Meditation For Compassionate Caregivers

This meditation is intended for those who are taking care of others, whether professionally or personally, whether on a long or short term basis. Taking care of someone else can be very demanding and draining on the caregiver, making it difficult to show up with heart and mind fully engaged at all times.

In addition, the person receiving help may resent their limitations and take that resentment out on the caregiver or may not recognize or remember the help they are receiving, making the caregiver feel unappreciated. This meditation is intended to help caregivers regain inner calm and refill their hearts with compassion so they can stay grounded and full-hearted.

Transcript

Welcome to the long version of the Compassionate Caregiver's Meditation.

This meditation was created for those who are taking care of others,

Whether professionally or personally,

And is intended to help caregivers regain inner calm and refill their hearts with compassion so they can stay grounded and full-hearted throughout the day.

Begin by settling into a comfortable position,

Whether lying down,

Sitting up,

Kneeling,

Or standing.

Whichever position you choose,

Begin by straightening your spine as you breathe in,

And then take a long,

Slow exhale through the mouth.

Notice the pause at the end of the exhale,

Then take another long inhale through the nose,

And take another long,

Slow exhale through the mouth.

Take one more slow,

Cleansing breath,

Filling the lungs and belly on the inhale,

And gently emptying them completely on the exhale.

Then close the lips and let the breath continue to breathe the body in a gentle rhythm.

Tune in to how you're feeling in this moment.

It may help to do a body scan to notice areas where you may be holding tension,

Acknowledging any feelings that arise of restriction or perhaps fear,

Anger,

Or dissatisfaction,

And any thoughts that arise in relation to those feelings.

Breathe into those areas,

Those feelings,

Those thoughts one by one,

Allowing them to lessen or dissipate.

Take this time to take care of yourself.

Continue for several more breaths until you feel relaxed,

Centered,

And at ease.

When you're ready,

Bring your attention to the rhythm of your heartbeat.

Imagine there is a white light at your heart center,

And as you inhale,

It grows brighter and stronger.

On the next breath,

Let the light overflow your heart and spread throughout your body,

Filling you completely from your head to your toes.

Take a long inhale,

Letting the light become even brighter,

And on the exhale,

Feel the light cover you like a second skin.

This second skin enables you to bring light and love to all your interactions while protecting you from harm or hurt.

Use your breath to make this skin vibrant and strong,

Gentle and warm to the touch,

But impervious.

Now think about the day or the hours ahead as you send strength and compassion from your heart throughout your body to this second skin.

Continue as long as you like until you feel steady,

Strong,

And loving,

And ready to move on.

Whenever you feel ready,

Take a deep breath in and a full exhalation out.

Open your eyes and prepare to go on with your day,

Knowing that throughout the day,

Whenever you feel the need to reset,

You can simply stop whatever you're doing and take three long,

Slow breaths,

Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth,

To refill,

Uplift,

And strengthen your compassionate heart.