Hello,
And welcome back to another Insight Timer.
This time is specifically for you,
And I want to thank you for showing up.
If you're someone who is always showing up for others,
Always caring,
Always holding space,
Whether you're a parent,
A partner,
A friend,
A helper,
A giver,
Then I invite you to take a very deep breath,
Release it.
Right now,
This time is for you.
You don't have anything else,
But now.
You don't have to fix.
You don't have to manage or be responsible for anybody else's needs.
Soften your shoulders,
Unclench your jaw,
And let yourself just settle into this space,
Knowing that the next few minutes,
You're completely free to rest.
If you don't know by now,
This is all about you giving yourself permission to rest,
Because I know if you're anything like me,
We are always giving.
There is a cost that comes with that.
It's easy to believe that rest is something we have to earn.
I definitely grew up in a space,
In an environment where if we checked everything off our to-do list first,
Then we got to rest.
If we were productive enough,
Selfless enough,
Helpful enough,
Then we were allowed to slow down.
Only then were you allowed to throw your feet up,
Lay down on the couch and grab a book.
But here is the truth that I want to remind you of today.
You are allowed to rest because you simply exist,
Not because you finished your work,
Not because you've done enough for others,
Not because you've proven yourself,
Simply because you're human.
And being human can be exhausting and rewarding and beautiful and tiring.
All of those can coexist at the same time.
Being in a constant state of doing,
Always being on,
Keeps our nervous system in survival mode.
We shallow breathe.
It makes it really hard to take a really deep breath,
To think clearly,
To sleep soundly.
When our nervous system is always on,
It tells our body that we're never quite safe enough to let go.
You are safe here,
Right now,
In this moment,
And you can give yourself permission to soften.
I want you to take your hand,
Doesn't matter which one,
And gently place it over your heart If that feels too uncomfortable for you,
Then rest your palms in your lap.
Feel the warmth of your own touch against your skin.
And I want you to silently repeat these words after me.
If you don't want to say them,
Just let my voice and my words wash over you,
As you're sitting or laying.
It is safe for me to rest.
I do not need to earn this moment of peace.
I am worthy of stillness.
Rest is my birthright.
Breathe in to these truths.
And even if you don't quite believe them yet,
You have to start somewhere.
So let me start for you.
I'm going to move us into a guided practice,
So that your body and your mind can begin to feel the rest that they deeply deserve.
And you can do this at any time throughout the day,
In your car,
At your office desk,
At your home.
We're going to do a gentle body scan meditation.
And this is something that has completely transformed my life,
As far as resting,
Slowing down,
Finding that inner peace.
I often will say,
When we don't take these times to rest,
When we don't take these moments of stillness,
We get caught up in the tornado that's happening around us,
The busyness,
The chaos of life.
We get caught up in the doing,
Proving.
And when we can still ourselves and become quiet,
We're more able to stand in the middle of it and watch everything go on around us.
So gently close your eyes or lower your gaze,
If that's more comfortable for you.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose,
Filling up your belly,
And then out through your nose,
Out through your mouth,
Sorry.
Let's do it again.
Out through the mouth.
And now let's begin to soften the body one part at a time.
Bring your awareness to your forehead.
Imagine any tension there melting away,
Like warm sunshine dissolving that tightness.
There's a bright golden light on the forehead,
And it's just melting that tension away.
Drop down to your jaw.
Unclench your jaw.
Let it just hang loosely.
Let go of anything that you've been holding.
Let's soften our shoulders.
Allow them to drop just a little bit lower.
Feel the weight in your arms.
Let them just rest,
Heavy on your sides.
Let your belly relax.
No need to hold on to anything in there.
Let your breath flow freely,
Naturally.
Move to your legs,
Your feet.
Let them sink deeply into the earth,
Fully supported.
Your whole body is softening,
Sinking,
Just letting go.
You are safe to rest here.
Let's take a few deep breaths in.
Hold it at the top,
And release through the mouth.
Let's do that again.
In through the nose,
Hold it at the top,
And release through the mouth.
I am allowed to rest.
I am allowed to feel this peace.
I'm allowed to take this moment simply because I exist.
Staying in this moment helps me become a better version of myself.
I want you to slowly begin to bring awareness back to your surroundings.
Wiggle your fingers,
Wiggle your toes.
Roll your shoulders,
Roll your neck if that feels good to you.
You can lift your gaze or keep them closed,
Whatever feels right for you.
Take a moment to see how your body feels.
Maybe just a little bit lighter,
A little bit softer,
A little bit more at peace.
Always know that this rest is always available to you,
Whether you do it for two minutes,
An hour.
You always have the option to stop whatever it is that you're doing and do this exact thing that we just did.
You don't need permission from anyone but yourself,
Nobody.
Rest is not a luxury.
It's part of your healing,
And you're worthy of healing.
We sometimes wait for other people to go,
Now is your rest,
Now you can go sit down,
Now you can take a breath.
Or we wait until our body screams at us to take a rest.
As you move through the rest of this day,
Carry the softness with you.
And always remember you are allowed to slow down.
You're allowed to take up space and you are allowed to rest.
Thank you for being with me today.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for showing up.
And I wish you all the best as you move forward and remember,
This can be done at any time,
Anywhere.
Until next time.
