Hello.
This meditation is part one of the stillness series,
A contemplative collection of meditations.
Together they explore calm,
Self-compassion,
Uncertainty,
Presence and inner stillness.
This series continues through the videos it is not your fault.
Beyond the known,
Fear can arise from a single word.
Be here and the body responds to thoughts.
Hello.
My name is Pratika.
You are most welcome.
This meditation is called Fear Can Arise From a Single Word.
There are moments in life when a single word or conversation,
A story,
Can suddenly create a sense of fear within the body and mind.
A thought appears,
A feeling follows,
And almost instantly the nervous system reacts.
The body can tighten,
The breath can change,
The mind can begin moving ahead into imagined futures.
Preparing,
Projecting,
Trying to protect itself from what has not yet happened.
And in these moments,
It can begin to feel as though the mind has become trapped inside its own spiralling momentum.
Thought after thought,
Image after image,
Fear and uncertainty slowly build.
Life becomes self-focused and restless.
But here now we only have this moment,
We only have this breath.
And together we shall gently begin returning from fearful projections back into the calm of direct experiencing.
To begin,
Bring the body into a comfortable and relaxed position.
And very gently begin noticing the natural rhythm of your breathing.
And put aside any belief of whether this is a correct or incorrect method.
You are simply here,
Sitting still and observing the body breathing quietly.
And as you breathe,
Let the shoulders drop,
Relax,
Giving the body permission that for this moment it is safe to slow down,
To relax.
Notice an overall softening,
A sense of ease as the body begins to let go,
To relax.
Comforted by where you are quietly sitting and the nurturing space around you and all that it brings in way of support,
Joy,
Upliftment or inspiration.
And here you are relaxed,
Still and present within your immediate awareness.
Now reflect on how quickly fear can arise through wandering thoughts.
A word is heard,
A story is remembered,
The mind creates images and almost immediately the body responds.
The heartbeat can accelerate,
The stomach may tighten,
The nervous system reacts and a heat can be felt as it rises from the pit of your stomach.
Not because something dangerous is happening at the moment,
But because the mind has begun creating a whole range of scenarios.
And this reaction is deeply human.
The mind is attempting to protect,
Attempting to prepare and anticipate,
Attempting to stay ahead of that which is only a word or a story or a memory or an imagining.
But living inside projections and imagined possibilities quickly can become exhausting,
Affecting all manner of lifestyle,
Especially your rest and sleep.
Now the body may already be experiencing something challenging,
But the mind's continual movement into the future,
Suffering can deepen exhaustion,
Fear and nervous system imbalances.
So very gently now,
Without fighting thought,
Without trying to force the mind to be silent,
Notice that thoughts are simply appearing as they have always done.
Thoughts about this morning,
About tomorrow,
Thoughts about possibilities,
Thoughts about what may happen,
Appearing and disappearing.
And remember that thoughts are only words and words have no authority,
No independent power,
Unless we give them that.
And for these few moments,
You do not need to believe every thought that arises.
You do not need to bring fear into imagined possibilities.
You do not need to follow every projection into the future.
And you will come to recognize that you are not your thoughts.
Notice instead what is directly here,
Beneath the movements of the breath,
Beneath sensations,
Beneath the activity of thought itself.
There is a quiet stillness already present.
And it's from here that sounds arise,
Sensations are felt and movements are noticed.
And all is present as the effortless now.
All the while,
This calmness itself remains present,
Still,
Relaxed and spacious.
Quietly here beneath all thought movements,
Unmoved,
Open and still.
The mind may continue producing thoughts that is human,
But thoughts are not always reality and fearful imagination is not the same as this living present moment.
Fear and contraction are movements within the mind,
But awareness itself remains open,
Spacious and undisturbed.
So each time the mind rushes ahead,
Return to the now,
To the breath,
Back to the sensing,
Back to the fact of simply being here in the stillness prior to thought.
Nothing is being dismissed.
This meditation is not asking you to pretend difficulty does not exist.
It is simply an invitation to stop adding an imagined suffering onto what is already here.
For now,
Allow yourself to rest from all that is a projection.
Rest from anticipation.
Rest from caring imagined futures.
Feel the aliveness of flow of the breath once more,
Calmly and peacefully moving in and slowly moving out.
The body itself breathing life,
Life unfolding effortlessly behind the immediacy of each breath.
And perhaps now there can be a little more awareness around what the mind would say is fear and uncertainty.
Stand back,
Remain open to the present.
Allow a little more discrimination,
A little less identifying or imagining into your day.
You are not required to solve your entire future in this moment.
You're only here now.
Breathing,
Sensing,
Aware,
Spacious and free.
For beneath all mental noise,
There remains something quietly present that cannot be touched or labelled by thought itself.
Rest there for a few moments in stillness,
In awareness,
In quiet presence.
And when you are ready,
Very gently begin returning attention to the body,
Sensing the hands,
The feet,
The space around you.
And slowly in your own time,
Quietly open your eyes.
And you may remember that not every thought needs to be believed.
Blessings to you.
