Let's find that comfortable place where we can be still and take our attention inwards.
Having a little fidget until we find somewhere comfortable for our body.
And then let's take a few deeper breaths when we get there.
We can use the breath to refresh ourselves.
So we can breathe out the old,
The past,
Whatever has expired.
And we can breathe in new energy,
Creating things that have not been before.
So with a comfortable relaxed breath,
Let's breathe in the new and out the old as we settle.
Let's check our body is comfortable and relaxed,
Allowing our body to become a little more relaxed.
Muscles of our face,
Our forehead and our eyes softening,
Our cheeks and our jaw relaxing,
Our neck in a neutral position and the shoulders are soft.
Arms and hands are resting somewhere they can be still.
Our back,
Our chest and our belly relaxed,
Comfortable.
The joints in a neutral position so our spine is straight.
Plenty of room for our breath.
Our pelvis,
Pelvic floor relaxed.
Our legs comfortable and still at ease.
Whole body a little more comfortable and relaxed.
So let's turn our attention to our mind.
Have a look what's going on in there today.
And let's see if we can do it with kindness.
We're going to think about kindness in today's practice.
And as always,
We start with ourselves and then spread it out into the world.
So I invite you to observe the contents of your mind.
Thoughts are allowed in today's practice.
So we're going to sit quietly and observe any thoughts that we can observe to see if we are kind to ourself in our thoughts,
Kind to others in our thoughts.
And if we find anywhere we are not kind,
Any judgments,
I invite you to flip it on its head and to think how we could be more kind.
We can ask the help of the wider universe to release our blame and judgment.
Our higher self can help us with that and phrase something that reframes that thought to a kind,
Loving statement.
So we'll sit in silence for a while,
Observing our thoughts,
Turning them on their head where we need to,
To be a little kinder to ourselves.
Let's watch the thoughts in a relaxed way.
We don't need to be tense about it.
Just seeing if any come up,
Even just letting our mind wander.
Much of the love that we've probably experienced up till now has been conditional.
Conditional on our behavior,
Certain actions,
Taking certain actions or abstaining from certain actions.
And we take this inwards.
And I invite you to feel how that feels,
That we're only kind to ourselves if we do certain things.
But what about horrible mistakes I've made?
How about feeling the energy of no matter what mistakes we have made,
Let's love ourself,
Be kind to ourself and see how that feels if we were able to imagine that.
Feeling the energy of that unconditional love for our own self,
Like a kind parent.
No matter what tantrum the child threw,
They would be kind.
They would be kind to us.
Understanding.
I suggest we try it again when we're ready.
Feeling how that feels and maybe deciding that is what we would like for ourselves.
But our habit may be to criticize,
To judge our own performance,
Actions,
Mistakes.
And that is why we watch our mind.
And if we notice that critical thinking,
Mind,
And if we notice that critical voice,
Self-criticism,
We might decide,
No,
Not anymore.
Turn it on its head.
We might choose to be kind to ourselves,
No matter what.
And that is why our daily practice of meditation is important.
Because if we practice regularly,
We're more likely to notice the judgment of ourself.
If it's unconscious,
We cannot change it.
We will feel it,
But we cannot consciously change it if we do not consciously notice it.
Whether or not we've noticed any thoughts,
Let's once more embrace that feeling of accepting ourselves,
Our mistakes,
And deciding that we're going to love ourselves anyway.
Be kind to ourselves anyway.
Unless we can embrace and practice being kind to ourself,
Non-judgmental with ourself,
We're unlikely to be able to offer that to another person.
But let's practice that now so we can bring to mind another person.
Whether you choose a big challenge or a small challenge is up to you,
Depending on how you feel.
If someone has flown to mind,
That might be the right person.
Let's try in our mind to offer that person kindness,
Not necessarily in a conversation with them,
But just our personal attitude.
Just our personal attitude to them,
Allowing them to make mistakes,
Knowing that they're probably doing what they think is best,
Even if that's different from our version.
Imagining being able to do that if it's difficult,
Because it is the advanced class.
It's not easy,
But let's imagine it.
And once again,
Returning our attention to ourself,
Noticing if we judged our performance with kindness or not,
And knowing at least half of our attention must be on our own kindness,
Judgments or lack of,
Before we can share it with another person.
Practice being kind to ourselves,
Accepting of our own human flaws.
The better we become at that,
The more likely we are to show that to another.
Resting for a few moments with the kind parent version of ourselves,
Always forgiving and tolerant of our mistakes,
Smiling upon us.
So let us start to return to our waking state of consciousness.
A few breaths of new,
Releasing the old as we exhale.
Another new moment.
So starting to bring mobility back to our body,
Fingers and toes,
Wrists and ankles,
Arms and legs,
Gradually starting to move and stretch,
Having a little stretch if that's for us.
And you may feel inclined to keep an eye on your thoughts today,
To see if you are kind to yourself.
And if you are,
To see if you are kind to yourself,
And to increase the amount of kindness you show to yourself.
Thank you for practicing with me.
