Mindful Meditation For Mental Health Providers

This meditation is for mental health providers to cultivate self-care in the midst of service to others. Gentle guidance is provided through breath, body, thoughts, and emotions, as well as receiving gratitude from all those you've walked beside.

Recommended for beginning to practicing meditators who provide mental health support as an offering of compassion.

Transcript

Welcome to a mindful meditation for mental health providers.

The intention in this meditation is to offer support to those who spend their time supporting others.

Taking a moment now to find a position that feels right for you.

Maybe that's lying,

Feeling supported and held.

Maybe it's seated.

Whatever feels right for you in this moment.

And when you're ready,

Gently closing your eyes or unfocusing your gaze and shifting now from doing to being,

From giving to being.

And as you settle in to your body now,

Noticing where in your body you feel your breath the most.

Maybe it's in a coolness or warmth in the nostrils or throat.

Maybe a gentle rise and fall of the chest or the belly.

Wherever you feel the breath the most in the body,

Placing your attention there.

As you drop anchor here in your felt sense of the breath in the body,

Maybe noticing some of this guidance you've provided to others.

Seeing if it's available to you to just receive now.

And if as you settle into the breath,

You're noticing the mind rehearsing for the next thing or rehashing things already done.

Gently bringing your attention back to just this breath.

Befriending this breath with a curiosity.

Noticing its depth,

Its temperature,

Its rhythm.

Maybe even the slight pause as the breath switches from inhale to exhale or from exhale to inhale.

Simply noticing these characteristics of the breath.

Noticing for you how it feels to be right here in this moment and then the next.

Perhaps this is the first time today,

This week,

This month,

Or this year that you've been right where you are.

This breath,

This moment.

Now moving the attention from the breath and opening up to the entire body.

Sensing into the body.

And as you do,

There may be areas that most call your attention.

Feel free to drop below the words and allow yourself to be present in your body.

I'll be providing some guidance in areas that may be relevant.

To you.

Feeling in to the back of the body,

The seat,

Hips,

Pelvis,

Lower back,

Lower belly.

This area may have cradled you for much of your day.

If you typically work in a seated posture,

Noticing here,

There's tightness,

Tension.

Just noticing.

Maybe a slight gratitude to this area of your body for supporting you as you work through your day.

Moving now to the hands.

Feeling into the palms of the hands,

Back of the hands,

Fingers,

Thumbs,

And wrists.

If in the course of your work you type or write a fair bit,

You may have some sensations here as a result.

Maybe a tingling,

Heat,

And achiness.

Just allowing the sensations of the hands to come forward.

Placing a bit of gratitude here for all that your hands do for you and for others.

Moving now from the hands up into the heart center,

Upper chest.

Maybe noticing the gradual rise and fall with a breath.

Or if it's available,

The heart beating.

Maybe seeing if there's any other sensations present here.

A heaviness,

A lightness.

Working with others in the way that you do,

This area may hold a lot.

All the stories,

Situations,

Lives,

Emotions.

All the ups and the downs for which you are present with others.

Maybe there's tenderness here.

From being with all that you are.

Maybe even layers.

Whatever you find here,

Allowing it to unfold.

With a curiosity,

If the mind begins to wander,

As minds often do,

Just gently bringing the attention back to the felt sense of the heart space in this moment.

Now moving the attention up the throat,

Into the mouth,

Holding this area in your attention.

Recognizing all that speech,

Communication does for you.

And for others.

Moving now from this area up into the eyes.

Recognizing all that the eyes convey to others throughout your day.

Maybe even some weariness here,

Squinting.

Just feeling into your eyes.

Maybe a sense of gratitude for all that they're able to see.

Moving the attention now to the ears.

Spending a moment listening.

Maybe noticing an appreciation rising for all that your ears are able to bring to you from others.

Now opening the attention to the entire body here once more.

Noticing any flows of energy or changes,

And if there are none,

That's okay.

Just opening that attention with curiosity.

Now placing the attention with your thoughts.

And if you notice when you place your attention on your thoughts,

The thoughts seem to scatter or are difficult to catch.

That's okay.

Just noticing the habits of the mind here.

These thoughts often guide so much of your care and attention for others in very difficult and trying times in their life.

You may find yourself here with your thoughts,

Noticing stories of others appearing,

Or maybe your own.

As you're here with your thoughts,

Maybe imagining thoughts like leaves on a stream appearing,

Maybe even floating by and then disappearing.

Or if you prefer,

Maybe imagining the thoughts as a train traveling down the tracks.

You're watching these thoughts,

This train,

Go by.

Noticing you are not of it,

But a witness.

As you notice these coming and goings,

Maybe there are thoughts here that are difficult to be with.

Seeing if you are able to be with these as well,

And if at any time this is overwhelming.

Maybe deciding to wiggle fingers or toes,

Open your eyes,

Or focusing your gaze,

Or simply placing the attention back with your breath.

Releasing focus on thoughts now and moving into emotion.

And as you place your attention on emotions that may be present,

It may be helpful to place attention in the heart center,

Maybe in the stomach,

Anywhere where you feel emotions now.

And if there aren't emotions present here,

Just seeing you can stay open in the event that they arise,

Just like listening if there was silence.

These emotions may be difficult to allow to come forward if part of what you do is focus on others' emotions.

Knowing you are present and witness to others' emotions can make it easier and difficult when it's time for yours to come forward.

Or you may have an internal narrative that it's not bad enough,

It's not needing some bar.

There's no competition here.

It's just what is present.

And maybe some of these emotions are related to things you've taken in from others.

Deep sadness,

Disconnection,

Frustrations,

Maybe even the high emotions of success,

Connection,

Love.

No need to create anything here,

Just noticing what's present.

And if it takes you some time to cultivate opening your heart,

That's okay too.

Now,

Taking your attention from emotion and bringing back focus on your breath and your body.

Maybe in the same location you felt your breath in the body before or have changed or shifted.

No wrong answer here,

Just placing your attention where you feel your breath the most now.

And as you're taking breaths,

Curious,

Exploring how the breath moves in your body,

Maybe imagining all those that you've served and inhaling their gratitude for all that you've done for them.

Inhaling all of the ways in which you've stood beside others as they've worked on their lives.

Exhaling your care for them.

Each inhale,

Imagine taking in all the ways in which you have made a difference.

You have created community.

You have been able to be with others when no one else has.

When no one else was there.

The kind of gratitude that only comes with a life of service.

Breathing this in to your every cell,

The thank yous,

The tears,

All of the ways that you've connected.

And as we come to the end of our meditation now,

Thank you for all you do in this world.

Taking a moment to prepare for the bell.

And at the sound of the bell,

I invite you to open your eyes before moving your body to take this sense of gratitude into your daily life.

And now,

The bell.