Hello,
This is Rachel with the Art of Presence,
And this is an interactive art meditation geared towards helping professionals that work with caregivers and children.
This piece of art is a child being held in the loving lap of a caregiver,
And together they are surrounded by loving support.
To me,
This could also represent the importance of self-care,
Connection with others,
And having the support of a community.
So as part of this interactive art experience,
You are invited to place your finger on the innermost heart,
And set an intention for yourself and your practice today.
What do you most need for yourself and your well-being in this moment?
As Dr.
Diane Banigo says,
This is hard work,
And this is heart work,
And it's challenging because we may never fully see the impacts of the work we do.
So check in with yourself and see what your heart needs today as you tend to yourself.
Then if you'd like to continue on this interactive art experience,
You could place your finger at the innermost spiral,
And begin tracing your finger along the lines from the child,
And expanding out into the caregiver,
And then extending out into the community of care,
Perhaps inhaling as you loop to the top,
Holding at the top,
And exhaling as you come down the outside.
You could continue just that outer loop of inhaling,
Holding through the loop,
And exhaling as you come back down.
As you trace,
Just notice what this image represents to you.
Feel free to continue tracing if you'd like,
Or resting your hands in your lap,
And gently closing your eyes if that feels comfortable to you,
Or having a soft gaze down towards the floor,
Letting your breath come down into your belly,
Noticing the rhythmic inhale and exhale,
Expansion and release.
See if you might soften just a little,
Allowing more air to come into your belly,
And as you exhale,
Allow yourself to settle just a little bit more into your seat,
Trusting the support of the chair beneath you,
And perhaps imagining yourself as that innermost being on this image,
Tending to yourself,
Feeling nourished,
Noticing what it feels like to be cared for,
Giving yourself gratitude for taking this time to settle in and check in with yourself,
And extending well wishes to yourself,
Perhaps saying,
May I know the power of my presence,
And see glimmers of the impacts and ripple effects from my work.
And when you're ready,
Expanding out into the caregiver layer,
That connective layer,
And imagine someone whose presence has made a positive impact in your life,
Perhaps it's someone personal or in your professional role who has supported and cared for and helped you,
Extend well wishes to this person,
Perhaps saying,
May you know the power of your presence,
And see glimmers of the impacts and ripple effects from your work.
And when you're ready,
Expanding out even further to the community layer of collective care.
We are often caregivers,
But know it's also important to be a care receiver.
Together,
We can create collective well-being and collective care in community with one another.
So take a moment,
Calling to mind the community of collective care that surrounds you,
Extending well wishes to this group,
And perhaps saying,
May we know the power of our presence,
And see the glimmers and impacts from the ripple effects of our work.
So take a few more deep breaths here,
Filling yourself up with inspiration as you expand,
Releasing and extending gratitude,
Honoring the power of our presence for ourself,
For the support of others,
And the community of care.
Take good care,
And give good care.
