Just like me,
A meditation for parents.
So let's begin by taking a moment to allow our body to settle into a comfortable position.
Grounding our feet through the floor,
Feeling our sitting bones in our seat,
And perhaps feeling the breath in the tummy or the chest or in the nostrils or on the upper lip.
Closing your eyes if you wish,
Or keeping them slightly open.
Allowing the spine to lift and the shoulders to soften.
Our intention is to practice acknowledging the similarities between ourselves and our children,
Bringing awareness to our common humanity with the attitudes of kindness,
Compassion,
And acceptance.
We sometimes focus on our differences,
But realizing that even in moments of disagreement,
It is possible to find commonalities and to remind ourselves that our children are just like us.
And this realization can become a basis for real and sustained connection between us.
So visualizing a child in this moment,
A fellow human just like me,
And considering a few things.
This child has a body and mind just like me.
This child has feelings,
Emotions,
And thoughts just like me.
This child sometimes feels sad,
Disappointed,
Angry,
Hurt,
Or confused,
Just like me.
This child has experienced physical and emotional pain and suffering,
Just like me.
This child wishes to be free from pain and suffering,
Just like me.
This child wishes to be safe,
Healthy,
And loved,
Just like me.
This child wishes to be happy,
Just like me.
And this child is discovering boundaries,
Just like I did as a child.
This child wants to exert their independence,
Just like I did as a child.
This child is still learning right from wrong,
Just like I did as a child.
This child is learning how to make decisions,
Just as I did as a child.
And this child experiences big emotions at times,
Just like I did as a child.
And now perhaps placing a hand over your heart if that feels right for you,
And allowing some wishes to arise for our child.
I wish for this child to have the strength,
Inner resources,
And social support to navigate the difficulties of life.
I wish for this child to be free from pain and suffering.
I wish for this child to be happy and to always feel loved.
Because this child is a special human,
Just like me.
And now visualising your child once again,
Breathing in a breath of kindness,
And breathing out a breath of kindness.
Visualising holding them and soothing them in our arms.
Holding them softly and gently.
And when ready,
Just taking a moment to inhale and exhale deeply.
And bringing our awareness now back to the feet grounding through the earth,
And back to our sitting bones on the seat.
Feeling the breath in our tummy,
Or the rise and fall of our chest.
The play of air in our nostrils,
Or on our upper lip.
Bringing any movement to the body that you may feel is needed.
Wiggling the toes and the fingers,
And perhaps stretching the neck and shoulders.
Opening your eyes if they've been closed.
And just gently coming back into the room.
