This meditation is produced by Harvesting Happiness.
Take a moment to find a position that is comfortable for you.
This could be seated or lying down.
Can you allow your shoulders to relax a little?
Let your arms rest by your side in a way that feels right for you.
Make any final adjustments you need.
Take a moment to become familiar with your surrounds.
Cast your eye around the room you are in.
What do you notice?
When it feels comfortable for you,
Gently close your eyes.
Give yourself permission to settle in.
There is nowhere else you need to be.
It's okay to take time for yourself.
Become aware of the sounds around you,
Initially noticing the most distant sounds.
Perhaps you can hear the faint hum of traffic.
Gradually drift towards the sounds closer to you.
Nothing to do,
Just noticing.
Slowly returning your attention to your body.
How does your body feel today?
When you are ready,
Bring your awareness to your breath.
Perhaps you notice the gentle rise and fall of your chest or the soft expanse of your belly as the air flows in and out.
Can you allow yourself to soften a little on each exhale,
As if your breath carries tension out of your body?
Notice what your breath feels like for you in this moment.
Does your breath feel deep or shallow?
However your breath feels for you is just right.
There is no need to manipulate your breath.
Just continue to observe.
Perhaps you notice your mind has wandered.
You are thinking.
That's okay.
Our minds are designed to think.
Being a mother is a busy job.
It requires a lot of thinking.
Don't worry,
It's okay to think in meditation.
It doesn't mean you are doing it wrong.
When we think in meditation,
We try to bring an attitude of curiosity and openness to our thoughts.
When we do this,
It can sometimes lead to us seeing things in new ways.
So wherever your thoughts have taken you,
It's okay.
Perhaps your thoughts are taking you back in time or off into the future.
Are they happy recollections?
Are they ruminations?
Are you planning or hoping or worrying?
What is the tone of your thoughts?
Is it kind and reassuring?
Is it self-critical or is it something else?
Can you notice what happens to your thoughts when you attend to them with curiosity and openness?
Do they get bigger or smaller?
Do they stay or do they pass?
Now you may wish to return your attention to your breath.
Its rhythmic ebb and flow,
As steady and constant as the tide.
Are you thinking again?
Can you offer yourself a smile as this noticing is mindfulness?
Can you be curious about these thoughts?
Are they old and familiar?
Voices you have heard before?
Or are they new thoughts?
What purpose do you think they serve?
Then when it feels right for you,
Bring your awareness back to the rhythm of your breath.
Notice that with each inhale you are receiving new oxygen.
And with each exhale there is an opportunity to let go.
Perhaps you can let go of tension in your body,
Your shoulders,
Your eyes,
Your stomach.
Can you let go of a thought that doesn't serve you as a mother?
Perhaps you can let go of a criticism you have of yourself.
Perhaps you can let go of a worry you have about your children.
Can you breathe into this feeling of letting go?
Take a moment to rest in the comfort of your breath.
We are not our thoughts.
We are the awareness that notices these thoughts.
There is no need to push our thoughts away.
When we attend to our thoughts with curiosity and openness,
They can ebb and flow like the tide.
A steady rhythm.
In these final moments,
Perhaps you notice the gap between your thoughts becoming longer.
When you are ready,
Begin to deepen your breath.
Slowly finding movement through your fingers and toes.
Finding any other movements your body needs.
Slowly bringing your awareness into the room,
Noticing any sounds around you.
Slowly you may open your eyes.
