Hi everyone and thank you so much for joining me in my backyard studio.
Myself,
Like many many others in today's society,
Struggle deeply with anxiety.
Today I am going to share with you something that has helped me tremendously.
It has been scientifically proven that the brain cannot respond to a positive and negative emotion at the same time,
And I know from my own personal experience that using the mantra I am safe in moments when I'm dealing with anxiety really helps to calm me down.
By practicing feeling safe,
We can self-regulate in moments when things may begin to feel just a little too heavy.
So gather all your worries and join me in a seated position as we gently close down the eyes and take three deep cleansing breaths together.
Take a nice deep inhale through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth.
Then again,
Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.
And one more time,
Breathing in deeply through the nose and exhale through the mouth.
Now let your breath return to its natural rhythm as you continue to breathe in through the nose and exhale through the mouth.
Relaxing the jaw,
The shoulders,
The face.
Taking a moment to arrive in this space.
Letting all the muscles of the body relax as you sink deeper into your seat.
Taking a moment to scan down through the body,
Starting at the top of the head and working your way down to the feet.
Breathing into any areas of tightness or tension and just taking notice to how you are physically feeling in this moment.
Breathing in with the mind as it's calm or scattered.
Doing your best not to get pulled into the story behind the feeling.
Just observing what might arise and keeping your focus on the breath.
Inhaling in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Feeling more and more relaxed with each breath.
I want you to know how safe you are right now.
You are physically safe.
Most likely you have food,
Water,
A place to sleep,
And a roof over your head.
You are safe and you are in control.
Take a deep breath in through the nose and let this feeling of safety sink in to the body.
Surrendering deeper into the feeling of safety,
I invite you to think back on a time in your life when you felt completely safe.
Maybe you were with friends or family or even a pet.
Bringing this image to the mind's eye and remembering every little detail.
Where are you?
Who are you with?
What can you see?
What can you hear?
Continuing to breathe in deeply through the nose and exhale through the mouth.
Letting this feeling of safety sink into the body.
Now I invite you to imagine a gold glowing light above your head pouring a warm feeling of safety into the body.
It pours steadily and slowly and starts to fill the body starting at the bottom of the feet up to the ankles,
The calves,
The knees,
Upper thighs,
And hips.
This warm liquid moves up to the stomach,
The chest,
The back,
The shoulders,
Down into the arms,
Elbows,
Forearms,
Hands,
And each fingertip.
Filling up the neck,
Jaw,
Cheeks,
Forehead,
And scalp.
Feeling completely safe and warm.
Sinking deeper into the feeling of safety as you scan through the body offering compassion to any areas that may not want to relax.
Then gently letting your attention rest on an area of the body that is feeling the safest.
Breathing in through the nose and silently saying to yourself,
I am.
And as you exhale through the mouth,
Silently saying to yourself,
Safe.
Breathing in,
I am.
Breathing out,
Safe.
And maybe even asking yourself,
How does it feel to feel safe?
How do you physically and mentally feel in this moment?
By using this technique,
We can convince the mind and body how safe we truly are.
How powerful does it feel to be in control?
Taking one more moment to absorb this feeling of safety as you breathe deeply through the nose and exhale one last time through the mouth,
Letting the lungs empty completely.
Letting your breath return to its natural rhythm and checking in with the mind to take notice to how you are currently feeling.
Slowly and softly placing a hand over your heart as you give yourself thanks for taking this time out of your busy day.
Feel free to take this feeling of safety with you for the rest of your day and when you're ready,
Slowly fluttering your eyes open.
Thank you so much for joining me and I look forward to breathing with you again soon.
