Hello,
Welcome to this guided meditation for caregivers.
Please find a comfortable seated position or lie down if that feels better.
Caregiver asks so much of your body and heart.
This gentle practice honors that labor by releasing stored tension and inviting energy back in at your own pace.
You can pause or stop any time.
Your nervous system always leads.
You're settling in,
Observing your body,
Noticing how you feel as you settle in.
And this is your time,
The time to give yourself care.
Let us begin with one full breath together,
Inhaling softly through the nose,
And then exhaling long and easy out the mouth.
Now I invite you to rest your hands on your thighs or lap,
Whatever's comfortable,
Or down by your sides.
And invite your shoulders to lift up toward your ears with a gentle shrug,
Just a small movement,
Whatever feels possible.
And let's hold for two breaths,
Then drop them fully.
Repeating again,
Repeat the shrug up,
Holding for two,
And then down one more time.
Now,
If it feels right,
Make slow circles with your shoulders.
Roll them forward,
Eight full circles,
Nice and easy.
And then when ready,
Reverse,
Again,
Doing eight,
Rolling backwards,
Backwards circles eight times.
And allowing extra energy to soften through the movement,
Releasing and letting go.
Now I invite you to bring your arms down to your sides,
Palms open.
And with each inhale,
Gently fill your own space,
Like you're breathing into your heart,
Your shoulders,
Your belly.
And then with each exhale,
Let anything heavy soften,
Without forcing it away.
Inhaling,
Filling your space.
And then exhale softly.
Let's do that for a few times at your own natural pace,
Filling your space of your heart and belly.
And then exhaling softly,
Letting it go,
Letting everything soften.
And you're doing this for a couple times.
When ready,
I invite you to return to your own natural rhythm of breathing,
Noticing your own presence.
If it feels comfortable,
Loosely clasp your hands in front of your heart,
Or keep them resting at your sides.
Again,
This is your time,
Whatever is most comfortable.
And on your next inhale,
Lift your shoulders gently towards your ears.
And then on the exhale,
Let them lower and soften.
Inhaling,
Lifting gently.
And then exhaling,
Lowering.
Inhaling,
Lifting.
And then exhaling,
Lowering.
Notice your front body softening with each breath.
No strain,
Just a gentle opening if available.
And then just settling in,
Resting one hand on your heart.
Imagine a warm golden light hovering nearby,
Not inside you,
Just available close by.
If it feels right,
Take a slow sip of that light into your chest.
Let it pool there for a moment,
Settling in.
Then invite it to spread gently to your belly,
Your shoulders,
Your arms.
Take another slow slip into your chest.
Pool it there,
Spreading to belly and shoulders,
Arms,
Shoulders,
Arms,
Letting go,
Exhaling.
And then one more sip into your chest,
Allowing the golden light to settle there.
And then allow it to spread wherever it feels nourishing,
Inviting it where it's needed,
That warmth,
That golden light.
And then just allow yourself to breathe naturally.
Allow your hands to rest wherever feels most comfortable.
It could be on your heart,
Your belly,
Lap,
Wherever,
Wherever is most comfortable for you.
If you're seated,
Invite a tiny forward lean with your upper body on the inhale,
Like tipping toward noon on a face clock,
And then settle back on the exhale.
If you're lying down,
Simply press your feet gently into the surface on the inhale,
And then release on the exhale.
There's no need to move your upper body.
Either way works.
Or you may choose to simply stay still,
Observing your breath.
Whatever works for you is fine.
Let's try four breaths together.
Inhaling,
Moving tiny forward,
Or foot pressing.
Exhaling,
Settle back,
Releasing the feet,
And then exhale,
Settle back,
Or release.
Again,
Inhale,
Tiny forward lean,
Or foot press,
And then exhale,
Settle back,
Or release.
One more time.
Inhale,
Tiny forward lean,
Or foot press,
And exhale,
Settle back,
Or release.
Notice how your own presence holds you steady now,
And then just return to your natural rhythm of breathing.
Now,
I invite you to bring your palms together.
Rub them together softly,
But firmly,
Feeling the natural warmth building,
Back and forth,
Warming your palms,
Letting that warmth build.
Now,
I invite you to cup your warm hands gently over your forehead,
Over your eyes,
Or heart,
Or wherever feels soothing.
Allow the warmth to sink in.
Let it be received at your own pace,
Allowing it to warm you,
Nurture you.
And now,
Resting one hand on your heart,
The other wherever feels grounding.
Let's seal this with a simple phrase,
And we're going to repeat three times.
First,
With a soft inhale,
I give from fullness.
Pause and feel that settle in your chest.
Next,
With a full exhale,
I give them fullness.
Let it ripple gently toward your shoulders,
Outward,
Moving away.
And again,
Inhaling,
I give from fullness,
Feeling that in your chest.
And then release,
Exhale,
I give from fullness,
Letting go.
And one last time,
Inhaling,
I give from fullness.
Release it back.
On the exhale,
I give from fullness.
Notice how your body receives and holds this truth.
Giving of yourself,
Just rest in that for a moment,
Allowing yourself to honor you,
Honor yourself and the caregiver that you are.
When ready,
I invite you to add gentle movement back into your body.
Wiggling your toes,
Your fingers,
Maybe some gentle stretches,
Whatever feels good.
Noticing how your body feels as you do this.
If your eyes have been closed,
Flutter them open slowly,
Allowing the light to reenter at its own pace.
Just observing how you feel.
Thank you for showing up for yourself today.
You can return to this practice anytime your caregiving cup feels low or you feel overwhelmed.
