A positive affirmation meditation can be a powerful practice, particularly when affirmations are used in a way that allows you to genuinely receive them.
In the many years I have spent meditating and teaching meditation, there is one simple affirmation technique I have found especially supportive and life-changing. I would love to share it with you.
I don’t know about you, but if I simply write affirmations down, I tend to forget to look at them. Even when I do remember, reading a sentence quickly from a page does not always help me absorb its meaning.
I need a way of working with affirmations that allows me to slow down, listen and really take the words in. Bringing them into my meditation practice does exactly that.
Many people are unsure how to combine affirmations and meditation effectively. The method below is designed for a personal meditation rather than a guided meditation led by someone else.
It involves recording your affirmations in your own voice, listening to them while deeply relaxed, and then allowing time for silence and reflection.
Why Practise a Positive Affirmation Meditation?
When we are rushing through the day, it can be difficult to fully receive a positive or encouraging message. Our attention is scattered, and our habitual doubts may immediately argue with what we are trying to tell ourselves.
Meditation gives us an opportunity to become quieter and more receptive.
Listening to affirmations while your body is relaxed may help you engage with the words more gently and thoughtfully. Rather than forcing yourself to think positively, you are creating space to hear a supportive message and notice how it affects you.
Using your own voice can make the experience especially meaningful.
Your voice becomes the voice of your wiser, steadier self speaking to the part of you that may feel vulnerable, uncertain or in need of care. Over time, this can help nurture a more compassionate inner relationship.
Research into self-affirmation suggests that reflecting on personally meaningful values and sources of self-worth may support wellbeing and help people respond more adaptively to psychological challenges.
There is a little preparation involved, but it does not take long.
How to Prepare for Your Positive Affirmation Meditation
Begin by writing down the affirmations you would like to use.
You may choose one affirmation and repeat it throughout the practice, or prepare a short list. I usually recommend keeping the list manageable so you have time to pause and absorb each statement.
Your positive affirmation meditation can focus on one meaningful statement or a short list of affirmations.
For this particular meditation practice write your affirmations in the second person.
Affirmations are usually (and correctly) written in the first person, such as:
I am worthy.
For your recording, change this to:
You are worthy.
This allows you to experience the affirmation as something being spoken to you, even though the voice you hear is your own.
Other examples might include:
-
- You are doing your best.
- You are worthy of care and respect.
- You have the courage to take the next step.
- You are learning to trust yourself.
- You deserve time to rest.
- You have something meaningful to offer.
- You are allowed to move at your own pace.
Choose Affirmations You Can Receive
The most powerful affirmation is not necessarily the most dramatic one. It is the one you can hear without immediately rejecting it.
For example, if you are struggling deeply with self-confidence, an affirmation such as:
-You are completely confident in every situation-
may feel so far from your experience that your mind responds with, “No, I’m not.”
A gentler statement may be easier to receive:
-You are learning to trust yourself–
Or:
–You can take one courageous step at a time –
Affirmations do not need to deny your current feelings. They can acknowledge where you are while opening the door to possibility.
You might also use comforting or encouraging statements you genuinely need to hear right now, such as:
You are safe in this moment.
You are doing a good job.
You are worthy of kindness.
You are allowed to ask for support.
You deserve to be cared for.
You can meet this experience with patience.
You do not have to have everything figured out today.
Choose words that feel sincere, compassionate and personally meaningful.
This gentle approach is also reflected in loving-kindness and self-compassion practices, which use personally meaningful phrases rather than forcing positive thoughts that feel untrue.
Record Your Affirmations In Your Own Voice
Next, record your affirmations using your phone or another simple recording device.
Aim for a recording of approximately ten minutes.
Speak each affirmation slowly, then leave a pause of around five to ten seconds before repeating it or moving to the next one. When you reach the end of your list, return to the beginning and continue until the recording is complete.
Pay close attention to your tone of voice.
Speak to yourself in the way you might speak to someone you deeply care about. Allow your voice to be warm, reassuring and genuine.
This can feel uncomfortable at first, especially if you are not used to speaking to yourself kindly. That discomfort is not a sign that you are doing it incorrectly. It may simply reveal how unfamiliar self-compassion has become.
You do not need to sound theatrical or overly soothing. Authenticity matters more than perfection.
Once your recording is complete, you are ready to begin.
How to Practise a Positive Affirmation Meditation
This practice has elements of meditative inquiry because you are not only listening to the affirmations. You are also noticing how your body, emotions and thoughts respond.
1. Find a comfortable position
Sit or lie down in a position that feels supportive.
Allow your spine to be comfortable rather than rigid. Soften your shoulders, jaw and hands.
2. Settle with your breathing
Take several slow, natural breaths.
You do not need to control your breathing. Simply allow each exhalation to help your body settle.
Notice the feeling of being supported by the chair, cushion, bed or floor beneath you.
3. Relax your body
Use your preferred relaxation technique.
You might gradually bring awareness through your body, softening the muscles around your eyes, face, neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, legs and feet.
There is no need to achieve a perfect state of relaxation. Simply notice where you can soften.
4. Begin your recording
When you feel settled, play your affirmation recording.
Listen without trying too hard to believe every word. Allow the affirmations to arrive.
Notice what happens as you hear them.
You may experience warmth, relief, sadness, resistance, doubt or emotion. You may feel very little at all. Every response is useful information.
Rather than judging your reaction, meet it with curiosity.
5. Pause with each affirmation
During the spaces between the words, notice where the affirmation lands in your body.
Does your chest soften?
Does your breathing change?
Does part of you relax while another part feels doubtful?
There is no correct response. The purpose is not to force yourself into positivity. It is to listen deeply and cultivate a kinder inner relationship.
6. Rest in silence
When the recording finishes, remain in silence for as long as feels comfortable.
Allow the words to settle.
You may naturally move into a deeper state of meditation, or you may simply rest quietly with your breath and bodily sensations.
7. Complete and ground the practice
When you feel ready to finish, deepen your breathing.
Move your fingers and toes, stretch gently and reconnect with the room around you.
Take your time before standing up.
You may also wish to write in your journal about any insights, emotions or resistance that emerged.
What to Do If an Affirmation Feels Untrue
Sometimes an affirmation touches a tender place.
You may hear, “You are worthy,” and immediately notice a thought saying, “No, I’m not.”
Do not argue with that response or treat it as failure.
Instead, explore it gently.
You might ask:
- What part of me finds this difficult to believe?
- What would feel more believable right now?
- What does this part of me need to hear?
- Can I soften the wording without losing its intention?
- What if I could let myself sit with the discomfort and feel it without judging it or trying to change it?
For example:
You are worthy of love.
might become:
You are learning to treat yourself as someone worthy of love.
Or:
You are successful.
might become:
You are capable of taking meaningful steps towards what matters to you.
An effective affirmation should support growth without demanding that you pretend.
After Your Meditation
Notice how you feel after the practice.
You may feel encouraged and energised. You may also feel emotional, reflective or tired. Be gentle with yourself.
The benefits of this meditation often develop through repetition. You might listen to the same recording for several days or weeks, then update the affirmations as your needs change.
Most of all, allow this to be nourishing time for you.
Your affirmations do not need to push, pressure or correct you. They can be a way of reminding yourself of qualities and possibilities that are easy to forget when life becomes difficult.
I would love to hear how you experience this practice. You might also like to share an affirmation that has felt particularly supportive for you.
If you are interested in learning more about meditation or becoming a meditation teacher – Download our ACMM Course Guide
If you enjoyed this article, explore some of the other meditation techniques shared on the ACMM blog.
Three techniques of Meditative Inquiry for Meditation Students
With warmth,
Lisa Forde
