Give Yourself Some Grace

Hi, Sam here. I'm so happy and grateful to be sharing this affirmation practice with you today, especially because it centers around a word that truly resonates with me, the word grace. When we give ourselves grace, we connect with our good intentions, with the care and love behind our actions and words, even when they miss the mark. Giving ourselves and others grace involves looking for the good and forgiving ourselves in all our imperfections. Being more graceful takes practice, and it's definitely not a state we can expect ourselves to embody all the time. But when we come back to it as an intention throughout the day, we can touch back in and access it in the moment, applying it to the task at hand. Let's find a comfortable seated or lying down position and just take a couple of slow, deep breaths. As you breathe in, just feeling your lungs and belly expand. And as you breathe out, feeling the chest and the belly relax back down. And one more slow deep breath. Breathing in, expanding. And breathing out even slower, feeling the belly relaxing. (gentle meditative music) And just take a moment to feel the support of the surface you're on. Notice any sense in the air as you allow your breath to find its own natural easy rhythm. (gentle meditative music) And now see if you can bring to mind a challenging moment you've had with your child lately. Maybe you remember what happened and how you felt. Maybe you can recall what it was like before, during, and after this event took place. (gentle meditative music) And just take a slower breath as you send some compassion to yourself in that moment. And as you breathe out, send compassion to your child. Breathing in compassion for me. Breathing out compassion for you. Just continue like this for a few breaths, perhaps even imagining what compassion could look like. Imagining it as a gentle breeze, maybe a blue or pink warm glowing light. (gentle meditative music) Recognizing this as a moment of kindness, a moment of grace. And now let's offer ourselves some affirmations. I'll repeat them three times and you can repeat them silently to yourself. May I choose a compassionate response in difficult moments. I can send compassion to myself and my child when things get difficult. (gentle meditative music) May I trust that I can choose compassion when I need it most. Taking a slow, deep breath. (gentle meditative music) May I treat myself with grace. I greet my thoughts, feelings, and body with generosity and kindness. (gentle meditative music) May I be kind to my mind, my body, and my emotions. Taking another slow, deep breath, just allowing those to land. (gentle meditative music) May I show kindness and generosity to myself and others. May I choose a kind response. I have kindness within me, even when it feels hard to access. (gentle meditative music) And just taking a slow, deep...