Hello beautiful soul traveler and welcome to today's meditation to reduce anxiety.
And so today we're going to be coming back to ourselves to settle our bodies,
To understand some of the sensations that we're experiencing,
Establishing some anchoring and then exploring the sensations when we breathe.
And the intention obviously is to reduce anxiety and bring us to back to a place where we feel centered,
Calm,
We feel more clarity and then we're able to move forward from a space that isn't so chaotic for us in that moment.
So to begin this practice of reducing anxiety take a moment to just settle your body and if you've been listening to me for a while I always say comfort is queen or king.
It's important to get as comfortable as possible and fluff up that nest so get some extra cushions.
If you need to pause this track grab what you need and come back.
So allowing any unnecessary tension in your belly and shoulders to soften and melt away.
So as you're lying there you know we can feel discomfort and try and ignore it but we really do need to become aware of some of these tensions that we're feeling in the body and softening into you know what we're actually feeling and allowing some of those tensions to just drop away and pushing them to the side for a little while and just saying look you just stay over there I'm taking some time out for myself to calm my nervous system and bring myself back to center.
So finding a posture that balances relaxation with alertness so it's comfortable yet present.
So we're we're getting comfortable but we're not falling asleep we want to be aware and alert so we know and understand what's happening with our bodies.
Now you can close your eyes or you can just have your eyes slightly open and just softening your gaze looking downwards whatever feels comfortable for you and resting your hands in a way that feels natural and effortless.
So making just any last-minute adjustments before we jump into the body scan so we can really notice what's happening within our bodies.
So we're going to take a few moments to scan through the entire body with awareness noticing the various sensations that are present and where there we might discover there's some discomfort or tension and then we just invite it to release and soften.
So generally like to start this from the top of the head and allowing as we move through the body allowing the muscles to almost melt and soften as we become aware of each body part as we're moving down the body.
So when we're starting at the crown of the head we can just feel our scalp soften.
Moving down into the face noticing you know the furrow in our brow just dropping away and softening the eyes and any tension around the head neck and shoulders just slowly dropping away and with this practice noticing where there is tension pain or discomfort in the body or any sensations and breathing into those places so that they release and fully soften in that awareness.
Noticing the chest and again we're just keeping a natural breath here we're not forcing anything we're just noticing.
Noticing and relaxing giving ourselves some space to fully arrive noticing the chest and the arms and the upper back allowing it to soften and relax.
Softening around our belly,
Our ribs,
Lower back and hips.
Softening through the pelvis and the upper legs,
Back of the legs,
Front of the knees and back of the knees.
Down to the lower parts of the legs,
Front of the legs,
Lower legs at the back,
Ankles,
Top of the feet,
Soles of the feet and then just wiggling through each of your toes.
So now we're going to establish an anchor for ourselves.
It's like a home base for our attention and while we could do this with sound or sensations we're actually going to work with the breath today because it's the most accessible anchor for for all of us.
So simply noticing where your breath is easiest to detect and where the sensations feel pleasant or at least neutral.
So what I mean by that is there's no forcing here we're just noticing where it's it's most comfortable when we breathe.
So we're not holding,
We're not forcing,
We're not over trying,
We're literally just following a natural rhythm of our breathing.
So while you're exploring your breath you might pay attention to how the breath flows in and out through the nostrils.
Perhaps feeling the gentle touch of air around your nose or on your upper lip or you might notice the subtle movement of your chest or the rising and falling of your abdomen or you might experience your whole body like a balloon expanding with each inhale and softening with each exhale.
And as you're taking a moment to bring your attention to your breath sensations in whichever way it feels most natural to you,
We're going to approach this with a relaxed attentiveness.
So again there's no need to control your breathing,
Instead receive the breath as you would listen to music with open awareness.
Discover what the breath is truly like as an ever-changing flow of sensations.
I will leave you here for a moment to enjoy the music and the awareness of your breath.
Oh how glorious the breath is,
It offers us so much.
This life-giving breath is our home base,
A place to rest and to be aware.
For the next few moments I want you to just simply relax as the breath flows in,
Notice the sensation and relax as the breath flows out.
Letting go completely,
Staying present with the immediate experience,
Noticing where your awareness and your attention naturally goes.
You'll likely find that your mind drifts into thoughts from time to time and that's completely normal,
It's natural.
We are human,
Aren't we anyway?
The mind is conditioned to wander into future and past.
When you become aware of your thinking,
Acknowledge it with a gentle mental note.
I'm thinking,
I'm thinking.
Then pause and simply relax.
Open your awareness again to the sounds around you,
Soften your body and feel the aliveness within.
Each moment we do this and follow this cycle we're dropping deeper and calming our nervous system.
We're releasing any unnecessary tension around your heart center without judgment,
Allowing yourself to gently return to the flowing rhythm of your breath.
Let the breath become an intimate friend,
A home base that reconnects you with your own presence,
Let it be your guiding light.
And as you resettle with the breath you may notice other experiences in the background,
Perhaps the sound of a passing car,
The whisper of the wind or of birdsong.
You might feel sensations of warmth or coolness on your skin.
Whatever appears in the background can remain there without pulling you away,
Without distraction.
Continue resting with the breath,
Relaxing with each cycle with the gentle intention of noticing when your mind wanders.
If you discover your attention has drifted again,
Simply pause,
Relax and open your awareness.
Follow some of the tools,
Some of the processes we've just done previously and continue with your breath without judgment.
Gently come back to this moment remembering thoughts are not the enemy.
You don't need to clear your mind completely,
Rather you're developing the capacity to recognize when thoughts arise without getting lost in their storylines,
Without attaching.
Each time you notice you've wandered and returned you strengthen your capacity for presence,
Like building a muscle of remembering,
Of arriving here now.
Each return is the opportunity to practice coming home to living presence.
And as your mind gradually quiets you might sense the peace that emerges when you relax more deeply and immerse your entire awareness into the flow of your breathing.
Breathing in,
Know that you're breathing in.
Breathing out,
Know that you're breathing out.
Notice the beginnings and the endings of each breath.
Fully here,
Awake,
At home in this moment.
You can practice this exercise of coming back anytime during the day as a way to quiet and collect your mind.
Simply bring gentle yet complete attention to your breath.
It can be done anywhere,
In the car,
On your break at work,
At home,
Before you go to sleep,
In the shower,
While you're watching TV,
Anywhere.
You don't have to give a dedicated time to sit and be in meditation.
The whole thing with these presence meditations and calming our nervous system,
We're able to bring them into being into our own everyday life without it having to be an extra chore or an extra thing on top of all the things that we already do.
So we relax with the inhale,
Relax with the exhale,
Sense into your body and then continue your activities carrying this centered awareness with you for the entire day,
Evening or night.
Thank you for being with me again today.
As always it's an honor and such a privilege.
May your life just expand in the most divine,
Beautiful ways as you deserve,
As your heart deserves,
As your mind deserves.
Wishing you a beautiful day,
Evening or night,
Wherever you are.
Giving thanks and so much gratitude to you today.
Bye for now.
