This guided relaxation is one for you to use either when you've got your baby in your arms,
Maybe they're sleeping,
Or when you're able to grab a few moments just for yourself,
Maybe in those times where nobody else needs you right now,
Where you know you're not going to be disturbed,
Where you can take some time to just be with yourself.
So we're going to start by,
If you're feeling comfortable and able to,
Closing your eyes or you can lower and soften your gaze.
If you're holding baby or you can feel or see them,
Just feel the way that they're breathing,
Rises and falls in their chest,
Maybe you can feel their heartbeat,
You can sense their calmness,
They know they're safe.
And if you're not holding baby,
I'm going to ask you to place a hand over your heart to help ground yourself so you can feel what happens inside your body without any effort on your part.
Your heart continues to beat,
It's natural rhythm,
You don't need to do anything.
And your chest,
Can you feel it?
The rise and fall of your breath,
The natural ebb and flow,
The rhythm that happens without any of your effort.
You don't need to do anything right now.
Feel that heartbeat,
Feel your chest rising and falling with your breath.
Know that you're safe,
That this is a moment just for you.
There's nobody asking you to do anything right now.
Nobody needs anything of you.
This time is just for you.
And now I'm going to ask if you can try and see what happens if you can make each breath a little deeper and longer.
Can you make each in-breath last a little longer?
Can you make each out-breath stretch out a little longer?
What happens when you take more of that fresh air in,
Filling all your lungs,
Deeper breaths reaching parts of your lungs that are not normally reached with your normal everyday breathing.
And by extending your out-breath,
You shift some of the staleness from the bottom of your lungs,
Releasing some of that.
You're inviting more freshness in,
Into your body,
Into your mind,
And you're releasing some of that staleness away from your lungs,
Away from your body and away from your mind.
So we're just going to continue and take some of these longer and deeper breaths in and out,
Enjoying all that brings.
And if you can hear any noises around you,
Just allow them to float on by,
Knowing that life is happening.
Life is still moving on,
But you don't need to worry about anything right now.
You don't need to do anything other than focus on yourself,
On your breathing,
On inviting more freshness in,
And releasing anything that doesn't need to be there.
So as you breathe in,
You're bringing back all the energy.
You're inviting it to come back to you,
Your energy that you've left anywhere else in the world today,
Anywhere that you might have been focusing your time,
Your attention,
You're inviting it all back.
And as you exhale,
You're letting go any energy that you've taken from other people,
Any energy that doesn't belong to you.
You're letting go,
You're releasing it.
You don't need that.
That's not yours.
It belongs to other people and you're letting go.
And with it,
It's taking any thoughts,
Any feelings that are not yours,
Anything else that you're holding on to that doesn't serve you right now.
And again,
With those in-breaths,
We're inviting back our energies,
The ones that help us stay who we are,
To help us grow our strength,
To remind us of how strong we are and capable.
And by inviting back our energies and releasing those that don't belong to us,
We're helping to bring our mind,
Body and spirit back into balance.
We're reminding ourselves of the equilibrium.
And it's this equilibrium and the resilience that we have that help us deal with all the day-to-day worries and niggles that might bother us.
Sometimes as a mother,
You have doubts and fears,
Uncertainties that creep in,
Thoughts that we allow to question our abilities.
Are we doing it right?
Are we doing the best for our baby?
Is there something else we should be doing?
But we know,
Deep down,
We know our instincts are telling us that we are the best.
We're the best mother for our baby.
Say that inside.
Say that inside.
I am the best mother for my baby.
I am the perfect mother for my baby.
And trust that you're able to deal with everything that life throws at you.
You are capable.
You are strong.
You are resilient.
You are doing your best.
Be proud of yourself for what you've achieved.
Know that just because sometimes you find it hard doesn't mean that you're not doing a good job.
You are amazing for everything you've achieved,
For everything that comes ahead.
And now we're going to bring our focus back onto our breathing,
Allowing it to flow into its natural rhythm,
That rhythm that doesn't require anything of us,
Doesn't need any input from us.
It just happens without anything.
And in a moment,
I'm going to ask you to start hearing what sounds are around you.
What can you hear or smell or sense in some way in your physical surroundings?
What can you feel?
Where are your feet and your hands?
You might need to give them a wiggle to bring them back to the present moment.
And I want you to remember every day that you are amazing.
And now keeping your eyes closed or your gaze lowered and softened,
I want you to cup your hands together and rub them to create some warm energy and cover your eyes with your hands.
Gently open your eyes if they're not already open and slowly separate your fingers,
Feeling the warmth of that energy covering your eyes.
And as you separate your fingers,
Move your hands away slowly,
Allowing the bright light to creep in.
And when you're ready,
Come back to the present moment.
