This meditation is designed to be a gentle practice, focusing on acceptance and finding small moments of ease. Please find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down, where your body feels supported.
1. Settling In (3 minutes)
- Close your eyes gently or soften your gaze toward the floor. Allow your shoulders to drop away from your ears.
- Take a slow, deep breath in, filling your lungs, and let it go with a gentle sigh. (Inhale... Exhale...) Do this twice more, letting the out-breath be a release.
- Now, allow your breathing to return to its natural rhythm. There is no need to control it. Simply feel the air moving in and out of your body. Notice the gentle rise and fall in your chest or abdomen.
2. Acknowledging the Cloud (5 minutes)
- Bring your attention to your inner experience right now. Without judgment, simply notice the feelings present. Perhaps there is a sense of heaviness, flatness, or sadness.
- Imagine these feelings as a heavy, gray cloud floating in the vast sky of your mind. You don't have to fight the cloud, try to push it away, or analyze it. You are simply observing it.
- Acknowledge the cloud by saying silently to yourself: "I see you. You are here right now."
- Now, gently widen your awareness. While the cloud is present, remember that it is not the entire sky. See if you can find a tiny patch of clear blue sky around the edges of the cloud—a small space of neutral feeling, or perhaps the feeling of your feet on the floor, or the texture of your clothing.
- Rest your attention on that small, clear space. Even if it's only for a few seconds.
3. Cultivating Self-Compassion (5 minutes)
- The depressed mind can often be self-critical. We are going to counter that with simple kindness.
- Place one hand gently over your heart or on your cheek—a soothing, physical gesture of care.
- Repeat these phrases silently, allowing the words to sink in without needing to believe them fully, just planting the seed:
- "May I be patient with myself."
- "May I be kind to myself in this moment."
- "I am doing the best I can right now."
- Imagine you are extending compassion to a dear friend who is struggling. Offer that same gentle, unconditional warmth back to yourself. You deserve kindness, especially now.
4. Returning to the Present (2 minutes)
- Let your hand relax back down. Gently bring your attention back to your breath. Feel the anchor of your body and the rhythm of the air moving in and out.
- Focus on the feeling of your body supported by the chair or the floor. You are safe in this moment.
- Remember that even the deepest darkness shifts and changes. This moment will pass. You don't need to fix anything right now; you just need to breathe.
5. Final Transition (1 minute)
- When you are ready, gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
- Take a slightly deeper, more invigorating breath.
- Open your eyes slowly, allowing the light to enter gradually. Carry the gentleness you cultivated during this meditation with you as you move into the rest of your day.
