Self-Compassion Meditation

Self-Compassion Meditation from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Learn about cultivating love and tenderness towards yourself and bolstering feelings of self-worth, self-acceptance, and resilience. Support your overall psychological and emotional well-being.

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Transcript:

Greetings everyone. Thank you for joining this Patient Empowerment Network program. In this practice session we will be focusing our attention on directing compassion towards ourselves. Compassion is having tenderness towards someone who is suffering along with a heartfelt desire to alleviate their suffering.

In this practice we will be targeting this compassion towards ourselves. Bring to mind a situation in your life that is difficult, a situation that is causing you stress. To your level of comfort allow yourself to feel the discomfort of the situation in your body. Now please don’t force this. Back off if it is too intense. You don’t want to force this. Saying silently to yourself as you feel into the discomfort: this is a moment of suffering, this is difficult, this is hard, this is painful. Whatever words you can use to acknowledge your distress. Acknowledging that in life there are difficult moments. That you are not alone. So, silently saying to yourself, acknowledging to yourself that suffering is a part of the human experience. We all go through struggles in our lives. Acknowledging your struggle, your discomfort as a human being having a human experience. If you like, you may place a tender hand over your heart. Asking yourself what kind words you need to soothe yourself in this moment of distress, of discomfort, of suffering. See if any of the following phrases work for you or find what works for you in your particular situation: May I give myself the compassion that I need, May I learn to accept myself as I am, May I forgive myself, May I be kind to myself, or May I be patient. Repeating your desired phrase or phrases to yourself with a tender heart.

Bringing this practice to a close. Noticing how you feel. So releasing the phrases. Noticing how you feel. Gently open your eyes. We hope you have enjoyed this Patient Empowerment Network program