Welcome to this guided meditation.
I'm your guide,
Dr.
Andrew Goff.
Begin by finding a comfortable position.
Sit or lie down in a way that allows your body to feel supported.
Let your hands rest,
Let your jaw soften,
And take a deep breath in,
And let go of it slowly.
Allow yourself to arrive here just as you are.
With each breath,
Soften your jaw and invite your body to settle,
Your mind to quiet,
Your heart to soften.
Today may have asked a lot of you,
Or perhaps you're carrying the quiet pressure that often accompanies your work as a teacher,
Your work as a director,
An administrator,
A leader.
The expectations,
The standards,
The unspoken beliefs that you must always be everything to everyone.
In this moment together,
You are invited to release all of that.
You are not here to be evaluated,
You are not being measured,
You are not being compared.
Take a deep breath in,
And release the need to preform.
Inhale,
And exhale the weight of should,
I should do this,
I should do that.
Let your shoulders drop,
Let your spine feel held,
Let your breath begin to carry you inward where there is nothing to prove.
So often in your role,
You give,
You offer patience,
Structure,
Care,
Consistency,
Creativity.
But under all of it,
There's something even more powerful.
Presence,
The quiet,
Attuned connection that children naturally respond to.
That's what they seek,
That is what helps them grow.
It isn't how much you do,
It isn't about how perfectly you meet expectations.
It's the calm,
Grounded presence you bring when you are not trying so hard to be anything more than yourself.
Let's breathe in together,
And as you breathe out,
Feel yourself returning to that natural state of connection.
Breathe in,
And let go of the noise that says you need to do more,
Be more,
Offer more.
Breathe in,
And return to what is simple,
Return to what is true.
Continue a steady breath.
Children don't thrive because you carry their worlds.
They thrive because you meet them with presence,
With love,
With humanity.
And you can only offer that when you meet yourself in the same way.
Take this time now to meet yourself with compassion.
If you've been carrying tension,
Allow it to soften.
If your mind is racing,
Allow it to slow down.
Focus on your breath,
Each inhale and exhale.
If your heart feels heavy,
Give it space to rest.
Let each breath be a small act of kindness.
Let each exhale be a release of the stories that tell you that you are not enough.
You are not your expectations.
You are certainly not your mistakes.
You are not what others need you to be.
You are connection.
You are care.
You are presence.
Let yourself linger here,
Breathing gently.
Let your nervous system settle.
Relax your shoulders.
Relax your lower back.
Relax your quads.
Relax your calves.
And one by one,
Relax each toe on both your feet.
You were never meant to carry everything.
You are meant to connect.
And connections begin with you.
One more deep,
Full breath in.
And as you exhale,
Feel yourself sinking fully into relaxation.
Carry the softness of your body with you into the next moment of your day.
Or into your sleep.
Or simply into stillness.
You are enough.
You are held within your connections.
You are at home.
Thank you for listening to this guided meditation.
