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    Loving Kindness Meditation by Kristin Neff

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    Sean FargoPublished February 6, 2017 · Updated November 20, 2025 · 1 min read

    Printable Worksheet

    Loving-Kindness Meditation

    PDF·175 KB

    A mindful companion to this worksheet

    Turning toward yourself with kindness

    Most of us are far harder on ourselves than we would ever be on someone we love. “Loving-Kindness Meditation” is an invitation to extend, in your own direction, the same warmth you so easily offer others.

    How mindfulness can help

    Mindful self-compassion has three movements: noticing that this is a moment of suffering, remembering that suffering is part of the shared human experience, and offering yourself a gesture of care. Together, they transform self-criticism into self-friendship.

    Gentle steps to try

    1. Acknowledge the moment. Say to yourself, “This is hard right now.” Let the sentence land without rushing past it.
    2. Place a hand where it helps. On your heart, your cheek, your forearm — the simple weight of touch is a powerful signal of care.
    3. Offer kind words. Try, “May I be gentle with myself,” or speak to yourself as you would to a dear friend in the same situation.
    4. Let the moment pass. Self-compassion is not a fix; it is a way of accompanying yourself through what is difficult.

    You are allowed to be a beginner at being kind to yourself. Each moment of remembering counts, even — especially — the small ones.

    Printable Worksheet

    Loving-Kindness

    PDF·197 KB

    A mindful companion to this worksheet

    Turning toward yourself with kindness

    Most of us are far harder on ourselves than we would ever be on someone we love. “Loving-Kindness” is an invitation to extend, in your own direction, the same warmth you so easily offer others.

    How mindfulness can help

    Mindful self-compassion has three movements: noticing that this is a moment of suffering, remembering that suffering is part of the shared human experience, and offering yourself a gesture of care. Together, they transform self-criticism into self-friendship.

    Gentle steps to try

    1. Acknowledge the moment. Say to yourself, “This is hard right now.” Let the sentence land without rushing past it.
    2. Place a hand where it helps. On your heart, your cheek, your forearm — the simple weight of touch is a powerful signal of care.
    3. Offer kind words. Try, “May I be gentle with myself,” or speak to yourself as you would to a dear friend in the same situation.
    4. Let the moment pass. Self-compassion is not a fix; it is a way of accompanying yourself through what is difficult.

    You are allowed to be a beginner at being kind to yourself. Each moment of remembering counts, even — especially — the small ones.

    Printable Worksheet

    Loving Kindness – The Child that is You

    PDF·160 KB

    A mindful companion to this worksheet

    Turning toward yourself with kindness

    Most of us are far harder on ourselves than we would ever be on someone we love. “Loving Kindness – The Child that is You” is an invitation to extend, in your own direction, the same warmth you so easily offer others.

    How mindfulness can help

    Mindful self-compassion has three movements: noticing that this is a moment of suffering, remembering that suffering is part of the shared human experience, and offering yourself a gesture of care. Together, they transform self-criticism into self-friendship.

    Gentle steps to try

    1. Acknowledge the moment. Say to yourself, “This is hard right now.” Let the sentence land without rushing past it.
    2. Place a hand where it helps. On your heart, your cheek, your forearm — the simple weight of touch is a powerful signal of care.
    3. Offer kind words. Try, “May I be gentle with myself,” or speak to yourself as you would to a dear friend in the same situation.
    4. Let the moment pass. Self-compassion is not a fix; it is a way of accompanying yourself through what is difficult.

    You are allowed to be a beginner at being kind to yourself. Each moment of remembering counts, even — especially — the small ones.

    Printable Worksheet

    Loving-Kindness Affirmations

    PDF·194 KB

    A mindful companion to this worksheet

    Turning toward yourself with kindness

    Most of us are far harder on ourselves than we would ever be on someone we love. “Loving-Kindness Affirmations” is an invitation to extend, in your own direction, the same warmth you so easily offer others.

    How mindfulness can help

    Mindful self-compassion has three movements: noticing that this is a moment of suffering, remembering that suffering is part of the shared human experience, and offering yourself a gesture of care. Together, they transform self-criticism into self-friendship.

    Gentle steps to try

    1. Acknowledge the moment. Say to yourself, “This is hard right now.” Let the sentence land without rushing past it.
    2. Place a hand where it helps. On your heart, your cheek, your forearm — the simple weight of touch is a powerful signal of care.
    3. Offer kind words. Try, “May I be gentle with myself,” or speak to yourself as you would to a dear friend in the same situation.
    4. Let the moment pass. Self-compassion is not a fix; it is a way of accompanying yourself through what is difficult.

    You are allowed to be a beginner at being kind to yourself. Each moment of remembering counts, even — especially — the small ones.

    Printable Worksheet

    Loving-Kindness

    PDF·177 KB

    A mindful companion to this worksheet

    Turning toward yourself with kindness

    Most of us are far harder on ourselves than we would ever be on someone we love. “Loving-Kindness” is an invitation to extend, in your own direction, the same warmth you so easily offer others.

    How mindfulness can help

    Mindful self-compassion has three movements: noticing that this is a moment of suffering, remembering that suffering is part of the shared human experience, and offering yourself a gesture of care. Together, they transform self-criticism into self-friendship.

    Gentle steps to try

    1. Acknowledge the moment. Say to yourself, “This is hard right now.” Let the sentence land without rushing past it.
    2. Place a hand where it helps. On your heart, your cheek, your forearm — the simple weight of touch is a powerful signal of care.
    3. Offer kind words. Try, “May I be gentle with myself,” or speak to yourself as you would to a dear friend in the same situation.
    4. Let the moment pass. Self-compassion is not a fix; it is a way of accompanying yourself through what is difficult.

    You are allowed to be a beginner at being kind to yourself. Each moment of remembering counts, even — especially — the small ones.

    Printable Worksheet

    Meeting Mindfulness With Kindness

    PDF·190 KB

    A mindful companion to this worksheet

    Turning toward yourself with kindness

    Most of us are far harder on ourselves than we would ever be on someone we love. “Meeting Mindfulness With Kindness” is an invitation to extend, in your own direction, the same warmth you so easily offer others.

    How mindfulness can help

    Mindful self-compassion has three movements: noticing that this is a moment of suffering, remembering that suffering is part of the shared human experience, and offering yourself a gesture of care. Together, they transform self-criticism into self-friendship.

    Gentle steps to try

    1. Acknowledge the moment. Say to yourself, “This is hard right now.” Let the sentence land without rushing past it.
    2. Place a hand where it helps. On your heart, your cheek, your forearm — the simple weight of touch is a powerful signal of care.
    3. Offer kind words. Try, “May I be gentle with myself,” or speak to yourself as you would to a dear friend in the same situation.
    4. Let the moment pass. Self-compassion is not a fix; it is a way of accompanying yourself through what is difficult.

    You are allowed to be a beginner at being kind to yourself. Each moment of remembering counts, even — especially — the small ones.

    Printable Worksheet

    Seeing Yourself Through Loving Eyes

    PDF·182 KB

    A mindful companion to this worksheet

    A mindful approach to seeing yourself through loving eyes

    “Seeing Yourself Through Loving Eyes” is an invitation to slow down and meet your experience with curiosity, honesty, and kindness — three qualities that quietly transform everything they touch.

    How mindfulness can help

    Mindfulness offers a steady inner ground from which to engage any topic. Instead of being swept along by reaction, we learn to notice what is here — sensations, thoughts, feelings — and respond from a place of presence rather than pressure.

    Gentle steps to try

    1. Begin with the breath. Take three slow breaths before opening the worksheet. Let your body remember it is here.
    2. Read with curiosity. Move through each prompt slowly. Notice which questions soften you, and which ones tighten you.
    3. Write what is true now. There are no right answers — only honest ones. The truth at this moment is what the worksheet is asking for.
    4. Close with one breath. When you finish, pause. Place a hand on your heart and acknowledge yourself for showing up.

    Insight does not arrive on a schedule. Trust the practice of returning, the courage of honesty, and the slow unfolding of your own becoming.

    This meditation is the loving-kindness meditation by Kristin Neff. It’s meant to generate feelings of goodwill and kindness both for others and yourself.

    Did you like this loving-kindness meditation by Kristin Neff? Get more Mindfulness Exercises For Loving Kindness & Compassion here. Feel more care, loving kindness and compassion with our free mindfulness exercises, guided meditations, mindfulness worksheets and more.Kristin Neff, Ph.D. is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on self-compassion, being the first one to operationally define and measure the construct over a decade ago. In addition to her pioneering research into self-compassion, she has developed an eight-week program to teach self-compassion skills in daily life, co-created with her colleague Dr. Chris Germer, called Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC). Her book, Self-Compassion, was published by William Morrow in April, 2011.

    More from: Kristin Neff

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