and i said to my body.  softly i want to be your friend.  it took a long breath. and replied i have been waiting my whole life for this.
Nayyirah Waheed

Don’t meditate to fix yourself, to improve yourself, to redeem yourself; rather, do it as an act of love, of deep warm friendship to yourself.  In this way there is no longer any need for the subtle aggression of self-improvement, for the endless guilt of not doing enough. It offers the possibility of an end to the ceaseless round of trying so hard that wraps so many people’s lives in a knot.  Instead, there is now a meditation as an act of love. How endlessly delightful and encouraging.
Bob Sharples