First of all, create an image, go to a memory, a phase in your life, or a moment in your life where you were at your best, where things were flowing and flowing beautifully with yourself, with the children around you, and really take time just to sit for a moment now and visualize an image, a phase in life, a particular moment when things were flowing beautifully. And now, let's begin this little four-step journey. Firstly, just experience the relaxation of that image, of knowing that things can go so well.
Experience the relaxation of that in your body, just shoulders relaxed, hands, feet relaxed, all across, neck muscles, just really experience the relaxation of that. Holding that image, we'll go one step deeper now into the life forces, or etheric, or Qi, and holding that image, that visualization of you at your best. Now, let's go that little deeper step into how your vitality feels, how there's this sense of, of, I have the forces to meet what is being asked of me.
I feel fine, I feel in flow within myself, I'm energetically, I'm in flow, there's no feeling of being overwhelmed. It's best encapsulated by a feeling of, I have the forces to meet these needs. The next step is to take one more kind of deeper move into our inner being, and that's the, that's that feeling of being in flow in terms of our emotional equilibrium, that we feel that, there's this time when we were happy, perhaps buoyant, quiet, feeling that sense of emotional flow with the children around us, feeling that there wasn't any sort of restrictions, constrictions, that things were moving between us and the children, that there was just this simple emotional balance and equilibrium that was present at that time.
The next step is into this core of our being, into the transcendent ego, the sense of self, where we felt that we were in the right place at the right time, that, that we felt in sync with the kids around us, that, that things were, that things were not only flowing and flowing well, but that we felt centered and strong, confident, competent, and that what was coming towards me and all that comes towards me in this, in this picture that we're carrying, I have, I have the inner confidence and competence to meet. Just take a moment with this beautiful, archetypal, golden picture. And now let's begin to take the other image, another time, another time in our lives when things weren't going so well with the children, when things were restricted, constricted, constricted, when there was a feeling of cramp.
And just notice how that is when you, when you bring up that visualization, a time in your life, maybe a particular situation, when things just were out of sync, they just were not going well at all. And now let's go to the feeling within our, or the experience within our bodies, where often when you've got that sort of picture of things not going well at all, it's, it's a feeling of tightness. Just notice, notice that feeling.
It could be tightness across your chest, across your shoulders, hands, legs. Often there can be a tightness around the eyes or mouth. And now one step deeper into this, into this picture of oneself in, in almost like a, like a fever where there's a feeling of overwhelm in terms of our etheric forces or chi or vitality, a feeling of, I don't have the forces to meet what I'm being asked of here.
I'm feeling overwhelmed. I'm feeling depleted. And now one step deeper into the emotional self, the astral body or emotional being, often a feeling of, of sullenness, frustration.
It might be a feeling of even anger, or perhaps a feeling of, of, I just can't cope with this and I'm frustrated with it. And one step deeper now into that core of our sense of self and often a feeling of being out of sync, out of time, off center, constriction. And now take that picture, that picture of, of our fevered self and put it right alongside the picture of our flowing self.
So there's, there's ourselves in flow and there's ourselves in fever and both are, both are just as valid, both are just as real. And look from one to the other, from one to the other. And now bring back this picture of, of yourself at your best when you were in flow, feeling confident, competent, when you were buoyant, had the forces to meet all that was being asked of you.
And begin to just hold that close, hold it close to your, to your heart with your sort of heart's arms, so to speak, and your heart's hands and begin to just reach out with that, breathe that out, reach that out so that it's, that it's, it's given more space, celebrate it, let it grow, let it glow, let it be larger around you, let it really fill the space around you and really celebrate this, just quietly celebrate this feeling of confidence. I can do this. I'm so glad that I am in this space with these children.
And now with your heart's arms extended, reach out to that fevered self. And just as you would a fevered child, draw that towards you, draw it closer and closer into this vast sea of compassion that we all have within us. And just as we would a fevered child, let's take our own fevered, cramped self and just let it be a drop on this vast sea of compassion that we all have within ourselves.
And this feeling of self forgiveness, that I forgive me, I forgive me all my fallibilities, all the things I don't do so well. I forgive me. And then come back to this beautiful, golden, confident, competent person.
And now, again, let that, let that grow. Let it move outwards, breathe it out. Celebrate it.
Celebrate this feeling of centeredness, of good energy, of good humor, of being very calm and confident with the children we are with on a day to day basis. Let's see it, enjoy it. There we are, us at our best.
You at your best. And one more time, reach out a little further with your heart's arms and start drawing in, breathing in that self in flow, cramp, constricted. And as you draw it closer, experience it becoming lighter and more integrated.
And let it be just this drop of self compassion, this vast sea of self compassion that we have within us. And a feeling of, I forgive me. I can get it wrong, and I can get it wrong a lot.
And I forgive me. And now lastly, release out this beautiful, strong, confident self, centered, calm, strong, loving, caring self. And let that, let that glow all around you.
Just be bathed in that and just quietly celebrate this essential part of you. And with that now, very much in place. Let's bring this practice to a close.
Knowing that next time you meet a situation where you're feeling knocked off balance, knocked off center, feeling triggered, feeling vulnerable, feeling overpowered, overwhelmed. Use this exercise. Use it to reach out to that feeling just invisibly.
No one needs to know that you're doing anything. It's very, very, very ordinary. And just reach out to it and just draw that feeling in, draw it close.
Welcome it. Say, yeah, there you are, old friend, that feeling of incompetence or that feeling of frustration or, and welcome it on in and just take, take the weight away from it. And then right, right in the moment, again, imperceptibly to any child around you, just let out that feeling and remember, I can do perfectly well.
I can be confident. I can be loving and kind. I'm, I'm up for this.
And then in that just one or two seconds, it takes recenter yourself and then back into the game, you know, then speak to the child or colleague or parent that works universally with any, with any, any person. And know that we're not going to hold the weight of our failures away from ourselves and let that burden us. We're going to draw that weight in and take the weight away from it and just know it, forgive it and integrate it.
And then remember how good we can be, how centered we can be. And then the words we speak are filled with our own voice and not the voice of our unresolved biography. So there we are a brief description of self-care using the compassionate response.
I hope that's helpful. Okay.
