Welcome to Saviocycologist Meditations. I'm your guide, Dr. Monica Johnson. Our meditation

for today will focus on the inner critic. Most of us have this voice inside of us. The

judgmental voice that always tells us that who we are and what we did isn't good enough.

The pull to be perfect can tear us apart. We can get into a cycle we are either crushed by our

inner critic or in a dramatic battle with it on a daily basis. Through meditation our hope is to

release self-judgment and move our attention away from perfectionism. For this practice I'd like for

you to get in a comfortable position. For most people this is easiest lying down or sitting.

While you're getting ready we will take a short ad break so we can experience the rest of

this meditation free of distractions. Now that you're in a comfortable position let's bring our

attention and awareness to the breath. Notice the physical sensation of breathing in and then

breathing out. You may notice that the air is cooler on the way in than it is on the way out.

Your attention might wander and that's okay. Simply bring your attention back to the sensation of

your breath moving in and out. For many of us this has already triggered criticism within us.

You may immediately start thinking I'm already messing this up or I should be practicing this

more often or whatever judgments are natural for you to make. If nothing has come to mind related

to judgment that's wonderful. Either way for now I simply want you to focus on your

inhales and exhales.

Now I want you to reflect on a time when your inner critic was activated.

A moment when you felt judged you may start to notice that that judgment is more than a thought.

You may notice that it starts to affect your emotional state.

Make note of what emotions come to the surface. Don't judge them. Simply label them as they

arise within you. You may also note that you feel the criticism in your body.

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