Self-Compassion Meditation

Welcome. My name is Hattie Bluestone, and this self-compassion meditation is intended to help us meet life's difficulties with greater presence, perspective, and kindness. To begin, come into a comfortable position. You could be seated or lying down. Gently allow your eyes to close, and begin by taking just an easy, soothing breath. As you exhale, perhaps letting go of any unnecessary tension or stress that the body might be holding. And now bringing to mind a difficult situation in your life right now. So this could be anything that is difficult or stressful for you. It could be like a relationship challenge, something at work, something related to physical health or mental health. And choosing a situation that is like a three or four on a scale of zero to ten. So something that's mild to moderately difficult, genuinely difficult, but not overwhelming, especially if you're newer to practicing self-compassion. So selecting one such situation and then bringing that situation to life in your mind's eye. So just reminding yourself of the details involved.

And as you bring that situation to life in your mind's eye, tuning into your body and noticing how it feels to be in a situation like this. You're noticing if you can sense the stress or anything else in your body. And now I'll guide us in saying three phrases that are designed to help us remember the three components of self-compassion. So I'll say each of these phrases out loud and you can say them quietly in your own mind. And the first phrase is, this is a moment of suffering. This is a moment of suffering. And this is mindfulness. So we're turning toward our difficulty, acknowledging it, naming it. This is a moment of suffering. And you're welcome to use language that works for you. So it might be something like, you know, this is really hard right now. Or ouch, this hurts. Or this is stressful. Or I'm really struggling. This is a moment of suffering. And the next phrase is, suffering is part of living. It's part of what it means to be human. And this is the component of common humanity. So reminding ourselves that when we suffer, we are not alone. Struggling, suffering, stress is part of every human life. For each of us, the flavor of suffering might be different. The amount of suffering might be different. But suffering is part of living. It's part of what it means to be human. You're not alone. Another way to capture the spirit of common humanity would be to say something like, you know, it makes sense that this is hard. Anyone would be having a hard time in a situation like this. And the final phrase is, may I be kind to myself? Or may I be kind to myself? And to support that sense of kindness, you're welcome to place one or both hands on your heart or your belly or anywhere else on the body that would feel soothing and comforting for you. And simply feeling the gentle touch of your hands. And if you like, you might imagine kindness like light or warmth flowing from your hands into your body. May I be kind to myself. So kindness through soothing touch and also perhaps offering some kindness through words. So if you had a dear friend, someone you really care about who was in a situation just like this, what might you say? It might be something like, I really get it how hard this is, or I'm so sorry. I care about you. I'm here for you. I believe in you. I know that you're going to get through this. So any words of kindness that you might say to a dear friend in a situation just like this, beginning to offer those same words of kindness to yourself. Maybe from the wise and compassionate part of you to the part of you that is hurting right now. May I be kind to myself. And then beginning to let go of the meditation. Let go of all the words and phrases. And arriving back in your body and in this present moment, allowing your experience to be just as it is. And also allowing in this moment yourself to be just as you are. Just like this. And then whenever you are ready, ever so slowly and gently opening your eyes.