Giving kindness to your mind and thoughts script 1

We all have negative thoughts. They are a part of our daily lives, and we often get caught up in them.

If you are struggling with negativity, you may find yourself in the grip of a difficult emotion, feeling overwhelmed by fear or anger.

You might try to distract yourself with food, alcohol, or drugs. This may seem like a temporary solution, but it doesn’t address the core of the issue.

Mindfulness can support you in understanding the role your thoughts play in creating your experience.

In this exercise, you will offer kindness to yourself as you observe thoughts. You can also notice how they arise.

When you are ready, invite calmness and gentleness into your body. Breathe deeply and notice the physical sensations in the body.

Bring your awareness to the breath. Begin by focusing on the chest, and then the belly. Breathe out any tension or tension in the belly.

Become aware of the sensation of breathing, noticing the air moving in and out of the lungs.

Observe the sensations of the body. Are there parts of the body that feel heavy or tense?

As you become more familiar with the physical sensations of the body, bring your awareness to the mind.

Notice the thoughts that arise.

When you first begin to meditate, it may be difficult to notice the thoughts that arise. However, as you develop the ability to observe thoughts, you can learn to see their nature and content.

When you become aware of the thought, you can also notice how the mind responds to the thought.

What do you notice about the thought? Is it pleasant? Unpleasant? Neutral?

After a few minutes of working with the breath and mind, focus on the breath.

Close your eyes and invite gentleness and patience into the mind.

Notice the breath, noticing the sensations that arise with each inhale and exhale.

When you are ready, let the mind drift off to sleep. If thoughts come, don’t judge them or push them away.

You can focus on the breath or just notice the thoughts. It’s up to you.

After a few minutes, open your eyes and notice the physical sensations in your body.

Breathe deeply for a few minutes, resting your awareness on the breath.

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Giving kindness to your mind and thoughts script 2

When you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or anxious, you might automatically go to a mental place that is full of criticism and blame. This is called the critic mind. It is often difficult to access, but if we don’t find ways to calm it down, it can create suffering and cause us to spiral out of control.

In mindfulness practice, we are learning to stay in the present moment and to see thoughts, feelings, and emotions as they arise in the mind.

If you feel stuck in the critic mind, it’s likely because the emotions that arose before were not attended to in the same way you might attend to your breath.

As the mind calms down, you will discover a more natural way to relate to thoughts and emotions. You can begin to see these experiences as they are arising, rather than trying to ignore them or change them. You can also begin to see them clearly and recognize their impact.

Try to bring attention to the three parts of the mind—thinking, feeling, and sensations. Try to be aware of how the mind feels.

Notice the body sensations that arise in the body. Notice the sensations of the mind, such as thoughts, emotions, and sensations.

For example, if you notice you are having thoughts that criticize your child, notice your emotions that arise from thinking these thoughts. Notice the sensations in your body that arise from these thoughts.

It can be challenging to notice the three parts of the mind. It may be helpful to repeat the phrases “thinking, feeling, and sensation” until you can begin to hear them in your mind.

Start to notice how your thoughts and emotions move in the mind. Do they move slowly, or quickly? Are they loud, or quiet?

Take the time to notice these details. Notice the speed of these experiences.

It is normal to get caught up in thoughts and emotions. But you can begin to notice these thoughts and emotions. You can learn to distinguish what is helpful from what is unhelpful.

This is not the time to judge or push these thoughts and emotions away. Instead, let yourself stay with these experiences. You can even begin to see what you like about them, what is positive.

Take the time to notice this. It is very important to notice.

Once you have brought awareness to your thoughts and emotions, you can begin to look for opportunities to connect with kindness.

If you can notice a moment of kindness, that is wonderful. Just be with it.

Imagine someone whom you feel kindness toward.

Ask yourself, “How can I show kindness to this person in this moment?”

Let the mind come up with ideas, and then imagine that you are doing that act of kindness.

Be with your mind and body, imagining this kindness.

Try to be as kind as you can in this moment. You can imagine it is for the benefit of yourself and others.

Do you notice any changes in the mind? Any shifts in the experience?

If you notice something change, you can let go of the action and just be with that change.

The practice of mindfulness can help you be aware of the different parts of your mind. The three parts are thinking, feeling, and sensation. You can observe the thoughts and emotions that arise, and then you can also notice the sensations in the body.

You can begin to understand the role of the mind in your life. You can become aware of the patterns and habits of your mind that lead to suffering, and you can learn to be kinder to your mind.

Giving kindness to your mind and thoughts script 3

Your mind is like a wild horse that you ride.

You control the direction of the horse and keep it going in one direction or another. You also control the speed and your ability to hold it back.

When you get on the horse, you need to have confidence that you can manage the animal.

A difficult part of the process of being mindful is knowing when you’re riding your horse.

With kindness, you can begin to see the difference between the thoughts that arise and the thoughts that are yours. This is like seeing the difference between the actions of a wild horse and your own actions.

The practice of kindness is useful when you want to shift the direction of your mind.

You can help yourself recognize the thoughts that arise as they are arising by staying present and aware of the moment.

You can also recognize when you are caught up in the story of your thoughts and allow the mind to come back to the present.

When you are riding the wild horse, you have the option to give it a gentle nudge.

As thoughts arise, notice them, then let them go. Don’t react to the thoughts as soon as they occur. Simply notice that they are there and then let them pass.

Each time you do this, it’s like giving the horse a little kick with the intention to move the horse in a different direction.

In your meditation practice, you can learn to give kindness to the mind by noticing the thoughts that come into your mind and letting them pass. You can give yourself a kick when you notice a thought that isn’t yours.

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