Cultivating self-compassion can nurture a greater sense of inner peace, happiness, and resilience. In cultivating self-compassion, we practice noticing the moments in which we are treating ourselves with harshness and criticism. We pause, bring our kind awareness to this habit, and choose something different. We can focus on our sense of shared humanity, acknowledging our human imperfection, along with all other human beings. And then we can practice treating ourselves with kindness– saying kind words to ourselves or imagining someone else offering us kind words or a gesture of lovingkindness and compassion.
This week, try taking a few moments each day to send loving-kindness to yourself. Close your eyes, and allow the attention to rest on the breath. Without changing it in any way, simply notice the rise of the chest and belly with the inhale and the fall of the chest and belly with the exhale. Feel the belly soften with each exhale, and then pause for a moment to notice what it feels like to breathe into a gradually softening belly. Begin to direct toward yourself feelings of warmth, tenderness, gentleness, and lovingkindness, relating to yourself as though you were a beloved other or a young child. Silently in your heart whisper the words of tenderness and mercy, “May I dwell in my own heart. May I be free from suffering. May I be healed. May I be at peace.”
In a soft belly, there is room to live and grow, as our nature allows. Room to let go of the judgment that considers us somehow imperfect, room to send with each softening breath loving kindness into the grateful heart. –Steven Levine
Warmly,
Jen