Browse
Top articles
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
Benefits of Mindfulness: Mindful Living Can Change Your Life
Mindfulness 101: A Beginner's Guide
00:00
00:00
Duration
In this meditation, we'll practice taking time for YOU so you can show up for your family.
Welcome to this self-care meditation.
As a parent, you have a lot of
demands on your time, on your
energy, on your attention.
And because of that, it can sometimes
be easy to forget, to take time for you.
So to emphasize the importance of that,
and to perhaps give you permission to do
that, I'd like to offer a quote by Parker
Palmer before we go into our meditation.
And the quote is,
"Self-care is never selfish.
It's simply good stewardship of
the only gift we have, the gift we
were put on earth to offer others.
Anytime we take care of ourselves, we do
it not just for ourselves, but for the
many others whose lives we aim to serve.
Self-care is not selfish.
And we could write that off
as trite, but it's true.
If you are not taking time to replenish
your own energy, to be still, to
take care of your body, to eat well,
without that, you're just going to
deplete and you won't have a full
enough fuel tank to keep going.
So if nothing else, I hope this
encourages you to take moments
throughout the day for you.
And that's what this
meditation is all about.
So let's start by finding
a comfortable posture.
And one that feels particularly
good and nourishing for you.
It doesn't have to feel
austere and upright.
Maybe this is sitting.
Could be lying down, could even
be standing, if that feels best.
And if you'd like, you
can close your eyes.
And let's drink in one
deep breath together.
Breathing into the nose.
Slowly letting it out through the mouth.
Noticing any tension you
might be holding in your face.
The forehead.
The eyes.
The cheeks.
The jaw.
Even the tongue.
Just inviting these muscles to relax.
You don't need to be on right now.
You don't need to have
a particular expression.
You don't need to be showing
up in a particular way.
It's okay to be however you are.
Even if that includes feeling uncertain,
overwhelmed, a little burnt out.
We can add so much extra tension
by constantly feeling like we
need to show up a certain way.
Masking, perhaps, what's
really beneath the surface.
So letting the face soften
into its original face.
Inviting the shoulders,
the neck to be at ease.
The chest and the belly.
And I invite you to place one hand on
your belly and one hand on your heart.
I tend to like to do the right hand
on the heart, left hand on the belly.
And just take a few moments to
feel your body breathing you.
And your heart that's beating.
Even while you're running around, spending
so much time taking care of others.
Your body is still here
nourishing you, caring about you.
Keeping you going.
So maybe just feeling a moment
of appreciation, gratitude.
You can even say in your
own mind, thank you.
body.
Thank you for continuing to show up
for me, even if maybe I'm not always
the best at showing up for you.
And the breath is your reminder
that as long as you're breathing,
there's still so much more right
with you than wrong with you.
No matter how many mistakes
you may perceive you've made,
no matter how hopeless things
might feel at times or how
overwhelmed life might feel,
this breath is your reminder
that you're still here.
There's still another opportunity
to choose how you'll be in
relationship to this moment.
And as you rest here in stillness
and attunement, just ask yourself,
is there anything I need right
now that I can offer myself?
It could be within the meditation, but
you can let down those boundaries and also
just consider outside of the meditation.
Is there anything I need right
now that I can offer myself?
And see what comes up
around that question.
And what does it feel like to even
consider offering this to yourself?
Just starting with the nourishment of
the intention to take care of yourself.
It may feel a little scary, yes.
It may feel like an
unfamiliar pattern, indeed.
But just see if you can sit with
it for a moment, this intention
to offer something to you.
So in our final moments here,
I invite you to thank yourself.
It's not an easy job that you have.
And some words of reassurance
and kindness from yourself to
yourself can often go a long way.
So whatever that sounds like
for you, you're doing great.
Thank you.
You can even talk to
yourself in the third person.
So if it were me, I might say, Hey Corey,
I know there's a lot going on, buddy.
This is tough, but
you're making it through.
I'm here for you.
We've got this.
I'm proud of you.
So what do you feel like you need to hear?
And can you say it from yourself to
yourself with the most amount of love?
Let's take one more deep breath together.
In through the nose.
Slowly out through the mouth.
And when you're ready, you
can let your eyes open.
Thanks for practicing with me.
You know, we all have different
relationships to self-care.
And it is often the case that obsessively
taking care of others can be a subtle
form of bypassing the more difficult
work of taking care of ourselves.
And so just notice if that
might be a pattern for you.
You have a big job as a parent, a
caregiver, and it won't be sustainable or
at least with any sort of energy, vitality
and joy, without being able to take
these moments for yourself to recharge,
reconnect, reattune and just show
yourself some, some love and gratitude.
So necessary and goes such a long way.
So thanks for doing everything
you're doing in the world.
I appreciate you.
We need you.
And I'll talk to you next time.
Until then, as always, take care.
Get Unlimited Access
A Mindfulness Plus+ subscription gives you unlimited access to a world of premium mindfulness content.
Email Missing
We couldn’t detect your email with the SSO provider you have selected.We are here to make a positive impact on the world. We never want to sell you something that hasn’t helped you live a better life. That’s why if you’re unhappy with any purchase from us, you have 30 days to get a full refund and your money back.
If you subscribed to Mindfulness Plus+ and are unhappy with your purchase, please get in contact with us within the 30-day period and we’ll refund your purchase.
Learn more about our Mindfulness Guarantee.
Mindfulness
We believe in a world where everybody has access to the life-changing skills of mindfulness.
Private Browsing
Congratulations on taking the first step towards a more mindful life! As a token of our appreciation, we want to offer you an exclusive opportunity to upgrade to Mindfulness Plus+ for a price you won't find anywhere else.
Mindfulness Plus+ is our premium membership that includes everything you need to learn mindfulness and keep practicing throughout all stages of life.
Take this exclusive offer to further your mindfulness skills and experience deeper levels of well-being.
Annual membership
$0
Just a small sample of the life-changing 5-star reviews we get on a daily basis.
Vidyamala’s tips on catching anger as it’s happening or about to happen are great - clear, practical, and doable.
- Vicoir
The little talks before the meditations are priceless. It's like I've found my peeps. The topics, the quotes, the goals—it all makes so much sense to me, things I want to be thinking and learning about. Most importantly, the meditations are kindness-centered, which I love. It feels like a new way to approach meditation.
- Lauren
Incredible, easy to navigate app. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wishes to reduce stress and anxiety or simply as an aid to improve overall mental health.
- Kirtus
I love how the app gives me pointers to new things to explore.
- Lydia
So calm and soothing. I love the new bundle with Kelly Boys, she’s brilliant!
- EJ
Better than Headspace. I've had the paid version of both apps, and I must say I enjoy this one better.
- Gina, Plus+ Member
I am very new to meditation, and am so happy that my first introduction to it has been through this app
The first session was fantastic. I feel safe. And supported. Almost like having someone helping me through my difficult time. I’m very grateful for this app.
- Babi
You get a lot of useful tips for handling stress and anxiety in 'real life'.
- Joy
Highly recommend.
- Humanfrst
Kelly Boys is hands down the best. Everytime I click on one of her guided meditations I get excited for the calmness that lies ahead.
-
Claim your free access
Create a mindfulness account and we’ll unlock this premium session in your account forever.
7-Days free trial, cancel anytime.
Complete a few quick questions to make your own personalized mindfulness plan.