Let's start by finding a comfortable posture. This could be sitting, lying down or standing. If it's comfortable to do so you can close your eyes. And we'll take one deep breath together. In through the nose.

And out through the mouth. Inviting the jaw to soften. Letting the shoulders be at ease. As well as the hands and the belly. As the body starts to ease into this moment, you can let the breath fall back into its natural rhythm.

You don't need to force your breathing pattern or breathe in a way that you think is appropriate for meditation. Just let the breath be normal and see if you can really give yourself permission to be here, to be still, to not have to get anywhere or do anything. You've already allocated this time for yourself. Let yourself experience it fully without needing to fix anything. Let's bring our attention to our breath for a moment.

And if you feel comfortable doing so, place your right hand on your heart and your left hand on your belly. A gentle touch like this can be really powerful for cultivating a sense of self compassion. One of the first things we do if someone's in pain is offer them a hug. Even though it might feel cheesy to do it for ourselves, there's something very grounding in it. And it's communicating that kind quality of awareness that we're really going for with self-compassion.

So with your hand on your heart, and one hand on your belly, simply feeling your heart beating. And feeling your body breathing. You can just say to yourself, you're doing great. I know things are tough right now, but you're getting through it. And you're taking a proactive role in your own wellbeing.

Good job. See what it's like to talk to yourself in that way or say anything that feels kind and compassionate. Notice when those judgments arise, the negative thoughts, the negative words. They're not you. They're just thoughts.

They just arise. Let them go. And what is something kind you could say to yourself, as if you were consoling a child that made a mistake or was going through something difficult? As you feel your heart beating and you have one hand on your belly, let's take one last deep breath together. In through the nose. And out through the mouth.

And when you're ready, you can open your eyes. So great job. Notice how you feel after doing this practice. We've started to now plant the seeds for self-compassion, but this isn't just something that can be done in a meditation. You can do it throughout your day and really make that your intention today, to show yourself more compassion, more self-compassion in whatever you're going through.

So thank you for your practice. You're doing great. Continue to bring the self-compassion into your day. Take care.