This 10-minute meditation for new moms can help *anyone* relax

Real talk: Nothing can really prepare you for life as a new mom. You can manifest calm by decorating the nursery in a soothing pastel palette, but once the baby arrives, things get chaotic, exhausting, and overwhelming fast.

“Motherhood, like life, is unpredictable,” says Anna Gannon, the editorial lead for Expectful, a guided meditation app for mamas-to-be and new moms. “We can do our best to plan our pregnancy, our births, and our postpartum experiences, but inevitably things will come up and our expectations will not always be met.”

At least one study has shown that mindfulness training can help reduce symptoms of postpartum depression.

With this in mind, Expectful created a meditation that helps new moms release all those internal thoughts. “It’s a powerful tool for new mothers to let go of what didn’t happen and focus on what is happening,” Gannon says, adding that this can help create space for more joy and less stress around being a mother, which ultimately helps moms give their babies the best start in life.

Plus, at least one study has shown that mindfulness training can help reduce symptoms of postpartum depression. According to Gannon, meditation can also help new mothers navigate feelings of uncertainty, cope with the stress of parenting, and even increase lactogenesis (a fancy word for “produce milk”) in mothers who are breastfeeding.

To help you find your new-mama Zen, Expectful shared a 10-minute audio meditation for free, below. And pro-tip: Its calming effects work for those without kids, too (trust me, I tried it!).

To try it, simply sit comfortably and play the audio clip below through your headphones or speakers. After a few minutes, you’ll likely notice you feel lighter, more relaxed, and ready to tackle the challenges and cheer of motherhood.

Ready to try the meditation yourself? Plug in your earphones, then just press play.

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