Slogan #10
Begin the sequence of sending and taking with yourself.
In order to develop greater compassion and to hold space for the suffering of others, it’s important to begin with yourself. This slogan is asking you to take on your own suffering first because self-compassion will absolutely transform how you experience the world. What you do for yourself, you’re doing for others and what you’re doing for others, you’re doing for yourself.
Fight-flight-freeze are our body’s natural reactions to threat or danger. The three poisonous effects to these physiological responses are self-criticism-isolation-rumination. The antidotes? Kindness will neutralize the self-criticism that develops from our fight response; feeling the support of our common humanity is the remedy for the isolation that is caused by running away or avoidance; and a mindfulness practice is the cure for freezing or for hiding out in our thoughts.
Reflect on a recent challenging event that has left an emotional residue. Widen your lens to hold your entire body in your attention. Be open to the process of inner tracking by observing the feedback loop between emotional reactions and bodily sensations. Notice what areas of the body are calling you and pay attention not just to the sensations but to the attitude with which you are meeting it. Breathe in your pain and see the nature of your own suffering as clearly as possible. Whether it’s anger, fear, grief, loss, resentment, hatred, breathe it in. If it’s a physical illness or ailment: your headache, cancer, pain, or a compromised immune system, breathe it in. Nurture yourself with kindness and compassion. Are you able to acknowledge all of these unwanted things in your life in order to awaken your powerful capacity for compassion? As you wholeheartedly breathe in your current state, digest and metabolize these attributes into healing and send it back to yourself. Direct healing energy to your body, mind, and spirit with the following Tibetan prayer: May I be at peace. May my heart remain open. May I know the beauty of my own true nature. May I be healed. May I be a source of healing in the world. Be accountable to yourself. Be touched by life but not broken by it: “What is happening is not the end of the story but it’s all that I can see right now.” And as Pema Chodron reminds us: “We are one blink of an eye away from being fully awake.”
"Let yourself cry. Imagine that you are crying with and on behalf of the world. Especially imagine crying for those who have forgotten how to cry. Cry for those who do not know how to cry, who let their unmetabolized pain turn into violence against themselves, you, and others...If you choose to wrestle with truth, you will choose to be messy, confused, and disoriented. This is the experience of truth shaping us into more honest and caring beings who are in relationship with their pain. That relationship will remind you that you are not the only one hurting."
Lama Rod Owens
Journaling Prompts
Review Slogan #1 and Preliminary #1: Maintain an awareness of the preciousness of human life. This is the Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi—nothing lasts, nothing is finished, nothing is perfect. The world is already broken and yet, when you drop your fear and open your heart, its preciousness is there too. ” What are you going to do with your one wild and precious life?” ~ Mary Oliver
Complete the Self-Compassion test by Kristen Neff (self-compassion.org/self-compassion-test/) and notice the areas where you can spend more energy cultivating a loving connected presence to self.
Write a letter to yourself with a commitment to your values (what is important personally and professionally), intentions (the application of your values), and goals (the direction that you want your life to go in). Do your goals reflect your values? As you work towards your goals, are you staying true to your intentions?
What is the request your life asks of you?