Welcome.
I'm Teresa.
I'm so glad you're here.
Today we're going to spend a few moments exploring something that can feel surprisingly unfamiliar.
Receiving.
Night giving.
Not helping.
Not anticipating what someone else needs.
Simply receiving.
If you are someone who naturally cares for others,
Whether as a parent,
A caregiver,
A practitioner,
Or simply someone with a generous heart,
Receiving may not come quite as naturally.
Not because you are doing anything wrong.
But because your nervous system may have become much more familiar with giving than with being cared for.
So today,
Here with me,
There is nothing you need to force.
Nothing you need to change.
We're simply going to be curious about what it might feel like to let yourself receive.
Even just a little.
Take a slow breath in.
And gently let it go.
Again,
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
Notice the surface beneath you.
The chair.
The floor.
The bed.
Whatever is supporting your body in this moment.
Before we go any further,
Simply notice this.
You are already being supported.
You don't have to hold yourself up completely on your own.
The Earth is carrying you.
Gravity is doing its quiet work.
The surface beneath you is sharing your weight.
If it feels okay,
Allow yourself to lean into that.
Just a little more.
If you've spent years caring for others,
Your attention has likely become beautifully practiced at moving outward.
You notice things.
You respond.
You anticipate the needs of others.
You remember the details.
You carry what's not yours.
These are beautiful qualities that our world needs.
They're part of what makes you such a compassionate human being.
But sometimes that same outward attention can become so familiar.
That turning it toward yourself feels strange.
Even uncomfortable or vulnerable.
You may brush off compliments from others.
Decline offers to help.
Say,
I'm okay.
Even when you're not.
Not because you don't deserve support.
But because your body has become more accustomed to providing care than receiving it.
And if that's true for you,
It makes sense.
There is nothing here to judge.
I'd like to invite you,
If it feels okay,
To imagine something.
Not dramatic.
Just something very simple.
Imagine someone offering you a warm cup of tea.
Or a blanket.
Or a genuine smile.
Perhaps someone quietly saying,
I've got this,
You can rest.
Notice what happens in your body when you imagine this.
Do you immediately want to say,
No,
I'm fine?
Do you feel relief?
Discomfort.
Tears.
Or nothing at all.
There is no right or wrong way to receive.
Now imagine that you don't have to accept all of that support.
Imagine accepting only 5%.
Just enough to let your nervous system discover that receiving doesn't have to feel overwhelming.
Perhaps your shoulders soften just a little.
Perhaps your breathing changes.
Perhaps nothing changes yet.
That's okay.
Receiving isn't something we accomplish.
It's something we slowly become familiar with.
Just as trust grows through many small moments.
So does receiving.
Now,
If it feels okay,
Place one hand somewhere on your body.
Perhaps your heart.
Your arm.
Your cheek.
Or your stomach.
Wherever feels comforting for you.
Rather than offering comfort through this touch,
See if you can simply notice that comfort is already arriving.
Through warmth.
Through contact.
Through presence.
See if you can allow yourself to receive your own kindness.
Not because you've earned it.
But simply because you're worthy of it.
Very gently ask yourself.
What is one small way I could allow myself to receive today?
Perhaps it's accepting help.
Perhaps it's saying yes when someone offers.
Perhaps it's letting someone make dinner.
Perhaps it's resting without explaining why.
Perhaps it's simply receiving your own breath.
Whatever comes forward,
Let that be enough.
Take one more slow,
Steady breath.
As we come to the end of this practice,
I hope you'll remember this.
Receiving does not make you less caring.
It does not make you weaker.
It doesn't take anything away from the love you offer others.
In fact,
Allowing yourself to receive,
Creates the conditions that help your own heart to remain open.
It nourishes the very part of you that gives so generously.
So perhaps the next time someone offers support.
Or life offers you a quiet moment of rest.
You might pause and open the door just a little.
Not all the way.
Just enough for your nervous system to learn that you are worthy of receiving too.
If this practice resonated with you,
You might also enjoy my course,
The Sustainable Caregiver.
Together,
We explore how to care deeply for others,
While gently learning to include yourself in that care.
Until next time,
May you remember that you were never meant to carry life on your own.
And that allowing yourself to receive is not a detour from compassion,
It is compassion.
And remember as you return to your day,
You are loved.
You are whole.
You are enough.
You
