Hey there,
This is Beara Man,
And today I'm gonna guide you through a meditation practice to manage your anxiety.
I invite you to get into comfortable space,
Whether that's seated or lying down,
And I want you to know that if you're feeling anxiety right now,
You're not alone.
I'm actually recording this real time to manage the anxiety that I'm feeling.
So let's move through it together.
Okay,
So if you're not quite in a comfortable space yet,
Go ahead and hit pause.
Come back when you're ready.
We're gonna move into this meditation.
I invite you to close your eyes,
If that feels good,
Or allow yourself at least to relax your gaze,
And we're gonna start with some really deep belly breaths.
So I want you to breathe in through your nose slowly,
Filling up your belly as much as you possibly can,
And then slowly let it go,
Almost like you're breathing through a straw.
The aim is for this exhale to be longer than the inhale.
We're gonna do that again,
Breathing as deep as you can and allowing that belly to move out as much as you can,
Really focusing on those sensations in the belly,
And you're gonna slowly allow that to release,
Watching the belly move as you do.
I invite you to take one more of these deep in-breaths and out-breaths,
And to know that as you do this,
You're going to get distracted because you're a human being.
That's okay.
When that happens,
Just invite your mind to come right back.
One more of these breaths.
When you get distracted,
It's actually a beautiful thing because it allows you to exercise this mental muscle that allows you to settle your mind down and manage your anxiety next time it comes up.
Okay,
So now I invite you to allow your breathing to return to normal,
And just notice the breath.
You might notice that you're still controlling your breath a little bit.
That's perfectly okay.
Just notice your breath,
However it is in your body,
Right now.
Now,
I want you to notice every point where your body is contacting a surface beneath you,
Starting with your feet.
If they're against the floor,
Your bed,
Or shoes,
Or a couch,
Flex them one at a time.
Just push them a little bit more into that surface,
And notice those sensations.
Maybe you're not noticing anything because they're hanging in air.
That's perfectly okay,
Too.
Now,
Just scan up the body.
Notice if your legs are touching anything,
Your upper legs are touching anything,
What your seat is touching,
Your back,
Maybe your shoulders,
Possibly your neck,
Your head.
Notice your arms now.
Notice the weight of your arms.
Now,
Just shift your weight a little bit from one side to the other.
Just notice how any of these pressure points or sensations change.
Bring your main focus back to the breathing.
What we're going to do next is we're going to move to that anxiety itself,
Wherever it sits in your body.
So,
A lot of times we try to think our ways out of the anxiety,
And you may have noticed,
Especially if you're here,
That that doesn't usually work.
So,
Instead,
We're just gonna watch this anxiety in the body.
So,
Where in your body do you feel this anxiety the most?
For me,
It's like the chest area,
The heart space.
For you,
It could be the shoulders.
Wherever it is,
Just bring your awareness to that area of the body.
Just notice what that anxiety looks like and feels like.
Notice what those sensations are.
Maybe there's a flutteriness,
Maybe a jitteriness,
Could be tension,
Tightness.
Notice it.
Notice the size of it.
Notice the scale of it.
If you had to rate it on a 1 to 10,
How would you rate these sensations?
Just notice if it feels like there's any sort of color to these sensations.
How about a texture?
Sharp?
Jagged?
Rigid?
Bumpy?
Just watch it.
Judgments may arise,
But when they do,
You can just let them go and go right back to watching these sensations in your body.
I invite you to focus your breath in that part of your body.
So,
Almost pretend you're breathing directly into that space and just continuing to notice how it feels.
A few more breaths into that space.
Maybe allow these breaths to be a little bit deeper.
You're doing great.
Yeah,
Just noticing that part of the body.
Now you can ask if it wants a hand on it.
If so,
You're welcome to move your hand to that space.
Maybe apply a little pressure,
A little tapping,
Or a little rubbing.
Whatever it feels like it needs.
Just be here with this for a moment.
Maybe say to this part of your body,
It's okay to feel this way.
It's okay that you're going through this.
I'm here with you right now.
We're moving through this together.
Now I invite you to switch your focus.
We're gonna notice the breath at the nostrils right now.
Noticing how that air feels when it moves in,
When it moves out.
Maybe you can notice the temperature of that air.
Just allow yourself to breathe.
All you need to do in this moment is just breathe.
Now let's go back to that place where we were feeling those sensations before.
Just take another look.
If you were to rate this,
These sensations,
On a scale of one to ten,
What number would you give them?
How big do they feel?
What's the size?
The shape?
Notice the color.
Notice the texture.
Maybe apply your hand there.
And some pressure.
Gentle soothing.
And just remind this part of you that you're in this together.
If you like,
You can continue to stay in this space,
Or you can take a big stretch.
Any movements that feel good.
Get ready to open your eyes whenever you're ready.
Know that this meditation is here for you to return to anytime.
Next time you're feeling a anxiety,
Just come back and we'll move through it together.
You are not alone.
Namaste.
