Welcome,
Caregiver,
To this meditation I created just for you.
If you resonate with the role of the caregiver in your family and life,
The one who holds it all,
Who loves deeply and gives generously and yet struggles with this role,
This meditation is for you.
I invite you to settle in and let the world quiet around you.
These next few moments are just for you,
A gentle space to lay down what isn't yours to carry and to call your energy back home to your own heart.
Not because you're selfish,
But because you matter too.
And when you are nourished,
Your care becomes even more powerful.
Let's begin.
Begin by finding a comfortable seated or lying down position.
Gently close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose and release through the mouth with a sigh.
Doing that two more times on your own.
Letting your body soften and letting the weight of the day melt into the ground beneath you.
No one needs anything from you right now.
This moment is just for you.
You are free.
Bring your awareness to your heart.
Placing one hand over your heart.
Can you feel it beating?
Quietly,
Steadily.
You give so much love,
So much care.
Let yourself feel what it's like to receive that same love from within.
Whispering softly to yourself,
I am safe to care for myself.
I am safe to receive.
And breathe that in.
Let's tune into your mind's eye,
Your third eye.
Your imagination center.
And in front of you,
I'd like you to imagine a basket.
In a few moments,
We will begin to place inside this basket,
All of the responsibilities,
Worries,
And burdens you've been holding for your partner,
Your family,
Your boss or work,
Your clients,
Even your children.
You've been carrying them because you care.
Or maybe because this pattern is one deeply ingrained in you from your younger years.
It's so beautiful to be caring.
Our world needs people like you.
But not at the expense of yourself.
These responsibilities,
Worries,
Or burdens were never meant to be yours alone.
You do not have to carry it all for others.
People are in fact capable of carrying what is their own.
Only sometimes they may not know how to.
I'd like you to tune into the heaviest burdens first that come to mind.
Notice where this burden lives in your body through sensing or feeling.
Use your breath to guide your awareness.
And when you're ready,
Use your healing hands to remove this energy from your body,
Wherever it's living,
And place it in this basket in front of you.
You might see names,
Images,
Or you might just feel their energy.
There is no rush.
Honor each one that you remove.
And as they come out,
Be present with its removal.
We don't have to do them all today.
Just the ones you feel tired of carrying right now in this moment.
So go ahead and begin.
And as you finish this exercise of release and removal of these heavy burdens,
Place your hands back at your heart center.
And say quietly or out loud,
I trust that others can carry what is theirs.
I release what was never mine to begin with.
We can honor the intelligence of these parts of us that came online in our bodies,
Our spirits,
And our minds to stay alive.
So thank your body,
Mind,
And spirit for bringing you this far,
For helping you survive.
Now imagine a golden light beginning to return to your body through your crown chakra,
The top of your head.
This golden light comes down from source as your life force energy,
Your joy,
Your essence.
See it and feel it flowing back into you through the top of your head,
Gently like sunlight warming your skin,
Lighting up your body inside and out.
See it returning to your mind,
Jaw,
And neck,
Down to the heart,
Through your arms and into your hands,
Down into the belly,
All the way down to the toes.
You are being filled back up,
Nourished and restored.
Whisper gently to yourself,
I am allowed to be full.
My needs matter too.
Feel your body now,
Calm,
Grounded,
And whole.
You are not abandoning your care for others.
You are learning to include yourself in that care,
And that is sacred.
Truly take a moment here to notice what the essence of your own energy feels like.
This signature of your own energy is a gift,
A light that you can return back to at any time to truly know when you are in alignment with yourself.
Take one final deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Let it anchor you into this new awareness.
You are home,
Caregiver.
Welcome home.
Carry this softness into your day with you,
And remember,
The more you pour into yourself,
The more overflow you'll have to give.
And when you're ready,
Gently begin to move your fingers,
And your toes,
And slowly open your eyes.
Thank you for joining us.
