Welcome.
If you're listening to this because anxiety has found its way into your day,
Let's for these next few minutes allow yourself a little space.
A little breathing room.
And somewhere where you can gently begin to settle and soften.
Anxiety can feel so different for each of us.
It might be a fluttering in the stomach.
A tightness across the chest.
A restless feeling that seems to move through the whole body.
And sometimes it's the mind.
Traveling from one thought to another,
Imagining things that haven't happened.
And searching for answers that aren't quite there.
It really can be quite exhausting,
Can't it?
Especially when you long for everything to become quiet.
So we're going to approach those feelings a little differently.
With gentleness.
With patience.
And really not asking anything of ourselves.
So find your comfy space warm and cozy.
Feel your body soften,
Just letting go.
And simply take a quiet moment wherever you are.
Gently close your eyes.
And just begin to notice how your body is feeling.
Simply acknowledge what is here.
Might be a place in your body where anxiety feels particularly noticeable.
So just gently acknowledge that sensation.
And then bring your attention to rest somewhere that feels more comfortable.
Maybe the warmth of your hands,
The softness of your clothing.
Or just your heart center.
Sometimes when anxiety is present.
We become so focused on what feels uncomfortable.
That we forget there are other sensations here too.
The warmth.
A softness.
A place that isn't asking for our attention.
So just let yourself rest with one of those feelings for a moment.
And now just begin to notice your breathing.
The steady flow in and the steady flow out.
Anxiety can sometimes make us feel as though we need to take a big breath.
To somehow catch up with ourselves.
But here there is no need to do that.
Just allow your breathing to find its own comfortable rhythm.
Gentle breath in.
And an easy breath out.
Just let your breath leave your body with a little less effort now.
Almost like a sigh.
So you're not pushing the air away but you are allowing it to go.
So just breathe in gently.
And just breathe out with a soft sigh.
Just feel your body soften and loosen.
Take a moment to become aware of your shoulders.
And just see the muscles there becoming a little less busy.
Your hands are no longer needing to hold quite so tightly.
Your forehead is becoming smooth.
Your jaw is beginning to release.
And your whole face is softening.
Your whole body is beginning to release and let go.
And here we are simply giving your body.
The opportunity to rest.
So breathe into your body.
Breathe into your heart.
And gently.
Your thoughts might be still moving and that's okay because an anxious mind can be very persuasive.
Can offer you one possibility after another.
What if this happens or what if I can't manage?
And before we know it,
We're living through a hundred imagined moments instead of the one that we are actually in now.
So you really don't need to answer those questions.
You can just allow them to remain unanswered.
You might imagine each anxious thought as a gentle knock at the door.
And you can notice that it's there.
But you don't have to open the door and follow it.
So just gently,
Quietly remind yourself.
This is a thought.
It isn't something I have to solve right now because I can return to this moment.
This is just an invitation for you to loosen your attention from the endless searching.
And so,
For these few moments,
You can set down the work of trying to answer them all.
And just see yourself being wrapped in a beautifully soft blanket.
It is so comfortably warm and it gives the feeling of a quiet sense of being held.
Allow that feeling of warmth to surround your shoulders,
Moving gently around your arms and settling across your body.
Just imagine those muscles beneath that warmth gradually becoming less tense.
Not all at once,
But just letting them be.
Release,
Soften.
There's really nothing more that you need to do in this moment.
Good.
As you rest here imagine those anxious feelings becoming a little less demanding now.
They may still be somewhere in the background.
They no longer need to occupy every corner of your awareness.
There's room for the warmth,
Room for the quiet.
And room for the gentle movement of your breathing.
And if anxiety becomes noticeable again,
That's okay too.
Because you can return to the warmth now.
To the feeling of being supported and to the gentle rhythm of your own body.
Your own breath again and again.
There's something I'd love you to remember.
Anxiety can make everything feel so urgent.
It's as though every thought needs an answer or explanation.
Every possibility needs to be considered.
But now you can choose to take one small moment at a time.
And for now,
You can simply be here.
Resting.
Breathing comfortably.
Allowing this little pocket of quiet to be enough.
Now breathe in for a gentle count of three.
2,
3,
And breathe out for 4,
3,
2,
1.
1,
2,
3,
And out 4,
3,
2,
1 Just continue with this easy rhythm.
No effort,
Just a gentle inhale for a count of three.
And a slightly longer exhale.
Breathe in 2.
.
.
3.
.
.
Breathe out 3,
2,
1.
In your own time now and just feel each out-breath like a small wave returning to the sea.
It's carrying away a little of your restlessness.
It's carrying away any anxious thoughts.
And just focus on the feeling of breathing.
The air is entering.
And the air is leaving 4 3 2 1.
It's the quiet space beneath each breath.
And somewhere within you now.
That softness begins to appear.
Because for these few moments You are allowing yourself.
To soften.
To a new day.
Let go.
So once more,
Breathe in for a count of 3,
2,
3 and out 4,
3,
2,
1.
And just return to your natural breathing pattern now.
And just quietly remind yourself.
I can meet this moment.
One gentle breath at a time.
Wonderful.
So just remain with this feeling of softness.
Notice the gentle movement of your breathing.
The quiet space that you have allowed yourself.
The comfort of the surface beneath you.
And just take a breath and breathe it into your heart center.
Just drop down into your heart.
Just rest there for a moment.
Bring your hand there.
Feel it's warm.
Feel the sensation.
Of your heartbeat.
And the gentle rise and fall of your breath.
Right in your heart center.
Rest in this moment.
Rest in this peace.
Wonderful.
So here you are in this moment.
And you have met yourself with gentleness and with care.
And know that you can return to this approach whenever you need to.
As you gradually become aware of the world around you again.
Just allow yourself to take all the time that you need.
Feel the gentle movement of your hands.
Notice the sounds around you.
Roll your shoulders,
Give yourself a gentle stretch.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
And just remember.
To give yourself these gentle moments of rest.
So that you can soften.
So that you can be here in the moment.
And may you find more ease in your moments ahead.
And remember that even when anxiety is present.
There will be space for self-gentleness and self-care.
So,
Thank you so much for sharing these moments with me.
Until the next time,
Namaste my friend.
