Hello,
I'm Elizabeth Cush,
And I'm a counselor,
Life coach,
And host of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast.
I've been thinking a lot about how caregivers often don't have time to take care of themselves and their well-being,
And so this meditation is dedicated to all the caregivers out there,
Whether you're caring for children,
Or a partner,
Or parents,
Or someone you love,
Whoever that might be.
This is a little meditation to help you honor yourself and bring some love and kindness and care back to you.
And oftentimes that can be hard because if we're in the midst of,
Whether it's caregiving or thinking about activism and putting yourself out there and really supporting others,
Sometimes taking care of ourselves gets lost.
But I thought I would offer a short meditation to bring you back to yourself,
Back to your body,
Back to your heart center for a few moments of self-care.
So if you can,
You know,
If you're listening to this in a car,
Which is how I often listen to podcasts,
Or you're out taking a walk,
This might not be the best time to practice this meditation,
But you could do small parts of it and keep your eyes open if that's what works for you.
If you're in a place where you can get comfortable sitting down,
Get yourself in a seated position that supports your body in a way that feels good to you.
And just take a moment to settle in,
Noticing where your body makes contact with the surface of the chair or the floor,
Bringing mindful awareness to your feet on the ground,
Imagining that there are roots extending out from your feet,
Or if you're lying down from your back and your legs,
Just going deep,
Deep,
Deep into the ground,
Down through the layers of soil and sand and rock and gravel and magma down to the core of the earth,
Just feeling your body deeply,
Deeply rooted here.
And now coming back to your body,
Just noticing any sensations,
Any tension,
If there's any pain or discomfort,
Just noticing that,
Bringing your awareness there,
Allowing it to be there,
Whatever it is,
And bringing some kindness and compassion to all the amazing complex systems that work throughout your body to keep it moving,
To keep it healthy,
To keep it going.
And now taking either one or both hands and placing them on your heart center.
And notice the warmth and the pressure and the sensations of your hands touching your body,
Touching your chest,
Touching your heart center.
And can you offer your body and your heart some thanks?
Maybe a phrase like,
Thank you body for all that you do for me.
Thank you heart for being a caring,
Compassionate soul.
Thank you for all that you do for me.
To help me get up every day,
To help me care as much as I do,
To support me every day in all that you do.
Thank you.
And if it feels okay,
To do this,
Maybe giving yourself a hug,
Wrapping your arms across your body,
Each hand on opposite shoulders,
And just tightening your grip a little bit so you feel snug and held.
Right here in this moment.
Maybe taking a couple of deep breaths here in this self-love hug.
And now dropping your arms,
Bringing your awareness back to your body from head to toe.
Maybe moving your,
Wiggling your toes,
Moving your fingers,
Stretching your body gently,
Bringing your awareness back to the room,
Back to the here and now.
Opening your eyes when you're ready.
Just noticing where you are back in your space.
And preparing yourself to just move on to the rest of your day.
Well,
I hope that little bit of self-kindness,
Self-love,
Self-care was supportive for you today,
Wherever you are.
You can come back to this meditation anytime you need a little boost of self-care,
A little moment for yourself,
A little time to come back to you and your body and all that it does for you.
Thanks for listening.
Thanks for being a part of this amazing community here at Insight Timer.
Again,
I'm Elizabeth Cush.
Keep meditating and taking care of you.
