Peace For Caregivers

This is my first meditation on Insight Timer, published in 2015. It was written especially for caregivers, although is suitable for everyone looking to find ways to relax and let go. Guided meditation can open you to a dimension of the self that gets hidden amongst daily stressors of life. This helps find inner peace.

Transcript

Hello,

My name is Judith.

I want to thank you for joining Kathy and me in this guided meditation.

Before we begin,

I would like you to get comfortable in whatever position you want to be in today.

If your intention is to find relaxation,

Then I suggest you sit in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the floor and your hands comfortably on your lap.

If your intention is to receive help in falling asleep,

Then please climb into bed now and get comfortable on your back and place your arms beside you with your palms turned upwards if you can.

Otherwise,

Place your hands on your tummy or on your chest.

There are two other things I want to speak to you about before we begin.

The first is the need to feel grounded and secure as you are doing a meditation.

So,

For example,

If you are in a seated position,

You can imagine that your feet are touching the ground or warm sand and grounding you securely.

If you are lying down,

Then you are lying on your back.

If you are lying down,

Then you can imagine that your mattress is a beautiful beach of warm sand that is giving you a sense of feeling grounded and secure.

The last thing I want to mention is your breathing.

When I ask you to take a deep breath,

What I mean is for you to try to breathe in and out from a deeper place than usual in your upper body so that if you were to place your hands against your abdomen,

You would feel it pushing your hands outwards as you inhale.

This way,

Your shoulders remain lowered,

Still,

And relaxed.

And try to breathe more slowly than usual.

This will help you relax even more.

So with these instructions out of the way,

You are now ready to relax.

And we'll begin by taking two or three slow and deep breaths and then breathe normally as we listen to Kathy playing some beautiful notes on her piano.

So so I want you to imagine that you are sitting in your most favorite and comfortable chair.

And as you are hearing me say this,

I hope you are able to imagine what it really feels like to sit in your favorite chair and that you can also imagine that you are able to put your feet up and relax as we continue in this exercise.

We're going to call this your peace chair because I want you to think of it as a place that is very special and just for you.

And that when you sit down in it,

In your imagination for whatever amount of time,

You are free of all responsibility.

So please take a deep breath now and try to imagine that you are sitting in your very comfortable peace chair and that you are completely free of responsibility.

And to help you imagine a feeling of peace,

I want you to also imagine that beside your comfortable peace chair is a beautiful peace candle sitting in the stillness of this area,

Waiting for you to light it.

So imagine yourself lighting it easily then take another deep breath and look at your candle of peace that is gently burning with a beautiful glow just for you in this quiet,

Peaceful space you have created for yourself in your mind.

And take another slower breath.

Next,

I want you to feel cozy in your peace chair and so I'd like you to imagine that you are going to cover yourself with a very light yet warm blanket and because this is your imagination you do not have to get up to get your blanket it is simply there ready for you to use.

As you begin to cover yourself you will notice that the material of your blanket happens to be your very favorite color because after all it is just for you.

I also want you to notice that your blanket is decorated with the letters P E A C E spelling out the word peace.

So not only are you sitting comfortably in your favorite chair free of all responsibility and enjoying the warm glow from your peace candle you are also wrapped now in a beautiful peace blanket.

So take another slow and deep breath and allow yourself to feel comforted by all of this.

Especially notice the soothing warmth of your peace blanket comforting you physically and emotionally and letting you feel tucked in and secure.

And now in your mind I want you to imagine the feeling that comes from the word peace.

Say it a few times with me inside your mind.

Peace.

Peace.

Peace.

Peace.

Peace.

Take another deep breath now and breathe into this feeling that comes to you from the word peace.

Try to feel this sensation of peace in your body and notice where in your body you are feeling it.

As you connect even more with the feeling of peace I want you to imagine that this feeling is beginning to flow throughout your body.

Try to feel it relaxing your face,

Your forehead.

Feel it relaxing your lower jaw as you allow your lower jaw to open just a little while leaving your mouth closed.

Take another deep and slower breath and feel this comfort of peace moving down into your neck bringing a feeling of warmth and comfort to the muscles in your neck.

And again breathe into this feeling of peace and give yourself permission to relax.

And now imagine that the feeling is moving down into your shoulders and across your upper back where you may be holding tension.

And now imagine that the feeling is moving down into your shoulders and across your upper back where you may be holding tension.

Simply allow the peaceful feeling of comfort and warmth to flow easily into this space of your body bringing with it warmth and the continuing and reassuring of your body.

Place your two hands over your heart center now in the center of your chest and deeply release your hands into the center of your chest.

And now imagine that the feeling of peace is flowing down into your body.

Place your hands over your heart center now in the center of your chest and deeply breathe in this feeling of peace.

And imagine that this feeling of peace is flowing out from your heart now through your bloodstream as it makes its way throughout your body into every cell of your being.

Music playing Now take another deep breath and breathe into your upper abdomen and allow yourself to accept this feeling of peace easily as you breathe.

Music playing Breathe into your lower abdomen next and your pelvis and bathe these areas of your body in the feeling of peace.

Music playing Imagine that this feeling of peace is now moving into your hips.

Feel its warmth and comfort relaxing this part of your body that sometimes suffers under the weight and strain of burdens.

Music playing And now breathe this comfort and warmth of peace downwards into the muscles of your thighs which also hold the stress of your daily life.

And allow them to absorb the same warmth and comfort as you are feeling throughout your upper body.

Music playing Next,

Feel the warmth and comfort of the feeling of peace moving into your knees as you take your next breath.

Music playing Imagine that this feeling is now traveling down into your lower legs and then into your feet and toes and warming and comforting this part of your body also with the feeling of peace.

Music playing With your next normal breath,

I would like you to imagine that this beautiful feeling of peace is surrounding you also.

Music playing Imagine that the feeling is flowing gently and smoothly through your entire body and moving out from your body through the soles of your feet into the space around your body.

And then back upwards to your head and from there imagine it is moving downwards through your body again even more slowly this time.

Slowly,

Slowly,

Slowly and gently flowing within your body and your mind.

Constantly moving and soothing you.

Bathing you inside and out with this completely relaxed feeling of peace.

Healing peace.

I'd like you to relax your hands and arms now and just be with this beautiful feeling for a few moments without my speaking.

And allow the peaceful feeling to go into the parts of you that upset you the most.

You know what these things are.

Just breathe this feeling of warmth and comfort and reassuring peace into your thoughts in the way we've been doing.

And know that this feeling is strong enough to help you with whatever you need today.

Music playing Please take another slow and normal breath.

And bring your awareness again to the sense of your entire body being filled and surrounded with the feeling of warmth and comfort that flows from healing peace.

And understand that this feeling is filling your mind also so that your mind may be comforted from fear and worry and guilt or regret and anger.

And any other emotion that you may experience from time to time.

By getting in touch with this feeling of peace and by breathing this feeling throughout your body and mind as you are doing today.

You are able to transform fear into peace and take another breath.

You can transform worry into peace and breathe.

You can transform guilt into peace and take another breath.

You can transform regret into peace and breathe.

You can transform anger into peace.

As you take another slow and normal breath,

Be aware of how you are feeling now throughout your body.

Music playing Know that you can return to this feeling anytime you want to because the feeling is already well established in your body and mind.

And you can tap into this feeling anytime you want or need.

I would like you to take another moment now to process what I have just said.

So I will repeat it.

Know that you can return to this healing and peaceful feeling anytime you want to because the feeling is already in your body and mind.

It is yours.

And you can tap into this feeling of peace anytime you want or need.

Music playing Music playing Please take another moment now to feel a sense of gratitude inside of you for the experience you are having.

Music playing Music playing And now take one final deep and cleansing breath and stretch your legs out while leaving your eyes closed.

And rotate your ankles one way and then the other.

And lower your legs.

And now please raise up your arms as high as you can.

Still leaving your eyes closed.

And rotate your wrists one way and then the other.

And now place your right hand on your left shoulder.

And hold it there.

And place your left hand on your right shoulder and hold it there.

And give yourself a gentle hug.

And as you are doing this,

Allow yourself to rock slowly and gently from side to side.

Just with Kathy's music.

Rock as you would as if you were holding a young child.

So you may enjoy this soothing feeling of healing peace a little longer.

Music playing And now relax your arms and place your hands comfortably over the center of your chest again.

And just remain in this position a little longer until you feel ready to open your eyes.

Please take your time to do this.

And know that the healing feeling of peace that you have experienced is coming from inside of you.

From a deep resource you have within you in your spirit.

Take this thought with you now as a blessing as you go into your day or night in peace.

Music playing And now relax your arms and place your hands comfortably over the center of your chest again.

And just remain in this position a little longer until you feel ready to open your eyes.

Music playing And now relax your arms and place your hands comfortably over the center of your chest again.

Reviews

Very, very soothing. Thank you so much. It was just what I needed.

So beautiful, I felt the care you put into the guidance and music and the soothing effect of welcoming peace in with my favourite place, candle & blanket. Thank you 💕

Thanks so much for your lovely meditation. May the joy be with you. Nàmaste

I always connect with your meditations; blessings to you, Judy!

Such a wonderful practice. I really found this helpful and would recommend for any time of day. I listened to this feeling very tired during the day, expecting to fall asleep, actually feel energised and ready to continue. Thanks you 🙏

Absolutely magnificent! First time feeling that peaceful in months.

Lovely, thank you.

Absolutely beautiful meditation. I will return to this often. Thank you 🙏🙏🙏

Thank you for this relaxation 🙏

Thank you for that meditation, it was exactly what I needed today and it felt like a gift.

Releasing guilt and regret and replacing with peace. Thank you

I stayed with this...and it got better and better as it went along.

Thank you, your meditation is a daily must do 💫💕

This is a beautiful meditation. Well-paced, a good length and full of tender and clear instruction. The music fits perfectly. Thanks Judith and Cathy!

Thank you. This is so lovely. You have such a peaceful voice. Aloha 🕊

Absolutely beautiful, thank you, exactly what i needed now 💖

Tears in my eyes

So powerful and peaceful! Thank you!

My favourite meditation. So warm and comforting.

I've never heard the ending. Thanks
Namaste 🙏