Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris - For When You Are Kicking Your Own Ass | Bonus Meditation with Pascal Auclair

Episode Date: October 11, 2024

A soothing meditation for moments when stress gets out of control. Take time for self-compassion by accompanying yourself with gentle presence and kind words.About Pascal Auclair:Pascal Auclair has been immersed in Buddhist practice and study since 1997, sitting retreats in Asia and America with revered monastics and lay teachers. He has been mentored by Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California, where he is now enjoying teaching retreats. Pascal teaches in North America and in Europe. He is a co-founder of True North Insight and one of TNI’s Guiding Teachers.To find this meditation in the Happier app, you can search for “Find Comfort in Self-Compassion.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to 10% happier early and ad free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. It's the 10% happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hey, hey, Happy Friday, bonus meditation time. If you've listened to this show for any length of time, you've probably heard me yammer on about self-compassion, a concept about which I was initially deeply skeptical, but which I have now embraced in a very robust way. Our meditation teacher du jour is Pascal Eau Claire,

who's based in Canada and trained with Joseph Goldstein at the Insight Meditation Society. He's a co-founder of True North Insight, and he teaches in North America and Europe. He also has a great voice with a lovely accent. Here we go now with Pascal Eau Claire. Hey, it's moi, Pascal. Hello.

It's not easy being a human being. We are often pushed and pulled by other situations we do not control, and inwardly by emotions and thoughts we haven't chosen either. Not easy. Self-compassion is a way to develop acceptance around this, a way to accompany ourselves in our difficulties or failings and to stay engaged with the world with tenderness. Let's explore this caring quality together. Take a posture that can be somewhat comfortable for you. Allow yourself to feel the body resting where it is.

Allow it to find ease as it's breathing here now. Let your eyes close gently or keep them softly open. Feel the life in you. It's manifesting through sensations, tingling, a certain level of energy tired or energized. or energized. This life force in you, this aliveness, feel how you want it to be protected and safe. How you want this life you are experiencing to be is full. Can you feel this? This wish that you have for ease and freedom and peace is kindness.

And when this kindness meets what's difficult with care, with a tender and balanced attitude, this is what we call compassion. This capacity to feel pain without turning away or shutting down, but staying present and caring like a dear friend would. Try repeating these phrases to yourself if you want, silently or out loud. I'm here with you. I know it is sometimes troubling to be a human being, to be who we are, but it's okay. It's okay. I'm here with you, my love. I'm here with you, please feel free to use an alternative. This may feel strange or different, but see what it's like to invite a caring inner voice

to speak. Try it for yourself. It's okay, my love. I'm here with you. It's okay, dear. We We are cultivating a friendly attitude even in the midst of difficulty and stress and creating an inner field of compassion in which the pain or fear or confusion can be known. See if it's possible to be a good friend to yourself today in words and action and also in thoughts and attitude.

You can open your eyes if they've been closed. Be well. Thank you, Pascal. If you can find more meditations like this one over on the Happier app, just download the app wherever you get your apps to get started. If you like 10% Happier, I hope you do, you can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

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