I invite you to lengthen the spine,
Sending the crown of your head toward the sky and grounding the pelvis down toward the earth.
Begin to anchor into the breath,
Breathing naturally and taking notice.
Notice the sound of your own breath,
The subtle movements in the belly and the chest and the shoulders and the neck and the cheeks and in the nostrils.
Notice the slight temperature change in the nose as you inhale and exhale.
And now that you are more aware of the breath and its movement throughout the body,
I invite you to take a deep breath in and a long breath out.
I invite you to bring to mind a difficult situation that's taking place in your life right now.
Something that is creating discomfort but is not immensely overwhelming.
Maybe you're feeling stressed or having relationship problems or you're worried about what could happen in the future.
Begin tuning into that difficult situation.
Think about what is happening with it.
Maybe a conversation that took place,
The people that are involved,
The place,
The emotions,
The feelings.
Take a deep breath in and a long breath out.
Now take this moment to show awareness.
Recognize by noting to yourself,
This is a moment of suffering.
Repeat that phrase,
This is a moment of suffering.
Bring awareness to the fact that you are experiencing pain and suffering.
And now I invite you to notice any resistance to this.
Notice if you are minimizing your own suffering because someone else may be suffering more or worse.
Remember that pain is relative to the person and the timing.
Take a deep breath in and a long breath out.
I invite you to change the phrase to something that resonates for you.
Maybe instead of the previous language of suffering,
Try repeating,
I am struggling.
Or this is hard.
By repeating these phrases to yourself,
You are turning toward the difficulty,
A practice of radical acceptance.
Again,
Repeating after me,
I am struggling.
This is hard.
You are acknowledging the difficulty,
You're naming it and you're leaning into it.
And now I invite you to recognize that pain and struggle and suffering,
These are all a part of life.
Sit with that thought for just a moment.
You are human.
Struggle is a part of being human.
Pain is a part of being human.
Suffering is a part of being human.
Remember to be kind to yourself in this life experience.
Regardless of the degree of suffering that is taking place,
I invite you to place your hands over your heart center.
Notice the warmth of your hands,
Your own gentle touch,
And allow for a caring energy to pass from your fingertips through the chest and into the heart space.
Take a deep breath in and a long breath out.
Begin to speak kind words to yourself as though you are speaking to a close friend.
Something like,
I am here for you.
I am so sorry you are going through this.
I am praying for you.
I am thinking of you.
Feel into that compassion and empathy and love.
Take a deep breath in and a long breath out.
Letting go of this practice,
Bring awareness to your body and the quality of your mind in this moment.
Celebrate the time that you spent for yourself today.
You are enough.
You are worthy.
You are wholly beautiful.
