Welcome to this heart-centered practice of care.
Begin by finding a comfortable position.
Allow your body to settle.
Let your hands rest naturally.
And if it feels comfortable.
Allow your eyes to softly close.
Take a slow,
Gentle breath in.
And a long,
Unhurried breath out.
Again,
Breathe in.
And soften as you exhale.
Let your shoulders release.
Allow your jaw to soften.
Let the muscles around your eyes.
Become quiet.
There is nowhere you need to be right now.
Nothing you need to accomplish.
For these next few moments.
Simply allow yourself to arrive.
Feel the quiet rhythm of your breath.
The natural rise and fall of your body.
The simple fact that you are here.
Living.
Being held by this moment.
Bring your awareness gently toward the center of your chest.
You don't have to change your breath.
Just notice it.
Imagine the breath creating a little more space around your heart.
As you inhale space.
As you exhale softness.
Inhale,
Receive it.
Exhale,
Releasing.
Perhaps imagine a soft light resting in the center of your chest.
It may be warm.
Golden.
Raise.
Or is simply a feeling you can't quite name.
Let it be there without any effort.
This is not something you have to create.
It is simply a quiet place within you.
Where you can listen.
And silently offer yourself three simple words.
I am here.
I am listening.
I am caring for myself.
Now,
Allow your awareness to expand through the whole upper body.
The heart.
The chest.
The shoulders.
The space beneath the collarbones.
The upper back.
Not searching.
Not analyzing,
Simply noticing.
Our bodies are always changing.
Through seasons.
Their years.
Their hormonal shifts.
Through joy and grief.
Through movement and rest.
Through all the experiences that make us who we are.
And perhaps we can meet those changes with a little less judgment.
And a little more tenderness.
There is nothing you need to make different right now.
Nothing you need to perfect.
Simply allow your body to be exactly as it is in this moment.
Breathe into that acceptance.
Noticing without fear.
Listening without judgment.
Being present without needing an answer.
Imagine that soft light at the heart beginning to expand.
Gently illuminating the entire chest.
The shoulders,
The upper back.
And eventually.
Your whole body.
With every inhale,
A little more light.
With every exhale,
A little more ease.
And allow yourself to remember.
Care doesn't always have to be complicated.
Sometimes care is rest.
Sometimes it is nourishment.
Sometimes it is saying no.
Sometimes it is asking for help.
Sometimes it is making the appointment you've been meaning to make.
Sometimes it is simply paying attention.
Caring for yourself is not an act of fear.
It is an active relationship.
A way of saying.
This life matters to me.
My body matters to me.
I matter to me.
Let those words settle.
Bring your awareness to everything your body has carried for you.
All the places it has taken you.
All the mornings it is welcomed.
Of the movement.
The laughter.
The tears.
The celebrations.
The ordinary days that quietly became your life.
Perhaps offer your body a quiet thank you.
Not because it has always been easy.
Not because it has always looked or felt the way you want it.
But simply because.
It has been here.
With you.
Through all of it.
And silently repeat,
Thank you for carrying me.
Thank you for changing with me.
Thank you for bringing me here.
And may I continue to listen.
May I continue to care.
May I continue to meet myself with kindness.
Now,
Let everything become very simple.
Feel your breath.
Feel your body.
Feel the quiet space around your heart.
There is nothing more you need to do.
Perhaps imagine yourself surrounded by a gentle field of warmth.
Soft.
Quiet.
Steady.
And within that warmth,
Remember.
You do not have to love every change.
You do not have to understand every season.
You can simply remain connected to yourself.
Curious.
Present open to what is here.
And even in moments of uncertainty.
You can continue to choose hope.
To look for light.
To trust in the wisdom.
Of your own inner knowing.
Let this be your practice.
To listen without fear.
To notice without judgment.
To care without waiting until you need care.
And take one slow,
Beautiful breath in.
And exhale completely.
Feel the ground beneath you.
Feel the air around you.
Feel yourself here.
Present.
Alive.
And carry this quiet reminder with you.
My body deserves my attention.
My body deserves my care.
I am worthy of the care I so freely give to others.
And take one final breath in.
And when you're ready.
Gently open your eyes.
Carry this softness with you.
And carry this awareness with you.
And let caring for yourself become.
A quiet expression of love.
