Choose Your Own Self-Compassion Practice Adventure

Photo by Le Minh Phuong on Unsplash

Maybe I’m showing my age, but when I was a littlun, one of the most fun ways to read a book was to pour through a “choose your own adventure” volume where I could jump from page to page depending on choices I made at points in the storyline. It was the early version of what is now the ubiquitous online gaming adventure where you choose every tool, direction, and action on your journey. So, it inspired me to offer a “choose your own self-compassion practice adventure” post for you. Depending on how you are feeling and what your needs are, here is your choice of practices for today. All meditations are offered by Kristy Arbon.

Choose your adventure from these links, or scroll down to see the full list:

Are you feeling Angry? Anxious? Content? Disrespected? Overwhelmed? Sad? Self-Criticism? Ungrounded? Unwell?

Do you need to: 

• Calm down a survival response (fight/flight/freeze/appease/dissociate)?
• Care for yourself as the caregiver?
• Draw on inner wisdom?
• Get in touch with your body?
• Take a break at work?
• Tend to a difficult emotion?
• Wind down to sleep?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Are you feeling:

Angry

• Breathing Compassion for a Part of Me (14 minutes)
• Breathing Courage Compassion Wisdom (18 minutes)
• Breathing In for Ourselves and Out to Release Legacy Burdens (16 minutes)
• Compassionate Breath (6 minutes)
• Drawing Awareness Inward (6 minutes)
• Head Heart Belly (15 minutes)
• Recognizing the Importance of the Breath (6 minutes)
• Releasing Tension in the Muscles (6 minutes)
• Soften Soothe Allow (15 minutes)
• Wisdom and Compassion of Your No (21 minutes)
• Word Meditation (16 minutes)

Anxious

• Affectionate Breathing (15 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Body (11 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Breathing Body (5 minutes)
• Auditioning Options in the Body (16 minutes)
• Awareness of Movement In and Around the Body (21 minutes)
• BodyMind Meditation (20 minutes)
• Breathing Compassion for a Part of Me (14 minutes)
• Breathing Courage Compassion Wisdom (18 minutes)
• Breath Rising and Falling (17 minutes)
• Compassionate Awareness of Breath, Body, Tension and Wandering Mind (23 minutes)
• Compassionate Breath (6 minutes)
• Deep Ocean Breathing (18 minutes)
• Drawing Awareness Inward (6 minutes)
• Following the Breath in the Body (6 minutes)
• Head Heart Belly (15 minutes)
• Internal Body Meditation (5 minutes)
• Kind Curious Awareness of Body Sensations (17 minutes)
• Lovingkindness With Self-Compassion (19 minutes)
• Nourishing Your Body Through the Breath (21 minutes)
• Recognizing the Importance of the Breath (6 minutes)
• Releasing Tension in the Body (8 minutes)
• Releasing Tension in the Muscles (6 minutes)
• Releasing Thought Clouds (20 minutes)
• Sense of Touch Meditation (5 minutes)
• Slow Soothing Outbreath (15 minutes)
• Soften Soothe Allow (15 minutes)
• Stillness With the Body (7 minutes)
• Wisdom and Compassionate Presence of Breath (24 minutes)
• Word Meditation (16 minutes)

Content

• Affectionate Breathing (15 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Body (11 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Breathing Body (5 minutes)
• Auditioning Options in the Body (16 minutes)
• Awareness of Movement In and Around the Body (21 minutes)
• BodyMind Meditation (20 minutes)
• Breathing Courage Compassion Wisdom (18 minutes)
• Breath Rising and Falling (17 minutes)
• Compassionate Awareness of Breath, Body, Tension and Wandering Mind (23 minutes)
• Compassionate Body Scan (51 minutes)
• Compassionate Breath (6 minutes)
• Compassionate Friend (14 minutes)
• Deep Ocean Breathing (18 minutes)
• Drawing Awareness Inward (6 minutes)
• Following the Breath in the Body (6 minutes)
• Gratitude for Body, Food and Teachers (7 minutes)
• Head Heart Belly (15 minutes)
• Internal Body Meditation (5 minutes)
• Kind Curious Awareness of Body Sensations (17 minutes)
• Learning Mindfulness from the Body (19 minutes)
• Lovingkindness for a Loved one (18 minutes)
• Lovingkindness for Others and Our Parts (23 minutes)
• Lovingkindness With Self-Compassion (19 minutes)
• Meditation on Waves of Change (21 minutes)
• Mindful Walking (18 minutes)
• Moving Towards Our Heart (25 minutes)
• Nourishing Your Body Through the Breath (21 minutes)
• Pause for Transition Breath Meditation with Kindness (21 minutes)
• Recognizing the Importance of the Breath (6 minutes)
• Releasing Tension in the Body (8 minutes)
• Releasing Tension in the Muscles (6 minutes)
• Releasing Thought Clouds (20 minutes)
• Sense of Touch Meditation (5 minutes)
• Slow Soothing Outbreath (15 minutes)
• Sound Meditation (5 minutes)
• Stillness With the Body (7 minutes)
• Tree Transition Meditation (17 minutes)
• Wisdom and Compassionate Presence of Breath (24 minutes)
• Word Meditation (16 minutes)

Disrespected

• Breathing Compassion for a Part of Me (14 minutes)
• Breathing Courage Compassion Wisdom (18 minutes)
• Breathing In for Ourselves and Out to Release Legacy Burdens (16 minutes)
• Head Heart Belly (15 minutes)
• Lovingkindness for a Loved one (18 minutes)
• Lovingkindness With Self-Compassion (19 minutes)
• Nourishing Your Body Through the Breath (21 minutes)
• Releasing Tension in the Muscles (6 minutes)
• Slow Soothing Outbreath (15 minutes)
• Soften Soothe Allow (15 minutes)
• Wisdom and Compassion of Your No (21 minutes)
• Wisdom and Compassionate Presence of Breath (24 minutes)
• Word Meditation (16 minutes)

Overwhelmed

• Affectionate Breathing (15 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Body (11 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Breathing Body (5 minutes)
• Auditioning Options in the Body (16 minutes)
• BodyMind Meditation (20 minutes)
• Breathing Compassion for a Part of Me (14 minutes)
• Compassionate Awareness of Breath, Body, Tension and Wandering Mind (23 minutes)
• Compassionate Breath (6 minutes)
• Compassionate Friend (14 minutes)
• Deep Ocean Breathing (18 minutes)
• Drawing Awareness Inward (6 minutes)
• Following the Breath in the Body (6 minutes)
• Internal Body Meditation (5 minutes)
• Kind Curious Awareness of Body Sensations (17 minutes)
• Lovingkindness With Self-Compassion (19 minutes)
• Meditation on Waves of Change (21 minutes)
• Mindful Walking (18 minutes)
• Nourishing Your Body Through the Breath (21 minutes)
• Recognizing the Importance of the Breath (6 minutes)
• Releasing Thought Clouds (20 minutes)
• Sense of Touch Meditation (5 minutes)
• Slow Soothing Outbreath (15 minutes)
• Soften Soothe Allow (15 minutes)
• Stillness With the Body (7 minutes)
• Wisdom and Compassionate Presence of Breath (24 minutes)
• Word Meditation (16 minutes)

Sad

• Affectionate Breathing (15 minutes)
• Breathing Compassion for a Part of Me (14 minutes)
• Breathing Courage Compassion Wisdom (18 minutes)
• Breath Rising and Falling (17 minutes)
• Compassionate Awareness of Breath, Body, Tension and Wandering Mind (23 minutes)
• Compassionate Breath (6 minutes)
• Compassionate Friend (14 minutes)
• Drawing Awareness Inward (6 minutes)
• Head Heart Belly (15 minutes)
• Kind Curious Awareness of Body Sensations (17 minutes)
• Lovingkindness for a Loved one (18 minutes)
• Lovingkindness With Self-Compassion (19 minutes)
• Meditation on Waves of Change (21 minutes)
• Nourishing Your Body Through the Breath (21 minutes)
• Soften Soothe Allow (15 minutes)
• Wisdom and Compassionate Presence of Breath (24 minutes)
• Word Meditation (16 minutes)

Self-Criticizm

• Tending to the Inner Critic, Hearing the Inner Wise Compassionate Part of Us (17 minutes)

Ungrounded

• Affectionate Breathing (15 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Body (11 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Breathing Body (5 minutes)
• BodyMind Meditation (20 minutes)
• Breathing Courage Compassion Wisdom (18 minutes)
• Breath Rising and Falling (17 minutes)
• Compassionate Awareness of Breath, Body, Tension and Wandering Mind (23 minutes)
• Compassionate Body Scan (51 minutes)
• Compassionate Breath (6 minutes)
• Deep Ocean Breathing (18 minutes)
• Drawing Awareness Inward (6 minutes)
• Following the Breath in the Body (6 minutes)
• Internal Body Meditation (5 minutes)
• Kind Curious Awareness of Body Sensations (17 minutes)
• Learning Mindfulness from the Body (19 minutes)
• Lovingkindness for a Loved one (18 minutes)
• Lovingkindness With Self-Compassion (19 minutes)
• Meditation on Waves of Change (21 minutes)
• Mindful Walking (18 minutes)
• Moving Towards Our Heart (25 minutes)
• Nourishing Your Body Through the Breath (21 minutes)
• Pause for Transition Breath Meditation with Kindness (21 minutes)
• Recognizing the Importance of the Breath (6 minutes)
• Sense of Touch Meditation (5 minutes)
• Slow Soothing Outbreath (15 minutes)
• Sound Meditation (5 minutes)
• Wisdom and Compassionate Presence of Breath (24 minutes)
• Word Meditation (16 minutes)

Unwell

• Affectionate Breathing (15 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Body (11 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Breathing Body (5 minutes)
• BodyMind Meditation (20 minutes)
• Breathing Courage Compassion Wisdom (18 minutes)
• Breath Rising and Falling (17 minutes)
• Compassionate Awareness of Breath, Body, Tension and Wandering Mind (23 minutes)
• Compassionate Body Scan (51 minutes)
• Compassionate Breath (6 minutes)
• Internal Body Meditation (5 minutes)
• Kind Curious Awareness of Body Sensations (17 minutes)
• Learning Mindfulness from the Body (19 minutes)
• Lovingkindness for a Loved one (18 minutes)
• Lovingkindness With Self-Compassion (19 minutes)
• Mindful Walking (18 minutes)
• Nourishing Your Body Through the Breath (21 minutes)
• Pause for Transition Breath Meditation with Kindness (21 minutes)
• Recognizing the Importance of the Breath (6 minutes)
• Sense of Touch Meditation (5 minutes)
• Slow Soothing Outbreath (15 minutes)
• Sound Meditation (5 minutes)
• Wisdom and Compassionate Presence of Breath (24 minutes)
• Word Meditation (16 minutes)

Do you need to:

Calm down a survival response (fight/flight/freeze/appease/dissociate)

• Affectionate Breathing (15 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Body (11 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Breathing Body (5 minutes)
• Breathing Courage Compassion Wisdom (18 minutes)
• Breath Rising and Falling (17 minutes)
• Compassionate Awareness of Breath, Body, Tension and Wandering Mind (23 minutes)
• Compassionate Breath (6 minutes)
• Following the Breath in the Body (6 minutes)
• Internal Body Meditation (5 minutes)
• Kind Curious Awareness of Body Sensations (17 minutes)
• Meditation on Waves of Change (21 minutes)
• Mindful Walking (18 minutes)
• Nourishing Your Body Through the Breath (21 minutes)
• Pause for Transition Breath Meditation with Kindness (21 minutes)
• Recognizing the Importance of the Breath (6 minutes)
• Sense of Touch Meditation (5 minutes)
• Slow Soothing Outbreath (15 minutes)
• Sound Meditation (5 minutes)
• Word Meditation (16 minutes)

Care for yourself as the caregiver

• Affectionate Breathing (15 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Breathing Body (5 minutes)
• Breathing Compassion for a Part of Me (14 minutes)
• Breathing Courage Compassion Wisdom (18 minutes)
• Compassionate Body Scan (51 minutes)
• Compassionate Breath (6 minutes)
• Compassion with Equanimity (11 minutes)
• Giving and Receiving Compassion (16 minutes)
• Lovingkindness With Self-Compassion (19 minutes)
• Recognizing the Importance of the Breath (6 minutes)
• Releasing Tension in the Body (8 minutes)
• Releasing Tension in the Muscles (6 minutes)
• Slow Soothing Outbreath (15 minutes)
• Soften Soothe Allow (15 minutes)
• Wisdom and Compassion of Your No (21 minutes)

Draw on inner wisdom

• Auditioning Options in the Body (16 minutes)
• BodyMind Meditation (20 minutes)
• Breathing Compassion for a Part of Me (14 minutes)
• Breathing Courage Compassion Wisdom (18 minutes)
• Compassionate Friend (14 minutes)
• Gratitude for Body, Food and Teachers (7 minutes)
• Head Heart Belly (15 minutes)
• Learning Mindfulness from the Body (19 minutes)
• Meditation on Waves of Change (21 minutes)
• Moving Towards Our Heart (25 minutes)
• Tree Transition Meditation (17 minutes)
• Wisdom and Compassion of Your No (21 minutes)
• Wisdom and Compassionate Presence of Breath (24 minutes)
• Word Meditation (16 minutes)

Get in touch with your body

• Affectionate Breathing (15 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Body (11 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Breathing Body (5 minutes)
• Awareness of Movement In and Around the Body (21 minutes)
• BodyMind Meditation (20 minutes)
• Breathing Courage Compassion Wisdom (18 minutes)
• Breath Rising and Falling (17 minutes)
• Compassionate Awareness of Breath, Body, Tension and Wandering Mind (23 minutes)
• Compassionate Body Scan (51 minutes)
• Compassionate Breath (6 minutes)
• Drawing Awareness Inward (6 minutes)
• Following the Breath in the Body (6 minutes)
• Gratitude for Body, Food and Teachers (7 minutes)
• Head Heart Belly (15 minutes)
• Internal Body Meditation (5 minutes)
• Kind Curious Awareness of Body Sensations (17 minutes)
• Mindful Walking (18 minutes)
• Moving Towards Our Heart (25 minutes)
• Nourishing Your Body Through the Breath (21 minutes)
• Recognizing the Importance of the Breath (6 minutes)
• Releasing Tension in the Body (8 minutes)
• Releasing Tension in the Muscles (6 minutes)
• Sense of Touch Meditation (5 minutes)
• Soften Soothe Allow (15 minutes)
• Stillness With the Body (7 minutes)

Take a break at work

• Arriving at Your Breathing Body (5 minutes)
• Attention Restoration Meditations (as short at 1 minute)
• Breath Rising and Falling (17 minutes)
• Compassionate Breath (6 minutes)
• Drawing Awareness Inward (6 minutes)
• Following the Breath in the Body (6 minutes)
• Gratitude for Body, Food and Teachers (7 minutes)
• Internal Body Meditation (5 minutes)
• Pause for Transition Breath Meditation with Kindness (21 minutes)
• Recognizing the Importance of the Breath (6 minutes)
• Releasing Tension in the Body (8 minutes)
• Releasing Tension in the Muscles (6 minutes)
• Releasing Thought Clouds (20 minutes)
• Sense of Touch Meditation (5 minutes)
• Slow Soothing Outbreath (15 minutes)
• Sound Meditation (5 minutes)
• Stillness With the Body (7 minutes)

Tend to a difficult emotion

• Breathing Compassion for a Part of Me (14 minutes)
• Breathing Courage Compassion Wisdom (18 minutes)
• Slow Soothing Outbreath (15 minutes)
• Soften Soothe Allow (15 minutes)

Wind down to sleep

• Affectionate Breathing (15 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Body (11 minutes)
• Arriving at Your Breathing Body (5 minutes)
• Breath Rising and Falling (17 minutes)
• Compassionate Awareness of Breath, Body, Tension and Wandering Mind (23 minutes)
• Compassionate Body Scan (51 minutes)
• Compassionate Breath (6 minutes)
• Deep Ocean Breathing (18 minutes)
• Drawing Awareness Inward (6 minutes)
• Internal Body Meditation (5 minutes)
• Kind Curious Awareness of Body Sensations (17 minutes)
• Lovingkindness With Self-Compassion (19 minutes)
• Mindful Walking (18 minutes)
• Nourishing Your Body Through the Breath (21 minutes)
• Pause for Transition Breath Meditation with Kindness (21 minutes)
• Recognizing the Importance of the Breath (6 minutes)
• Sense of Touch Meditation (5 minutes)
• Slow Soothing Outbreath (15 minutes)
• Sound Meditation (5 minutes)
• Wisdom and Compassionate Presence of Breath (24 minutes)
• Word Meditation (16 minutes)