You are listening to the Motherhood Unstressed Podcast and I'm your host,
Liz Carlisle.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this meditation,
To settle in,
To connect with your breath,
To connect with who you really are,
Even though we're rolling together for a few minutes,
The effects that you'll feel from slowing down and connecting and calming your internal systems will last the rest of the day and change how you go into your week.
So settle in,
Get in a comfortable seated position with your legs crossed,
Your palms facing the ceiling,
Or you could simply lay flat on your back.
The point,
As always,
Is to be relaxed but alert so that you can do the work.
Focus in now on your breathing.
Is it tense in any places?
Are you fully inhaling and exhaling?
Or is your breath up high in your chest?
Let's do some breaths together to deepen your breathing,
To get you into the flow of what you'll be doing for the rest of the meditation.
Let's take a deep breath in together.
Hold and let it go.
Hold.
Deep breath in.
Hold.
Release.
Hold.
Hold.
Deeper breath in.
Hold.
Release for longer.
Hold.
Deep breath in.
Hold.
This time,
Empty everything out.
Push,
Push,
Push.
And return to normal breathing.
Now you've fully exercised your lungs after that.
Your body might be tingling,
But it's most certainly feeling more alive than when you started.
It's amazing how a simple breath work exercise like that can change your internal chemistry,
Can change your outlook.
So keep breathing.
Do a gentle scan of your body,
Starting from the top of your head.
And as you go down,
Slower than you'd like probably,
Focus on releasing any tension that you find along the way.
Most people keep tension in their jaw,
Certainly in their neck,
Their shoulders.
If you can actively let go and release with every breath,
You'll already be ahead of 90% of the population who might not even be aware that they're holding on to that tension.
Stand down and breathe and release.
When you get down to your hips,
Try to soften the ligaments there.
If you're seated,
Maybe press your hands into your knees to deepen the stretch.
If you're laying down,
You can put your hands on your hips and push them closer to the ground.
Again,
Just releasing any tension there.
Keep going down and then reverse and come back up,
Breathing all the time,
Getting to know your body,
Falling in love with your body,
Your vessel,
Your avatar.
Your body is listening.
And if you've reached back up to the top of your head,
You can smile.
And as you smile,
I want you to send love from your heart throughout your body.
Picture the sun beaming out of your heart to every cell,
Every organ,
Every nerve,
Every bone that exists within you.
And of course,
We are more than our bodies,
But your body needs love,
Not criticism.
Your body is here for you so that you can have a full human experience and accomplish and experience this full life.
So beam it out and let your cells feel the love from your soul.
This is a cleansing process,
A detoxifying process.
And every time you breathe out,
You're breathing out negativity and toxicity.
I'll leave you now for about a minute to fully feel this process,
This self-love.
Come back into your body.
Take a deeper breath.
Notice how calm you feel,
What emotions came up during that practice.
It's not always easy,
Especially after years of perhaps not loving yourself,
But it's important.
This self-love,
This self-observation,
It empowers you and lets you be able to not only help yourself,
But to help others.
So let go of what you can't control.
Begin to trust.
Today,
Try and release the tendency to control and instead go with the flow of life.
Loving yourself is a journey,
A release of old beliefs and old stories.
Just by cracking open your heart like you've done today,
Just by paying attention,
You're well on your way.
I hope you enjoy this meditation.
I hope you go into your day fully present,
Fully alive,
And full of love for yourself and others.
Make sure that you subscribe so that you never miss out on another meditation and follow along with us at Motherhood Unstressed for more content like this.
Namaste.
