Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris - Radical Disarmament For Your Inner Critic | Bonus Meditation with La Sarmiento

Episode Date: August 11, 2024

Our inner critics are sticky and painful. Practice radical kindness and self-compassion to reprogram harmful self-talk habits.About La Sarmiento:La Sarmiento (they/them) is a mentor for the MIndfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) and a teacher with Banyan. They have taught meditation retreats for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Teens, and Young Adults, and everyone in-between around the United States since 2010 and are a 2012 graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader Training. To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “When Your Inner Critic Is Unrelenting.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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podcasts. This is the 10% Happier Podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hello everybody. It's Friday, time for a bonus meditation. Today we're going to take on your inner critic, the inner obnoxious narrator that we all have who seems to never let us off the hook. Our teacher du jour is La Sarmiento, who's got a great short practice to gently put some duct tape over the mouth of your inner critic. A little bit more about LAW, they are a mentor for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program and a teacher with Banyan.

LAW is also a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader Training and a regular over on the 10% Happier app. Here we go now with LAW Sarmiento. Hi, this is La. One thing we human beings do really well is to be hard on ourselves. How often does our inner critic berate our appearance, our abilities, or our choices without us even asking for input?

The kicker is that we tend to believe just about everything the inner critic says, and these stories of guilt or shame may become a habitual response to stress. This meditation will explore how to listen to our inner critic with compassion and understanding, so we can begin to balance it out. Let's begin. Find a posture that your body would most appreciate right now. Allow your eyes to close or soften your gaze.

Remember this saying, be curious, not judgmental. Being aware with kindness and without judgment is crucial in transforming our relationship with the inner critic, and it takes practice. Let's pay closer attention to what happens when the inner critic dominates our minds. What are the go-to stories your inner critic tells you? It may be a story like, you're not enough, not smart or successful enough. You're too much, too needy, always seeking attention.

Or you don't belong, too different or unacceptable. Repeat them to yourself a few times. Can you notice without judgment what sensations, emotions, or images arise when you're believing this story? When we take time to really listen to our inner critic, it can feel hard and painful. Let's notice what it's like to offer yourself some phrases of kindness. Repeat the following phrases to yourself, silently or out loud, whatever feels best. And notice how it feels. May I be kind I'm doing my best. If you find it hard to offer them to yourself, imagine receiving these phrases from someone

who deeply loves and cares for you. Bring them to mind as they say these phrases. May you be kind and gentle with yourself. May you trust that you're doing your best. May you trust that you're doing your best. May you find patience with yourself. If it feels totally easy, unfamiliar, or even very awkward, it's all welcome. is totally okay. These stories of the inner critic have created deep grooves in our minds. And it takes practice to create new ways of being with ourselves, with compassion, rather than judgment or blame.

Gently open your eyes if they've been closed. Take a moment to notice the space you're in, perhaps taking a comfortable stretch. Thank you for your efforts in cultivating radical kindness. Take care. Thank you, Tula. You can find more meditations like this one over on the 10% Happier app. Just download the app wherever you get your apps to get started. If you like 10% Happier, and I hope you do, you can listen early and ad free right now

by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at Wondery.com slash survey.