A gentle exhale for tired mummus.
This is a 5 minute meditation for mothers navigating the quiet weight of winter and the invisible work of loving deeply.
I invite you to presently make space for this moment.
Find a place you feel most comfortable,
Whether that's in a seat on the couch,
Tucked up in bed or embracing your little one.
Wherever you find yourself,
Surrender to this place.
Welcome the engulfing surrender as you perhaps sit on the floor beside the cot.
Maybe your back is resting against the wall of the laundry.
Maybe you're standing at the kitchen bench with one hand on your cuppa and the other steadying you.
Let this raw moment be enough.
I call you to close your tired eyes now,
If it feels safe to do so.
Or soften your gaze to your toes or the floor beneath you.
Allow the tension in your shoulders to drop,
Let your jaw softly loosen and encourage the exhale to be a little longer than the inhale.
Now lovingly I invite you to place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.
Feel the grounding energy in the gentle rise and fall,
A rhythm that's been with you since the beginning.
A tuning to this expansiveness in your body as your breath moves like waves across your being.
We are going to begin with five gentle breaths,
Guided,
Steady and intentional.
Together,
Let's breathe in for four,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold at the top for two,
One,
Two,
And exhale for six,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
We will repeat this four more times,
Breathing with soft awareness and presence.
Breathing in,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold,
One,
Two,
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Inhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold,
One,
Two,
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Inhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold,
One,
Two,
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
Inhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Hold,
One,
Two,
Exhale,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Now I encourage you to continue breathing like this in your own time for five more rounds.
Your breath,
Your rhythm.
So in for four,
Hold for two,
And out for six.
In,
Hold.
Dear one,
Allow yourself to be tenderly breathed.
Feel into the subtleties,
The soft pleasures,
And the raw strength within yourself.
You do so much,
Mama.
So much that no one sees.
A muchness that stretches you wide,
That leaves your flesh bare.
The midnight wake-ups,
The meals reheated one,
Two,
Three times.
The silent comforting when your own heart is free.
Surrender to this moment.
Let this be your time to be held.
Not by anyone else,
But by your steady breath.
By this serene pause,
By your own quiet presence.
Keeping your palm on your heart,
Your hand on your belly,
Breathe in gently,
Dear one.
Whisper inward,
I am here.
Breathe out slowly,
Whispering,
I am holding so much.
Breathe in,
I honour the invisible work I carry.
Breathe out,
I soften into this moment.
Imagine now a soft light,
A glow gathering at your heart beneath your palm.
A warmth,
It's tender and it's familiar.
It's the same reassuring light your child sees when they lovingly look at you.
Feel into this light.
Let it grow,
Let it expand.
Feel how it spills over your shoulders,
Down your arms,
Through your belly and your legs.
Feel it pulling lovingly at your feet.
Feel into this glow,
This warmth,
This nurtured embrace of being held.
Held in deep love.
Dear Mama,
You are allowed to rest,
Even for a few moments.
You are allowed to be more than what the world demands of you.
Allow this to be your remembering,
That the work you do,
The holding,
The nurturing,
The becoming,
Is sacred.
