Shift your mindset from constantly trying to fix or improve yourself to one of self-inclusion, accepting all parts of who you are. This practice is about meeting yourself with kindness, not because it’s earned, but because you can be hard on yourself.
Be willing to approach yourself with less judgment and more care, even if you don’t feel a strong surge of love. This means not faking emotions but simply offering an invitation for kindness.
When welcoming yourself to the present moment, consciously ease any demands you have for it to be a certain way. This helps you rest in living, breathing presence without needing to perform or live up to a version of yourself.
Bring to mind a part of yourself you usually overlook, something small, quiet, or unthanked, like your feet, breath, or perseverance. Offer that part a gesture of appreciation and thanks for supporting you.
Recognize and let yourself receive acknowledgment for having made it through things no one else may fully know and for having kept going. This is an honest recognition of your heart’s effort, not self-indulgence.
Verbally or mentally thank your body for carrying you, your heart for carrying so much, and your breath for always bringing you back. Allow the warmth of this appreciation to spread from your chest outward.
Let your breath find its natural rhythm without trying to control or ‘do it right.’ This helps you rest in your living, breathing presence.
Position your body to feel supported and grounded, aiming for a state that is relaxed yet alert. This physical setup helps facilitate turning your attention inward.
To help turn your attention inward during meditation, either close your eyes if it feels comfortable or simply soften your gaze.
Begin your meditation by feeling all the points of contact your body makes with the chair, cushion, or floor. This helps establish the body as your home base and grounds you in the present.
If you find parts of yourself resisting kindness or gratitude, don’t force it. Instead, simply offer an invitation for a new message: ‘It’s okay to be kind to myself; it’s okay to recognize there’s goodness here.’
Allow your breath to move through you into any forgotten or tense corners of your being, consciously bringing warmth to those areas. Each breath can be an offering that ’this is enough.’
Embrace the sentiment that you don’t have to be more than you are right now, resting in it for even a few breaths. This involves pushing nothing away and fixing nothing, just experiencing the sweetness of being with yourself.
Recognize that you are alive, awake, and worthy of appreciation not for what you are doing, but for who you are, exactly as you are in the present moment.
When your inner critic inevitably shows up, remember that there is another voice within you—one that doesn’t demand you to be more, better, or different.
As you move through your day, consciously walk with that kind voice beside you and let the feeling of your breath remind you that you are present, kind, caring, and on your own side.