Welcome to this meditation for acceptance.
We come to our meditation today with the intention to find a little more acceptance of our lives.
Acceptance and mindful awareness of our physical body in this present moment.
Acceptance of the possibly churning thoughts and emotions that may be with us today.
Acceptance of all that is and isn't in our lives right now.
Sometimes we find ourselves struggling in motherhood,
Wishing it were different somehow.
Wishing for the simplicity of life before kids,
Pining for the sleep we don't have,
Dreaming of a time in the future when we're not needed quite so much,
Or perhaps missing the time when they needed us most.
Change is inevitable in motherhood as our entire role evolves as our children do.
The secret to enjoying it more is finding acceptance of each phase.
Being able to accept whatever is on a moment by moment basis.
Accepting the tantrums,
The clinginess,
The negotiations,
The tears.
Accepting as they grow and develop their own little opinions and eventually the confidence to take their steps away from you and into their own individual lives.
In our meditation today we'll use mindful awareness to anchor ourselves in this present moment.
And then practice accepting all that is.
You can use this exact technique whenever you find yourself overwhelmed and feeling like you need to escape.
Let this meditation be your escape plan into yourself,
Into your inner calm.
As we start to settle into our meditation now,
Get yourself into a comfortable position.
If you haven't already,
Close down the eyes and let the body start to relax.
Take a deep breath into your low belly and then extend the exhale for as long as you can.
Breathe in deeply again,
Noticing your entire chest swelling and then gently softening.
Start to notice the sounds around you.
Can you hear birds in the distance,
Perhaps talking in another room?
Maybe you can hear the breeze,
Perhaps the house is creaking.
Maybe you can only hear the sound of your own breath.
Notice what you can smell,
Perhaps your own perfume.
Perhaps you can smell the change in season,
Everything that tells us that it's almost Christmas.
Maybe you can smell freshly mowed lawns or the scent of fresh rain on the grass.
Maybe you can smell breakfast cooking.
Whatever it is that you notice,
Just simply be aware of it.
Just being aware of this sense of ours that we often don't even notice.
Start to become aware of the physical body now.
Notice where you can feel the skin,
Perhaps your mat or your bed beneath you.
Notice the clothing against your skin.
Perhaps you can feel a light breeze against the skin of your face.
Perhaps also noticing if there's any physical discomfort,
Any tension that you might be holding in the body.
I'm going to ask you now to bring your awareness to certain parts of your body.
As I mention these parts,
I just want you to bring your entire awareness to this part of your body.
Let everything else fall away.
Become aware of your right earlobe.
In your mind's eye,
Picture the shape of it.
Feel into the sensation of the right earlobe.
Notice now the little toe on the left foot.
Perhaps you even give it a little wriggle.
An awareness of this particular part of your body that often goes unnoticed.
Become aware of your belly button now.
A part of you that was once so important.
And is now something that barely gets noticed.
Feel the sensations around the belly button.
Notice now the right shoulder blade.
Perhaps noticing any physical tension or sensations in that right shoulder.
And finally bring your awareness to the left nostril.
Notice as you breathe in and out through the nose,
The air that enters and exits through that left side.
And in bringing awareness to these areas,
Notice how everything else ceases to exist.
Notice how you can be completely present.
Notice that there is a part of you that can stand outside and witness.
And witness the physical body,
The thought processes,
The emotions.
Connect with this part of you that is witness.
Notice how connection to this witness can make you feel bigger than any problems that you may currently be having.
Whenever you need to find acceptance of the current moment,
Notice that you can come to this place.
You can connect to this part of you that is bigger than the current season that you are experiencing.
This part of you that can stand outside and find acceptance no matter what is happening in your life.
A part of you that can see from this perspective that all will be well.
This too shall pass.
And just like every stage before it,
This one will not last forever.
Take a deep breath into this feeling of acceptance.
Allow yourself to rest in this knowing that this too will change.
And that you have the power to breathe and watch without getting worked up and stressed over the current situation.
Remember that you can return to this place whenever you need.
Just by closing the eyes,
Breathing deep and bringing your attention to the present moment through focused attention on the body in this moment in time.
Stay in this space of awareness for as long as you need.
Continue breathing long and deep.
And if you ever find yourself distracted,
Simply bring your awareness back to the breath.
It is time now to start bringing yourself out of this meditation.
Deep in the breathing,
Feeling your energy returning.
Wriggle into your fingers and toes,
Noticing again the physical body.
And when you feel ready too,
It's time to open the eyes and return to your day.
