Hello and welcome to this loving kindness meditation specifically designed for mothers.
Let's take a moment to arrive in the moment by finding a comfortable seat,
Maybe sitting up on a support or resting your sit bones on the ground.
From that place of connection,
Begin to find length up through the spine,
Continuing to extend all the way up to the top of your head.
Relax your shoulders,
Relax your face,
Soften wherever you can soften while still remaining open and upright.
Begin here by noticing the flow of the breath,
Becoming aware of where it's flowing in the body.
With curiosity and without judgment,
Just notice.
It feels good to you.
I invite you to bring the breath a little deeper,
Consciously expanding the belly as you breathe in and feeling the belly button move back towards the spine as you breathe out.
As you continue to breathe deep here,
Call to mind a mother that you know is your mother that you know.
This could be a friend or it could be your own mother,
Someone that you have warm feelings towards.
And imagine that that person is sitting in front of you.
As you visualize that person,
Imagine that from your heart directly into their heart is a beam of energy.
And as you direct this beam of energy towards the mother,
You know,
Repeat to yourself,
May you be free from suffering.
May you be at peace.
May you feel loved.
Understanding how those words are being received by the mother figure in front of you.
Gently letting that visualization float away.
Return for a moment to the anchor of the breath,
Watching it flow in and out.
Now bring to mind a mother that you do not know,
But that you may have seen,
Maybe at the supermarket,
At school pickup,
Someone that you have noticed and who you think may benefit from some loving kindness.
Once again,
Imagine that that person is seated in front of you.
And in your mind's eye,
As you see that person there,
Begin to visualize energy moving from your heart and touching their heart directly.
And then repeat to yourself.
May you be free from suffering.
May you be at peace.
May you feel loved.
And letting the person you imagine in front of you receive your words.
And letting that visualization float away.
Bringing once again to the flow of each inhale and each exhale.
Bringing to mind yourself.
This could be you in the present moment or a time in your motherhood journey where you've needed a little extra support,
Where you've needed a little extra love.
And then imagine that version of yourself in front of you.
As you continue to breathe deeply here,
Let energy flow from you to the you that you imagine.
And repeating to yourself,
May I be free from suffering.
May I be at peace.
May I feel loved.
Being aware how those words land in the body.
Always with curiosity,
Never with judgment.
And once again,
Letting the image of yourself float away.
And return to the breath.
Feeling the breath to anchor you back into the moment.
Then starting to imagine all mothers.
From the mothers you know to the mothers that you'll never meet,
Begin to imagine those mothers surrounding you.
As you feel their presence,
Repeat to yourself,
May you all be free from suffering.
May you all be at peace.
May you all feel loved.
And letting the energy of those words ripple out to where they're needed.
And then once again,
Just letting that image go.
Returning back to the breath.
And then finally,
Let the energy of those words ripple out to where they're needed.
Thank you.
