Welcome to this short practice to help quieten the mind and bring a sense of ease when feelings of anxiety and panic arise.
Now come to a resting position,
Sit comfortably,
Drop your shoulders and relax your spine.
Now ground down through the soles of your feet,
Feel as many sensory signals as you can from the bottom of your feet,
Your soles,
Your heels,
The toes.
Now notice sensations from the surface of your body,
The touch of air on your skin,
The touch of your clothes against the skin,
The support of the earth beneath you.
Now notice if there's anything in your body that needs your attention,
Any tension or discomfort.
Let's start by scanning the body slowly,
Starting from the head down to the shoulders,
The chest,
The belly,
The arms,
The pelvis,
The legs.
Imagine bringing your breath to whichever area needs attention.
Now we will massage the hands and fingers.
Start by massaging the thumb,
The index finger,
The middle finger,
The ring finger and the little finger.
Notice the sensations in your body,
Notice how it feels.
Now moving on to the next hand,
The thumb,
The index finger,
The middle finger,
The ring finger and the little finger.
Moving on to the space between the fingers,
Massaging the palms.
Notice the sensations and allow yourself to feel as many sensations as you can.
As you repeat mentally,
These are my fingers,
These are my hands.
Now we will rub the hands together.
As you rub the hands,
Notice the energy and heat as it builds up.
Now place one hand on heart and one hand on belly.
We will take three breaths together.
Two sips in through the nose and one deep long exhale.
In through the nose,
One long exhale.
Two sips in,
Exhale.
One more like this,
Inhale,
Exhale.
Now come back to the natural rhythm of your breath and bring to your ease into your body.
Someone or something that calms your nervous system and soothes your soul.
This might be a loved one,
A beloved pet or perhaps a favorite landscape real or imagined.
As you bring this loved image into your mind's eye,
Notice how it feels in your body.
Notice how it feels in your heart.
Imagine being held by this loved image.
With every inhale,
Begin to imagine welcoming support and the feeling of ease and well-being and being contained.
Feel yourself soften as a sense of ease spreads throughout your body.
With every exhale,
Imagine releasing tension,
Letting go of what you no longer need.
Anxiety,
Stress,
Fear.
With every inhale,
Welcoming support and loving awareness that is ever-present.
And with every exhale,
Releasing the weight of that which is no longer needed.
Inhale and exhale,
Feeling the rise and fall of your belly.
Inhale as you feel lighter,
Softer,
Calmer.
Exhale to release,
Let go,
Surrender.
Inhale and exhale.
Here,
You may wish to repeat mentally,
I am here,
I am supported.
I am here,
I am supported.
Now taking in a deep breath all the way down to the belly,
Feeling the lungs expand.
And a long exhale with a sigh.
Two more like this,
Deep inhale,
Exhale.
One more like this,
Inhale and exhale.
Feeling the effects of this short practice on your body.
Your nervous system relaxed,
Your muscles soft,
Your soul soothed.
Your heart filled with the knowing that you are supported at all times.
May this practice be the medicine.
Blessings.
