Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Morning Meditation - Compassion

Episode Date: July 19, 2022

This morning, foster compassion for others and yourself with a heartwarming visualization. Enjoying Wake Me Up? Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content by joining the WMU Premium Feed. Sign up and start your 7-day free trial at https://wakemeup.supercast.com/. Follow the show on Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Podchaser Say hi or request an episode at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/contact. See visual guides for the yoga and stretches in WMU episodes at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/stretches. And find the podcast on Instagram and TikTok. **Only partake in the physical movements suggested in Wake Me Up episodes if you are physically able and in safe surroundings. All movements are done at the individual's own risk. Be safe, and always consult a doctor if you have any questions or concerns.** Have a wonderful day 😃 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you'd like to enjoy Wake Me Up completely ad-free and get access to exclusive bonus content, check out the link in the show notes for the Wake Me Up premium feed. Hello, friends, and welcome to Wake Me Up. I'm Tyler, your host as always. We're back today for a meditation on this week's theme of compassion. If you're still in bed, then I'd recommend starting with yesterday's Wake Up and Stretch episode, which will get you up and going, and then you can come back here to meditate if you'd like.

Compassion starts with open-mindedness, appreciating the fact that we all have our own struggles, our own challenges, and our own goals. Nobody's are inherently right or wrong. We all started from a different point, and we're all headed in our own direction. And by understanding that, our compassion grows. We're able to celebrate each other.

other's winds and support one another through struggles. Today's meditation is designed to encourage compassion for others by using visualization to deepen our understanding of other people. So find a comfortable seat and let's get started. So you want to be sitting upright, but try not to hold on to any tension. If you are feeling some tension in your body, just give it a quick wiggle. See if that doesn't help loosen it up. Take a big inhale, filling as deep as you can into your belly.

And on your exhale, just close your eyes. Take a second just to get settled. Let your shoulders drop down, unclench your jaw, and soften your face. Follow the natural rise and fall of your own breath. And as you do, you'll draw deeper and deeper within. All right. now that you're all settled in. Bring to mind the image of someone you know well.

A good friend, a family member. It can be anyone. As long as it's someone you feel you have a good connection with. See them in your mind. And remember a highlight from their life, something that they were excited about. Perhaps that you even celebrated with them. See the joy on their face.

and then zoom out on this particular moment. See it for what it is. A single spot on the timeline of an entire life. As you see their life on a grander scale, notice how this moment plays into the broad strokes of their life. What can it tell you about who they are? What they value, the choices they make. and the struggles they may have been through.

All right, you can let that image go, reset for just a second, and keeping in mind that same person, remember something different from their life, an issue that they faced, a challenge, something that they may have been struggling with. Try to visualize them in that time and see what they were going through. And then again, zoom out on this particular moment.

See it for what it is, a single spot on the timeline of an entire life. And as you see their life in this way, on a grander scale, notice how this moment plays into the broad strokes of their life. What can it tell you about who they are, what they value, and the choices they make? Perhaps you can appreciate from this broader view that each moment in this person's life is a result of the moments leading up to it, that they are simply a human being, doing the best they can with what they've got. Take a moment and direct that feeling of understanding and compassion towards that person.

And then recognize that this same line of thinking applies to you. You are simply a human being doing the best you can with what you've got. So apply that feeling of understanding and compassion towards yourself. And finally, recognize also that this line of thinking applies to everyone else in the world. We are all just human beings doing the best we can with what we've got. So direct that feeling of compassion and understanding to everyone in the world at large. All right, now you can let all of that go and just allow your mind to wander freely for a moment, whatever it wants to think about, and wherever it wants to go.

It's time to wrap up our meditation now. So begin to bring yourself back. Notice any sounds going on in the room. notice the air on your skin and notice whatever's supporting you, be it the chair or the floor, take a deep breath in and on your exhale, slowly open your eyes and just gather yourself. All right, so I hope you enjoyed that meditation

and that it helped to open your mind and your heart to the choices, opinions, problems, and successes of others. Try to turn that. feeling of compassion everywhere, to yourself and to strangers. We don't always know what people are going through. Every action is in some way tied to seeking pleasure or avoiding pain. And oftentimes, there are multiple layers of pleasure and pain wrapped into a single action. So when dealing with other people, try to keep this in mind.

Instead of trying to blame or judge, try to try to. to be open and receptive and see how you can help. We all want to be treated with compassion, and to receive it, we must be first willing to give it. Certainly, don't forget to give yourself that same degree of compassion. Above all, you deserve to receive it from yourself. Well, that's all for this episode. I hope you enjoyed it.

I'll talk to you tomorrow for our motivation on this week's theme of compassion, and until Until then, take care of yourself and have a fantastic day.