Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris - How To Have Your Own Back | Bonus Meditation with Matthew Hepburn

Episode Date: February 16, 2025

You don’t have to feel fabulous self-love to strengthen goodwill towards yourself. Let simple phrases guide you into this potent practice.About Matthew Hepburn:Matthew is a meditation and dharma teacher with more than a decade of teaching experience and a passion for getting real about what it means to live well. He emphasizes humor, technique, and authentic kindness as a means to free the mind up from unnecessary struggle and leave a healthier impact on the world. Beyond Happier, Matthew has taught in prisons, schools, corporate events and continues to teach across North America in buddhist centers offering intensive silent retreats and dharma for urban daily life. To find this meditation in the Happier Meditation app, you can search for “Have Your Own Back, Gradually.”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, time for a bonus meditation. If you've been around here for any length of time, you've heard me talk about self-compassion or the idea of having your own back or stopping the ancient habit of kicking your own ass. This was something I was initially resistant to try, but I can tell you it's made a huge difference for me. And our meditation teacher du jour, Matthew Hepburn,

is gonna guide you through a simple self-compassion practice right now. Just a little bit more about Matthew before we get started. He's a meditation and Dharma teacher with more than a decade of teaching experience. He's part of the team at the Happier Meditation app. Here we go now with Matthew Hepburn. Hey, it's Matthew.

The most important thing to know about strengthening goodwill towards yourself is that it's not dependent on being free from complex feelings. I can't promise you'll always feel good when you do this meditation. One thing I can promise, if you're willing to stick with this, it will change your default attitude towards yourself. Let's try it out.

The first thing to do is settle into the body right where you are now. You might take a deeper breath in, let it out with an easy sigh, maybe a smile. In this practice, we need to begin by turning our attention toward a sense of ourselves. Recognize how you feel about this being in this moment right now. If it's warm, if it's a little judgmental, disappointed, unsure, just notice what you're working with.

No matter how you feel about this being in this moment, you do wish the best for yourself. You do want this being to at least be safe, at least be well. this being to at least be safe, at least be well. Bring to mind a sense of yourself that helps you recognize that you too deserve goodwill. You might bring an image to mind of yourself as a child, or helping someone out or doing something that you love. or doing something that you love. Speaking to yourself, you can start with the phrases, may you be safe. May you be happy.

May you live with ease. You can adapt these to make them fit and feel natural. I like to simply say safe, happy, live with ease. Try it on your own now for a few moments. The mind can respond in a million different ways, but notice how your body feels. holding which can let go, soften, or release. Now returning to the phrases. Find the speed and rhythm for the phrases that keeps you most mindful. May you be safe, happy, live with ease. Sometimes it's hard for us to receive goodwill. So don't expect it has to go perfectly, but

make a commitment to offer yourself goodwill on a regular basis. You don't have to drop everything in your life and do a formal meditation to wish yourself well. Washing your hands, may I be safe? Putting your phone back in your pocket. May I be safe? Putting your phone back in your pocket. May I be happy? Putting your shoes on. May I live with ease?

Like that. All right. Thanks for doing this with me. See you next time. Thank you, Matthew. time. If you like 10% happier, and I hope you do, you can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at Wondry.com slash survey.