Hi and welcome to this meditation self-compassion break for mothers.
Now please take a moment to find a comfortable seated position.
You may close your eyes softly or gaze at the floor and let your breath settle into a natural rhythm.
You can begin by bringing awareness to your face,
Soften your forehead,
Release any tension around your eyes and between your brows,
Let your jaw relax,
Allowing any tightness to melt away,
Drop your shoulders,
Feeling them release down your back,
Soften your belly,
Letting it expand freely as you breathe,
And feel your entire body resting fully supported by the chair or floor,
And now shift your awareness to your feet,
And feel the sensation and contact between your feet and the ground,
Feeling the stability beneath you,
And let this connection anchor you in the present moment.
Now take a moment to reflect on a recent experience that felt difficult,
Perhaps it's a moment from today or earlier this week,
Maybe it was a time when you felt exhausted,
Overwhelmed or worried,
And please choose mild to moderate issue,
Not a big one,
For this meditation.
Perhaps there was a moment when you felt short on patience,
Or when you reacted in a way that you later felt wasn't in line with your true self.
Whatever it was,
Just take a moment and bring that situation to mind,
And allow it to be here without judgment,
And say to yourself,
This is a moment of struggle,
And acknowledge the difficulty without resistance,
Without any judgment.
Feel into it and name it gently,
This is hard,
Or I'm feeling so much right now.
Breathe into the sensation,
Allowing yourself to be with whatever arises,
Holding space for your feelings.
Maybe you can sense the uneasiness in your body,
Where do you feel it?
Make contact with the discomfort that you feel in your body,
And say to yourself slowly and kindly,
This is a moment of suffering,
This hurts,
Try to stay there without any judgment and if the judgment arises,
Don't go with it,
Just notice it.
And now remind yourself that you are not alone,
All mothers have difficult moments,
Times of feeling stretched thin or imperfect,
It's just a part of motherhood,
There are no perfect mothers.
And remember that you are part of a larger community of mothers facing similar feelings.
Let yourself feel held in this understanding,
That's common humanity.
And say to yourself,
I am not alone,
There are mothers out there who feel just like I do in this moment,
We all struggle.
And now place your hand over your heart or wherever it feels soothing,
Feeling the warmth and gentle touch of your hand.
Or you may give yourself a gentle hug.
And imagine sending yourself the same love and care you would offer your child.
Speak kindly to yourself,
Words matter.
And say to yourself,
It's ok to feel this way.
I deserve compassion too.
May I give myself what I need,
May I accept myself as I am,
May I live in love.
And allow these words to soften your heart,
To rest gently on your heart.
And if you are having difficulty finding the right words,
Imagine that a dear friend or loved one is having the same problem as you.
Or imagine if another mother is struggling right now,
What would you say to her?
Heart to heart.
What message would you like to deliver?
And now can you offer the same message to yourself?
What would that message be?
What would it say?
And know that it is normal and human to face difficult moments.
And you have the right to find this hard,
It's not easy.
And give yourself love and compassion,
Just as you so freely give it to your family.
Maybe whisper to yourself,
I love you,
I love you,
I care.
Whisper those words,
Those kind words to yourself.
May I live in love.
And when you feel ready,
Take a few deep breaths and slowly open your eyes.
Thank you.
