This meditation is for you if you are a parent and if you are exhausted.
You probably know what I am talking about.
Your days start early and end late.
And even at night.
A part of you stays on alert.
One ear open.
Ready to get up at the slightest sound.
You know those nights when there are only a few hours left before you are needed again and win.
Instead of falling asleep right away.
Your mind starts unrolling the list for tomorrow.
What needs to be prepared.
What must not be forgotten.
That small worry that keeps circling in your head about one of your loved ones.
You give a lot.
All day long to people who rely on you.
And often,
There is not much left for yourself.
Even rest.
You sometimes feel you have to earn it or take it at the expense of everything that is still left to do.
Your body.
For its part.
Keeps the trace of all this.
The arms that carry.
The shoulders that hold.
That deep fatigue that stays there.
Even after a night's sleep.
This does not apply to everyone in the same way.
And perhaps not to you tonight.
If none of this speaks to you.
Keep what is useful and let the rest go.
Whatever time you have left before morning.
We are going to make it into real rest.
Not a light sleep with one ear outside,
But several deep hours.
Where you finally let yourself be carried in your turn.
Settle down in your bed.
The meditation will begin soon.
To begin,
Let your eyes close and.
.
.
For once,
Do not keep any ear outside.
Tonight you have the right to rest completely.
Take a first slow breath in and.
.
.
As you breathe out.
Let your whole body surrender to the bed.
With all its weight.
Like when you finally let yourself fall after a very long day.
Take a second.
Deeper breath in and out.
As you breathe out.
Let a wave of warmth.
Or perhaps a very soft vibration.
Descend from your chest and spread into the hollow of your belly.
Take a third breath in very gently.
And as you breathe out.
Let the last tensions go.
Especially those in the arms and shoulders that carry from morning to night.
Now this warmth.
Placed in your center.
Is going to spread slowly throughout your whole body.
From the center to the edges.
It fills your belly.
Which loosens.
And your chest.
Which opens a little more with each breath.
It reaches your shoulders.
Which finally drop far from your ears.
And flows down your arms.
Those arms that have carried so much today.
Your elbows let go.
Your forearms grow heavier.
Your wrists loosen.
And the warmth fills your hands.
Until your fingers fall slightly open all by themselves.
With each breath in.
The warmth takes up a little more space.
With each breath out,
Your body weighs a little more.
It runs down along your back.
Which flattens and gives its weight back to the mattress.
Than into your hips.
Which open.
Your thighs.
Which become broad and warm.
Your knees.
Which loosen.
Your calves.
Which release what they have carried.
Your ankles.
Which loosen.
All the way to the soles of your feet.
And your toes.
Which relax.
One by one.
Then it rises one last time toward your face.
Your jaw loosens.
That jaw that holds fast all day long.
Your cheeks soften.
The skin around your eyes relaxes.
Your forehead widens and becomes smooth.
With each breath in,
Your body lengthens just a little.
With each breath out.
It sinks a bit deeper.
Now.
Feel your whole body as one single piece.
It settles onto the bed in one solid block.
The arms have let go.
The shoulders have let go.
The face has let go.
Nothing in you is standing guard anymore.
And everything is completely relaxed.
With no one left to watch over.
And in this relaxation.
Allow your unconscious to open.
You give it permission.
And it opens very gently.
Like the morning light that slips under a door and lights up the room without you having to do anything.
And now imagine.
A large wooden veranda.
Open onto a quiet garden at the very first light of day.
Very gentle hour when the night is leaving.
And the morning is not yet there.
The air is fresh and tender.
It smells of damp grass and of earth waking up.
And a light mist hangs just above the garden.
Slowly rising.
The first birds begin.
One by one.
To call to each other in the trees.
Unhurried.
As if they too had all the time they needed.
Behind you.
The house is there.
Silent and warm.
And everyone you love is sleeping there.
Safe.
Cozy.
And warm.
Not needing anything for the moment.
On this veranda.
There is a large.
Wide-arm chair.
Or perhaps a hammock stretched between two beams.
Filled with soft cushions that still keep a little warmth.
It is there for you and for once.
There is no one else to settle in before you.
Move closer and let yourself sink into it very gently.
Feeling the cushions yield under your weight.
And mold themselves to the shape of your back.
Your neck.
Your legs.
You are held.
Completely.
And you have nothing left to hold up.
Stay there for a moment.
Watching the day rise over the garden.
And let this simple idea come.
Almost strange to you.
Right now.
No one needs you.
The garden watches over the house.
The house watches over your loved ones.
And you.
You can finally allow yourself to be watched over in your turn.
And while you are there.
Someone comes forward quietly onto the veranda and sits down beside you.
You recognize her immediately.
It is you.
In a few months.
A version of you who has learned to rest.
Take the time to look at her.
And above all.
Allow yourself to feel in your own body.
What she feels.
How does she hold herself in her body?
Really sense it.
Her features are relaxed.
Her eyes are clear.
Rested.
And her shoulders are low.
Without that tension in the upper back that you know so well.
What has changed for her in the morning?
Take the time to feel it.
She still sometimes wakes up tired,
Of course.
But she has found a base of energy again.
A longer patience.
And a smile that comes more easily.
And how is she with her loved ones now?
Feel it in your chest.
Softer.
More present.
Because she once again has energy to give.
Stay with her for a moment longer and really feel what it is like to be her.
That rested body.
That returning energy.
That peace.
This is not a distant dream.
It begins tonight.
Then she leans toward you and gently places a hand on your forehead.
As one does for a child.
One wants to help fall asleep.
Feel the warmth of her palm on your forehead.
Steady and sure.
And let this warmth travel down.
It relaxes the skin around your eyes.
It loosens your jaw.
It glides into your neck and shoulders.
And everywhere it passes.
The old vigilance finally dies down gently.
You are no longer two.
You are her.
And she is you.
And this rest is already yours.
Something your body has just learned in a way that no explanation could ever have given it.
Let this image go.
Let the visualization drift away.
Around you the veranda remains.
In that very soft light before morning.
And the garden continues to awaken quietly,
Without asking anything of you.
The mist rises and slowly dissolves above the grass.
The birds call back and forth from far away.
And every little sound in the garden is a sound that feels right.
A sound that says that everything is in its place.
You are supported by the warm cushions.
More settled and more peaceful with each breath.
And the hammock rocks you ever so slightly in the slow rhythm of your breathing.
Behind you.
The house keeps watch.
Warm and peaceful.
And your loved ones sleep there deeply.
In safety.
While the night finishes taking care of everything.
For this time.
It is not you who stands guard.
It is the garden.
The house.
The gentleness of the coming day.
And you can entrust the watch to them and rest completely.
The Light.
All around.
Becomes a little more golden.
Unhurried.
As if the morning were waiting on purpose to let you sleep a little longer.
A scent of fresh grass and dew rises from the garden.
And the mild air brushes across your face like a very light caress.
A tender warmth remains on your forehead.
Where a hand rested a little while ago.
And it stays with you.
Faithful.
While you sink into sleep.
Everything here is watching over you in your place.
And you can finally let go completely.
And while you drift off.
Something in you continues on its own.
Gathering this rest.
This gentle veranda.
This house in peace.
And turning it.
In the secrecy of the night.
Into fresh energy that will be there in the morning.
For you and for those you love.
And now.
If you are not yet asleep.
Repeat the following positive affirmations until you fall asleep.
I allow myself to rest fully tonight.
My sleep is deep.
Even in a short time.
I give a lot.
And I also deserve to receive.
I can set down my vigilance and let myself be carried.
I am a good parent.
Even when I rest.
Tonight.
I entrust the watch to the gentleness around me.
My body knows how to recharge.
Even in a few hours.
I fall asleep in trust.
My loved ones are safe.
I take care of myself so I can take better care of them.
Each hour of sleep repairs me in depth.
I let the night take care of me in my turn.
I deserve gentle.
Restorative rest.
I make room for my own needs.
I fall asleep with a peaceful heart and a heavy body.
My fatigue dissolves while I sleep.
I grant myself the softness I offer to others.
I am enough.
Exactly as I am tonight.
My rest is a gift for my whole family.
I allow my shoulders to finally set down their load.
I trust the night to set me back on my feet.
I fall asleep in peace.
My heart light.
Each night.
I relearn how to rest.
I receive sleep as a gift I give myself.
My body settles down.
Heavy and calm.
I allow myself to let my thoughts rest.
The tenderness I give.
I give to myself as well.
Tomorrow will come.
And I will be there.
Rested.
I let the silence of the night rock me.
During my sleep.
My body repairs all my fatigue.
I fall asleep deeply.
Carried in my turn.
I allow myself to rest fully tonight.
My sleep is deep.
Even in a short time.
I give a lot.
And I also deserve to receive.
I can set down my vigilance and let myself be carried.
I am a good parent.
Even when I rest.
Tonight.
I entrust the watch to the gentleness around me.
My body knows how to recharge.
Even in a few hours.
I fall asleep in trust.
My loved ones are safe.
I take care of myself so I can take better care of them.
Each hour of sleep repairs me in depth.
I let the night take care of me in my turn.
I deserve gentle.
Restorative rest.
I make room for my own needs.
I fall asleep with a peaceful heart and a heavy body.
My fatigue dissolves while I sleep.
I grant myself the softness I offer to others.
I am enough.
Exactly as I am tonight.
My rest is a gift for my whole family.
I allow my shoulders to finally set down their load.
I trust the night to set me back on my feet.
I fall asleep in peace.
My heart light.
Each night.
I relearn how to rest.
I receive sleep as a gift I give myself.
My body settles down.
Heavy and calm.
I allow myself to let my thoughts rest.
The tenderness I give.
I give to myself as well.
Tomorrow will come.
And I will be there.
Rested.
I let the silence of the night rock me.
During my sleep.
My body repairs all my fatigue.
I fall asleep deeply.
Carried in my turn.
I allow myself to rest fully tonight.
My sleep is deep.
Even in a short time.
I give a lot.
And I also deserve to receive.
I can set down my vigilance and let myself be carried.
I am a good parent.
Even when I rest.
Tonight.
I entrust the watch to the gentleness around me.
My body knows how to recharge.
Even in a few hours.
I fall asleep in trust.
My loved ones are safe.
I take care of myself so I can take better care of them.
Each hour of sleep repairs me in depth.
I let the night take care of me in my turn.
I deserve gentle.
Restorative rest.
I make room for my own needs.
I fall asleep with a peaceful heart and a heavy body.
My fatigue dissolves while I sleep.
I grant myself the softness I offer to others.
I am enough.
Exactly as I am tonight.
My rest is a gift for my whole family.
I allow my shoulders to finally set down their load.
I trust the night to set me back on my feet.
I fall asleep in peace.
My heart light.
Each night.
I relearn how to rest.
I receive sleep as a gift I give myself.
My body settles down.
Heavy and calm.
I allow myself to let my thoughts rest.
The tenderness I give.
I give to myself as well.
Tomorrow will come.
And I will be there.
Rested.
I let the silence of the night rock me.
During my sleep.
My body repairs all my fatigue.
I fall asleep deeply.
Carried in my turn.
I allow myself to rest fully tonight.
My sleep is deep.
Even in a short time.
I give a lot.
And I also deserve to receive.
I can set down my vigilance and let myself be carried.
I am a good parent.
Even when I rest.
Tonight.
I entrust the watch to the gentleness around me.
My body knows how to recharge.
Even in a few hours.
I fall asleep in trust.
My loved ones are safe.
I take care of myself so I can take better care of them.
Each hour of sleep repairs me in depth.
I let the night take care of me in my turn.
I deserve gentle.
Restorative rest.
I make room for my own needs.
I fall asleep with a peaceful heart and a heavy body.
My fatigue dissolves while I sleep.
I grant myself the softness I offer to others.
I am enough.
Exactly as I am tonight.
My rest is a gift for my whole family.
I allow my shoulders to finally set down their load.
I trust the night to set me back on my feet.
I fall asleep in peace.
My heart light.
Each night.
I relearn how to rest.
I receive sleep as a gift I give myself.
My body settles down.
Heavy and calm.
I allow myself to let my thoughts rest.
The tenderness I give.
I give to myself as well.
Tomorrow will come.
And I will be there.
Rested.
I let the silence of the night rock me.
During my sleep.
My body repairs all my fatigue.
I fall asleep deeply.
Carried in my turn.
I allow myself to rest fully tonight.
My sleep is deep.
Even in a short time.
I give a lot.
And I also deserve to receive.
I can set down my vigilance and let myself be carried.
I am a good parent.
Even when I rest.
Tonight.
I entrust the watch to the gentleness around me.
My body knows how to recharge.
Even in a few hours.
I fall asleep in trust.
My loved ones are safe.
I take care of myself so I can take better care of them.
Each hour of sleep repairs me in depth.
I let the night take care of me in my turn.
I deserve gentle.
Restorative rest.
I make room for my own needs.
I fall asleep with a peaceful heart and a heavy body.
My fatigue dissolves while I sleep.
I grant myself the softness I offer to others.
I am enough.
Exactly as I am tonight.
My rest is a gift for my whole family.
I allow my shoulders to finally set down their load.
I trust the night to set me back on my feet.
I fall asleep in peace.
My heart light.
Each night.
I relearn how to rest.
I receive sleep as a gift I give myself.
My body settles down.
Heavy and calm.
I allow myself to let my thoughts rest.
The tenderness I give.
I give to myself as well.
Tomorrow will come.
And I will be there.
Rested.
I let the silence of the night rock me.
During my sleep.
My body repairs all my fatigue.
I fall asleep deeply.
Carried in my turn.
