Beginner’s Mind for Caregivers

One of the greatest joys of being around children is watching their fascination with simple aspects of their environment that we as adults have come to take for granted. Children as beginners here on the planet, show us the beginner's mind perspective in its most authentic form and can inspire us to rediscover our own genuine appreciation and fascination with the ordinary aspects of our lives. Let's take a few minutes to reconnect with our own beginner's mind. So let's start by finding a comfortable seated position. And as you get comfortable and situated, see if you can feel a lengthening in your spine. And then just notice the support of the surface underneath you. And you can rest your hands on your legs or in any other comfortable position. And if it's comfortable for you, feel free to close your eyes. And as we get started, give yourself permission to arrive in stillness, allowing it to be a smooth and slow transition. See if you can imagine the ease that you feel when you're done with a busy day and it's just time to relax in whatever way you'd like. See if you can bring that ease to this moment as you let go of what you have to do later and just arrive here in this precious stillness. And then just take a deep breath in through your nose, feeling your abdomen expand. And as you exhale through your nose, feel the belly relax back down. And just do that a few more times, tracing the path of a few slow deep breaths. Now let go of any effortful breathing and just allow your breath to find its own natural, easy rhythm. And so we begin the meditation, imagine a place where you feel safe, peaceful, and quiet. Maybe it's somewhere in nature, or maybe a beautiful interior space, real or imagined. Just give yourself this moment to picture this refuge and then just bring your spacious awareness to body sensations, listening to the body as we scan through it. And starting with your lower body, just noticing sensations in your feet, your legs, your hips, and your abdomen. And then scan your upper body noticing sensations in your chest, your neck, and your throat. And scanning down your back, your arms, all the way down to your hands and your fingers. Now bring awareness to your face. If you discover tightness or tension around your forehead or eyes or jaw, just invited a feeling of ease without forcing it, inviting the tiny muscles of your face to let go and relax. Now just witness your body seated here. Notice the space around you, and notice how it supports your body in your quiet stillness. And now just bring to mind a time when your child was fascinated with something simple. Maybe it's when they learn how to grasp objects or when they stared at something new. Maybe it's the potential they saw in a cardboard box or...