Welcome to the Care Model Meditation practice.
This practice is really about taking care of you.
We give a lot of ourselves to others and all of that giving pays the bills.
It cultivates personal and professional relationships.
All of that giving is good for us and those around us,
But what about giving to you?
I'd like to take the next few moments to focus on your self-care through the Care Model Mindful Meditation practice.
The Care Model Mindful Meditation practice is an acronym that stands for Connect,
Allow,
Release,
Exhale.
It is mindful meditation that helps bring focus to the present moment so that you can refuel before giving yourself to others.
Before we begin,
I'd like to speak briefly about mindful meditation.
Mindful meditation is about bringing awareness to the present moment without judgments.
This work is inspired by Jon Kabat-Zinn,
Which I expect many of you know his work.
Jon describes mindfulness as an awareness that arises through paying attention on purpose in the present moment non-judgmentally.
It is this non-judgment that many of us struggle with.
The Care Model is designed to support non-judgment and non-attachment.
This will become more apparent through the practice we are about to begin.
So with that,
Find a comfortable posture.
Sitting,
Laying down,
Or even standing is okay too.
Let's begin.
Let's meditate.
Eyes opened or closed,
Your choice.
But let's begin with the breath.
Connect to the present moment.
Notice your breath.
Inhales and exhales.
The slow rise and fall of your chest and belly.
Inhales and exhales.
We don't need to strive for presence.
It's always here.
The breath is a great way to notice the present moment.
Continue to breathe.
Continue to connect.
Connect with your inhales.
Connect with your exhales.
As thoughts wander into the mind,
And they definitely will,
Allow them.
Allow your thoughts,
Your to-do list,
All of the things.
Allow and continue to breathe.
Easy inhales and easy exhales.
Use your breath as a guide when your thoughts want to take over.
Bring focus back to your breath.
No judgment.
No attachment.
If you begin to notice your mind taking you down an old road of judging actions of the past,
Just allow and begin to release.
If worries of the future come to mind,
Allow and begin to release.
As you breathe,
Release those thoughts.
Release the judgments.
Release the attachment of the past or who you think you should be in the future.
Your to-do list will be there.
And for these next few moments,
Be present with yourself.
Be present with your thoughts.
Connect.
Allow.
Release.
Exhale As you breathe,
Connect.
Allow.
Release.
Exhale Leverage your exhales.
Think of each out-breath as an anchor.
Anchor to your breath.
Release your inner judgments.
Release the attachment of the what-ifs,
Shoulds,
And coulds.
As you continue to breathe,
Connect.
Allow.
Release.
Exhale Continue to connect to your breath.
Allow your thoughts,
But release the judgments.
Release the desire to attach and simply exhale.
Take a few more breaths.
Connect.
Allow.
Release.
Exhale As you slowly come back,
Take any movements you might need to shift the body.
Know you can come back to this self-care practice and these words to focus on the present moment without judgment.
As I mentioned at the start,
Non-judgment is really hard so know that if this was a struggle for you,
It doesn't mean you were doing anything wrong.
Mindfulness reminds us how judgmental we are.
It also reminds us how quickly we are drawn to the past or worries of the future.
Use the care model to continue down your mindfulness journey and give back to yourself so that you can continue to be of service to others.
I wish you a good rest of your day.
