Self-Compassion Meditation

Learn how self-compassion meditation can help reduce self-criticism, foster kindness, and improve emotional well-being with practices like loving-kindness and body scan techniques.

24 October 2024
Learn the what/why/how of self-compassion meditation
Photo by fizkes / Adobe Stock.

What Is Self-Compassion Meditation?

Self-compassion meditation is a type of meditation aimed at cultivating love for and kindness toward oneself. Such meditations can help guide us to self-compassion both during and after life’s challenges.

Why Is It Important?

The importance of self-compassion meditation lies in the fact that it helps us cultivate self-compassion, which plays a major role in emotional regulation and well-being because it directly combats our habit of self-criticizing. Approaching negative feelings such as stress, anxiety, and anger from a place of warmth and kindness is essential for reducing their strength. When these heavy thoughts no longer weigh us down, we can transform them into experiences from which we can grow.

Additionally, by learning to be more compassionate toward ourselves, we can more easily extend compassion to others and enhance personal connection.

How to Practice Self-Compassion Meditation

We can practice mindful self-compassion to foster gratitude and appreciation for the self in many ways. These include:

A Self-Compassion Meditation and Check-in

As Kristin Neff writes, self-compassion meditation “is a handy tool to soothe and calm troubled states of mind.” She teaches a simple method for doing it, which boils down to:

  • First, place the hands on the heart — or any place on the body that you may find soothing — pausing and noticing the sensation of warmth.
  • Next, after beginning to breathe deeply, affirm to yourself the following in a “warm and caring tone”:
    • This is a moment of suffering.
    • Suffering is a part of life.
    • May I be kind to myself in this moment.
    • May I give myself the compassion I need.

Related: 17 Resources to Develop Self-Compassion

Loving-Kindness Meditation

Loving-kindness, or metta meditation, is a common form of meditation practiced for developing compassion and kindness for others and oneself. In short, the practice looks like this:

  • Sitting comfortably, pay attention to your in and out breaths until your breathing is natural and relaxed.
  • Bring your attention to your heart area and begin to offer loving-kindness to yourself by repeating these phrases, allowing ample space between each one:
    • May I be safe
    • May I be healthy
    • May I be happy
    • May I be at ease

With time and practice, the metta meditation practitioner “opens up” their meditation so that others — friends, loved ones, and eventually people we feel neutral and perhaps even negatively about —  become the subject of our wishes for safety, health, happiness, and ease.

Related: Metta Meditation Guide

Compassionate Body Scan

Body scan meditation is a form of meditation in which the focus is on the body, gradually scanning from one’s feet to the muscles in one’s face. This can be done while lying down, sitting, or in other postures.

To perform a compassionate body scan, simply focus your attention on different parts of the body, starting with the tips of the toes. From there, apply focused attention upwards and through the entire body, taking time to extend gratitude to each part of the body for what it does for us.

Related: A Body Scan Meditation for Stress Relief