A short guided-meditation script that instructs listeners to focus on breathing and to ask themselves "How can I nurture myself?" It emphasizes placing a hand on the heart, softening breath and body, listening for a nurturing inner tone, and planting an intention to repeat brief self-nurturing reminders daily. The practice is soothing, inward-focused, and aimed at making self-care habitual.
Just become aware of how you're breathing, recognizing that your breathing is truly going to set up on an ongoing basis the rhythm and the depth of your life. And so, as that awareness increases, let your breathing be as nurturing and as soothing as possible, and let your body move into a comfortable position to support this nurturing. Imagine that you're looking for a pure tone, a quality inside your heart, and some relaxation. Gently ask, how can I nurture myself? And take a little time to make sure your tone is resonating inside of you. How can I nurture myself? Listen for a frequency or a melody that touches your heart and soul. The more sincerely you ask, the more you'll have a sense of arriving and the more motivated you'll become to practice. Ask yourself if you want these reminders to become a central part of your lifestyle. Say to yourself, wherever I have five or ten minutes in the morning, during the day, or at night before I go to bed, I'm going to ask, how can I nurture myself? You can be secondarily interested in the content that comes back because you're primarily interested in putting your hand on your heart and tenderizing your breath while you ask, what could be better than this? And don't be disturbed. If you don't have concrete answers as to how you're going to nurture yourself, or you're not quite confident, or you feel uneasy that you won't be able to find the answers, just return to breathe in a way that's as nurturing as possible, and don't get distracted by your fears or by what your mind tells you. Put your trust in your breathing. Put your trust in the sincerity of this question. As you start to aim towards your heart, start to listen to the content of your guidance. Would you enjoy just relaxing, listening to music? How fast or slow would you like to move when you really pay attention? Do you want to slow down? What rhythm of speech soothes you? What pace of thinking allows you to feel easy and flowing? When you're confused, see if you can just keep returning to the way you breathe, to putting your hand on your heart, and to a continued recognition that your number one priority is to nurture yourself, recognizing that if you're nurtured, you naturally will be more generous to everyone else around you, and there could not be a more selfless place when you feel your own sincerity and you can tell yourself, yes, I do care and I'm paying attention right now. I'm breathing and relaxing and nothing else matters as much. I'll be nicer to everyone else. When I give this to myself, you can inquire what tone of voice would nourish me. How do my eyes look and feel when I care? Are they softer? Are they more open? And can I allow them right now to just relax and be that way? How do I remind myself with my breath that this can be enough? In moments of silence? Do I appreciate that simply looking without answers can be a relaxed state? May I give myself a prayer that simply looking is enough and that the sincerity of wanting to nurture myself is the home in which I want to reside? Remind yourself that sincerely looking is always enough. Notice how you touch your own body. Perhaps by putting your hand on your heart. That leaves you feeling nurtured and relaxed. Can you find a way to remember to breathe softly during stressful moments? May you allow yourself to plant the seed right now for the rest of your life.
