
Imagination might be what we hear through our mind's ear or perhaps there's more of a felt sense in our body of what we imagine.
So imagination is all of our senses,
Not just visual.
So just doing what you need to do to be comfortable,
Make any adjustments you need to,
Just to allow you to remain seated or lying down,
Whatever you prefer,
But allow you to remain aware of my voice.
And if it feels comfortable,
You may want to let your eyes close and if you'd rather have them open,
Just focusing your gaze on one thing so your eyes aren't moving around too much.
And notice what's there for you now,
Not in a kind of deep analytical way,
But just noticing perhaps if there's jitteriness or calm,
Alertness,
Tiredness.
Whatever is there is fine,
There's no right or wrong,
You're just noticing.
And turning your attention to your breathing,
Allowing the breath to become perhaps a little slower,
Steadying the breath a little and softening the muscles in your face just by allowing a kind of welcoming,
Friendly expression on your face.
Not needing to do anything right now,
Then just breathe in and breathe out,
Slow steady breath.
And now I'm going to invite you to bring to mind some of the qualities of compassion that you would really value someone else having.
And alongside of these,
We're going to focus on three important core qualities of compassion to help you to bring to mind and imagine your compassionate other.
So firstly,
Your compassionate other will be wise and understanding.
They'll have a deep wisdom and understanding about the nature of suffering and how challenging life can be.
They'll understand that we have these tricky brains that can easily get us caught up in loops of unhelpful thinking,
Of worrying,
Of ruminating,
Of self-criticizing.
They'll know that it is not our fault that we were given brains that can get in these loops.
And they'll also know that much of what happens inside of us is not our fault,
That so much of who we are,
Our genes,
Our gender,
Our ethnicity,
Our sexuality,
Perhaps our early experiences were not of our choosing.
They understand the difficulties we experience in life and they're able to offer helpful perspectives on this.
Second,
Your compassionate other is strong and courageous.
They have a sense of authority and quiet confidence,
And like a tree with really deep roots that remains resolute and strong through the stormiest of storms.
You'll know that no matter what difficulties you face,
Your compassionate other will always be there for you.
Finally,
Your compassionate other will have a caring motivation for you.
They'll be there to offer you support and kindness and want to help you manage whatever difficulties arise in your life.
And with these qualities in mind,
Wisdom,
Strength,
Care and commitment,
Just take a moment to consider what would your compassionate other look like if you could see it stood in front of you.
So just spend a few moments imagining this,
Seeing what it would be like for this to be a new creation and not someone that you know.
And also hold in mind that your compassionate other doesn't have to be human.
Instead,
They could be an animal or a part of nature or some spiritual being or expression.
So just taking a few moments to imagine what your compassionate other would look like.
Maybe you could consider whether your compassionate other is old or young,
Male or female or perhaps without gender.
Are they short or tall,
Big,
Small?
If they're human,
What's the tone of their skin color?
If not human,
What colors do you imagine them being?
If they're wearing clothes,
What are the colors and textures that they're wearing?
How would you like your compassionate other to sound?
If they have a voice,
What would the tone of their voice be like?
So just spend a few moments imagining this and focus on how the voice tone leaves you feeling.
If the image of your compassionate other has a face,
What's their facial expression like?
How does their face express their compassionate nature to you?
How would you like your compassionate other to relate to you?
And would anything help you to sense their commitment and kindness to you?
And imagine that your image,
Your compassionate other is now directing compassion to you.
So this could be verbally,
Nonverbal,
Maybe gesture,
Body posture,
Maybe in the form of energy,
Felt sense,
Light.
Remember there's no right or wrong here.
Just notice how that leaves you feeling,
Receiving the kindness and care of your compassionate other.
And hold in mind that this image of your compassionate other is there for you.
It will never criticize or blame you for difficulties that you're facing in life,
But understands that life is hard and wants to help you find ways to manage the difficulties you experience,
The challenges that cross your path.
Before we bring this part of the practice to a close,
Hold in mind that you can return to this image of your compassionate other whenever you'd like to.
It's always there,
Waiting to offer you its wisdom,
Strength and caring commitment.
And as you allow that image to fade,
We're now going to shift focus slightly to see if we can connect with the compassionate part of ourselves.
And if this feels tricky to do at any time,
Imagine your compassionate other is there with you.
Perhaps they're stood with you or sat next to you.
Imagine what they might say or do to support you with this part of the practice.
So I'm going to invite you to bring to mind a time when you showed compassion to someone else.
So perhaps a close friend or a loved one who may have been upset,
Maybe a distressed child or animal.
See if you can connect with the part of you that has experienced the expression of compassion to another.
Go ahead and focus on it and see if you can notice it in your body.
And if not,
That's okay.
Just focus on however you experience it.
Notice how you feel toward it with curiosity.
And if there are other parts of you that just don't want you to go there,
Just notice that.
Take a moment to listen to what their concerns are and let them know that you hear them.
And ask that they step back a little,
Just for now,
So you can connect with the compassion part of you just for a few minutes.
And if they don't want to step back for today,
Just be curious about those parts of you and open to understanding their fears and worries and concerns about you getting to know the compassion part of you.
But for today,
If those other parts let you get to know your compassion part,
Once you have a sense of that compassion part of you and a curiosity to get to know it a little better,
Just notice how that feels.
Does it feel big,
Small,
Loud,
Quiet?
If it had a shape,
Color,
Texture,
What would it look like?
What would that be?
If it could speak,
What would it say to you now and how would it say it?
Would it want to express anything non-verbally?
What's it been trying to do for you?
And is there anything it might need from you to help it help you?
What would it like you to remember when you embark on difficult situations or when life throws challenging things your way?
So just taking a few moments in quietness now,
Following this curiosity,
Allowing yourself to get to know this compassion part of you.
And in the next few moments,
We'll come back.
Thank the compassionate part of you and let it know you can come back to it at any time.
And also take a moment to thank the other parts for letting you get to know the compassionate part of you or for letting you know that they perhaps were afraid too if they didn't today.
And when you feel ready,
No rush,
Just taking your time.
If your eyes are closed,
Slowly opening your eyes.
And again,
Taking a few slow,
Steady breaths and bringing yourself back into the room.
