From ABC, it's the 10 percent happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hey, guys, it's Friday last week, our bonus meditation with Joseph Goldstein talked about developing compassion for others and how that can be a counterintuitive way to get you out of your own head. This week, we're going to talk about developing compassion for yourself, which for many of us can be even more difficult than compassion for other people.

Our teacher today is Seven Selassie, who is one of the most popular teachers on the 10 percent happier app. She knows a thing or two about applying self compassion during difficult periods in her own life, having been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer at the age of just 34. So enough out of me. Let's toss it over now to 70. Hey there, this is Sabanci, welcome to this meditation on developing friendliness and compassion towards ourselves. Research shows that when we have self compassion, we exhibit more resilience, ruminate less and are able to learn from setbacks easier.

A friendly and compassionate attitude is imbued with these. When I'm kind to myself, it's like my whole system starts to relax. We're going to practice bringing a friendly and kind attitude to ourselves by extending compassion for stress. Let's start. Find a comfortable posture. Take a few moments to settle into your body. Perhaps connecting with the breath as a way to gather your attention. Feel the air coming in and out. Breathing in. Breathing out. Can you rest awareness on the body?

Feeling sensations. Going inwards. Just notice how you feel in this moment. You can ask yourself what's happening right now. How does the body feel? What do you notice in the mind? With your emotions. Not changing or trying to fix anything. Just notice without judgment. In a moment, I'm going to invite you to say some phrases to yourself. Just remember, for the next few minutes, you'll be training your capacity for self compassion. And let's begin that training by considering a major stress in your life right now.

Allow yourself to feel it by connecting to it in the body. Notice where it is and how it feels. Now, offer yourself these three simple phrases. This is stress. Stress is a part of life. May I find, ese? Stay connected to the sensation in the body. Continuing to bring awareness. Repeating these phrases silently to yourself. This is stress. Stress is a part of life. May I find, ese? You want to feel better, we all do.

Even in the midst of your stress, you've chosen to engage with this meditation. Can you appreciate that about yourself? You can end this meditation by expressing gratitude for your efforts. Great job with this meditation. You can open your eyes now and reconnect with your surroundings. Thank you for your practice and may you have, ese. Thank you, Seb, before I go, just a pitch here for a quick and meaningful gift, you can send a gift subscription to the 10 percent happier app to your friends and family.

Were offering gift subscriptions at a discount through the end of this month. No shipping required. Your gift will be delivered directly to your inbox. You can get a gift subscription by visiting 10 percent dotcom gift. That's 10 percent one word all spelled out dotcoms. A gift that does it for today. We'll see you here on Monday with a fresh episode.