Mindfulness teacher and author Kimberly Brown offers a relaxing practice for whenever you need a break. Take this moment to pause and reconnect with yourself.
Sometimes, when we need a break, the best gift we can give ourselves is just a moment set aside for quiet, breath, and reminding ourselves of who we really are.
In this gentle guided practice, Kimberly Brown uses simple repeated phrases to ground attention and offer a place to rest and reset.
A Meditation for When You Need a Break
Read and practice the guided meditation script below, pausing after each paragraph. Or listen to the audio practice.
Turn inward. You can say to yourself, Hello, I’m here. Hello, my beautiful self, I am here for you. Whatever is arising in me is welcome.
Note that this practice includes longer pauses of complete silence for reflection and presence. If you want more time, feel free to pause the recording as you go.
- To begin, remember that, for these few minutes, you don’t have to do anything. Make a decision and a commitment to yourself to shut off your devices, to stop talking, and to find a quiet place where you can be undisturbed. So if you need to, pause this recording and take a couple of minutes, find your spot, and then come back. Then, when you’re ready, get still.
- Take an attitude of welcoming. Say hello to yourself and whatever you’re experiencing right now. Put one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly and really turn the attention toward you. It’s very likely you’ve been looking out. Turn inward. You can say to yourself, Hello, I’m here. Hello, my beautiful self, I am here for you. Whatever is arising in me is welcome.
- Now gather all of your attention and bring it to your hands, feeling the tops of your hands, the palms of your hands, each finger as they are resting on your heart and on your belly. Connect through your palms with your breath. You can experience your body moving on each inhale and each exhale as you rest your attention on the tops of your hands and the palms of your hands and each finger. Just for a couple of moments, choose to keep your attention here, on your hands, feeling your breath. And when your attention moves away, gently but firmly bring it back, like a kind parent keeping a child safe.
- Where is your attention right now? Do you need to gently come back to the feelings of your breath, to your fingers and your palms? Just for one more minute, rest here.
- Now, with your attention gathered to your hand on your belly and your hand on your heart, imagine you’re with someone who loves you easily. This could be a dear old friend, an aunt, an uncle, a pet, a teacher. Imagine the two of you are in a place that’s meaningful to you, a place that is comfortable and safe to you. I’d like you to notice their face and their beautiful presence. And notice how you feel in their presence. Now, say to them and to you, May we stay connected to our true selves. May we be steady and brave. May we stay connected to our true selves. May we be steady and brave. For just a couple of minutes here, keep this visualization of the two of you, continuing to repeat these phrases like you’re giving a gift. May we stay connected to our true selves. May we be steady and brave.
- Have you lost your connection with the two of you? Are you planning or remembering? It’s okay. Gently come back, imagining you and this dear being, beginning again. May we stay connected to our true selves. May we be steady and brave. Just for another minute or so, repeating these phrases like you’re giving a gift.
- Allow yourself to give this gift of kindness to this loved one. Just check in with yourself. If your attention has wandered from this dear one, reconnect. See their lovely face. Continue repeating, May you stay connected to your true self. May you be steady and open.
- Keeping your hands on your heart and on your belly, you can let the visualization dissolve. Just be here in this moment with your presence, with your experience, with your beautiful self, and giving yourself the same wisdom. May I stay connected to my true self. May I be steady and open.
- I encourage you to continue practicing, even after this recording ends. Alternatively, you can conclude it now and practice it again and again when you feel that you need a break. Before you get up, open your eyes, re-engage with your life, your busy-ness—before you do that, thank yourself. Remember how valuable it is to get in touch with your compassion and your wisdom, your true nature. Thank yourself for this practice, and I thank you for your practice and your good heart.
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