Easy Meditation For Parents

Join mindfulness coach Lauren Wise from The Skill of Still for an easy meditation for parents. This meditation focuses on deep breathing and relaxation techniques that you can utilize at any point throughout your busy day.

Transcript

Hey there, You're joining Lauren Wise from the Skill of Still for a quick meditation for parents. I am a mindfulness coach from Calgary, Canada, And I'm a mother of two little boys. And I really love teaching parents mindfulness and meditation because we need it. Being a parent is a hard job. It's one of the most rewarding jobs I've ever had, But that doesn't mean that it's not hard. And I also think parents these days, We're really, We've got a lot going on. We're time restricted. We're raising kids in the social media age, Which adds a whole new level of challenge. And you know, The world feels like a crazy place sometimes. So the more mindfulness and self-connection that parents can have, The more patience and understanding we can have with our children and in a world where we can raise good kids, We build good communities and make a better world. So I think parents have a really important job and we deserve all the tools that are available to be the best parents we can be. So let's get started. You may lay down for this meditation or you may stay seated. The most important thing I think to build a quality meditation practice is to make it enjoyable for yourself. So if laying down feels good, Go for it. If seated feels good, Go for it. Do what's best for you. So once you've found that place where you're really comfortable, Let's take a deep breath in and deep breath out. Let's do that again. Deep breath in and deep breath out. Let the shoulders melt away from the ears. Let the jaw soften. Let the forehead soften. Closing down the eyes. Letting the space behind the eyes soften as well. Deep breath in. And deep breath out. Just finding a rhythm with your breath in and out. Breathing in through the nose or through the mouth. Whatever feels comfortable for you. Just feeling your heart slow. Feeling your breath slow. And just arriving in the place you are right now. Arriving in your body. There is nothing you need to be doing right now except getting comfortable. There is nothing you need to be doing except focusing on your breath. Tuning out what you might have going on later and what you might have going on tomorrow. None of that really matters right now. Just focus on the present. Focus on your breath. As thoughts pop up in your mind, Let them go without judgment or criticism. Thoughts are normal. They come and they go. It is only when we get attached to them that they stick around. Just as quickly as they came in, Quickly let them go. Sometimes thoughts pop into our head that we want to explore later. And that's fine. If there is something that comes up that you want to explore now, That's fine too. We don't need to be rigid with our meditations. You get to choose what comes in, What you explore, What you release. You are in control. Deep breath in and deep breath out. As parents, We have a lot going on. We are multitaskers taking care of the house, Taking care of our children's emotional needs, Taking care of our own emotional needs. It's a big job. Give yourself a little bit of credit and compassion for all that you do. Deep breath in and deep breath out. As a parent, We are often having to do things quickly or rush even when we try really hard to plan and avoid rushing. It just sometimes happens as a parent. So just really settle into how good it feels to not rush right now. Feel how good it feels to just be, To just settle into your body and enjoy your own breath. Enjoy the peace. Deep breath in deep breath out. As a parent, Our time is often limited. So know that you can find a meditation practice or a few deep breaths even just for a few minutes a day. Even as a mindfulness coach, I would love to meditate more than I do get to in a day with my little guys. So focus on giving yourselves that time even if it's just for a few minutes. Maybe you can get two minutes uninterrupted multiple times a day to reconnect with your breath or reconnect with yourself. Deep breath in and deep breath out. Meditation is really just about self-connection. It's about tuning out the external and connecting with yourself. Connecting with how you're feeling. Connecting with what you're needing. So anytime we can take that time away from being a parent, Like I said, It doesn't even have to be long. It can be one minute. It's just still so good for us to reset our energy. And when we can find that time to self-connect, To quiet our mind for a few moments, It resets our energy for the day. Deep breath in and deep breath out. And when we reset that energy, We are more likely to have more patience for our kids. We're more likely to be present with them in what is happening because we allowed ourselves to disconnect for a moment, Reconnect with ourselves in the present moment and that helps us be present with our kids too. Deep breath in because they really are just little people on the planet like we once were. We were once curious and scared and unsure and excited. We were once all the things that our kids were. So the more patience, Compassion and love we can provide them, It's actually the more patience, Compassion and love we are providing our own inner child that is still with us. Deep breath in and deep breath out. So show yourself as a parent some serious love and compassion for all that you do every day because being a parent is every day and it's all day mostly. So really just know that you're doing your best and if you're listening to this meditation that tells me that you're seeking out resources to find mindfulness and find different tools as a parent so kudos to you for that. Let's take another deep breath in and deep breath out. Thank you so much for joining me today parents. Again my name is Lauren and I am a mindfulness coach with the skill of still and please remember that a deep breath is available to you at all points as a parent. Any point during the day you can find a deep breath, You can lower your heart rate, You can find calm and peace in just a few moments. So instead of focusing on the grand gestures, Find the little things that you can do throughout the day to support yourself. I see you, I feel you and I wish you all the best on your parenting journeys. Thank you. Bye.