Living with fear and anxiety is really challenging and it can be so overpowering and actually control how we see ourselves and the world around us.
One element in a path of healing that can be really helpful is to look directly into its nature.
In our normal daily life our awareness is very much bound up in duality.
A very subject-object perception of life where things are all separate from each other.
The table and you,
You and the anxiety.
And this causes the fear and anxiety to feel like something really solid,
Enduring and as an actual part of ourselves that we can identify with.
Like it's a thing we've got to struggle with.
And this seems to give it power which often leads to it overwhelming our sense of happiness.
But in its true reality,
Life is a very fluid,
Interconnected,
Ever-changing process.
Nothing is as solid and separate as we normally perceive it to be.
Now this takes time to really understand from a direct experience.
But in the beginning we can start this journey by looking into fear and anxiety's nature and seeing what's actually there.
This can spark a new perspective that will hopefully evolve into a deeper understanding in time.
It can help us to dis-identify with it,
To know that it's not actually you.
So let's do that together in meditation.
Before we begin,
Take a little time to find yourself somewhere comfortable to be.
It's helpful to be sitting up somewhat straight so that your body and mind feels awake.
But you don't need to hold yourself straight or be tight and rigid.
You can be relaxed and natural.
And please feel free to find a position that works personally for you.
Some people need to lie down because of pain.
Others feel better cross-legged on a meditation cushion.
And some just feel more supported in a chair or propped up against something.
The main thing is that you feel present and relaxed.
And then when you're ready,
Gently close your eyes.
In the meditation I'll give you some guidance and then I'll leave some silence for you to really drop into your own space and feel what is happening for you.
To help settle your energy,
Let's begin with a few deep breaths together.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and breathe a long,
Slow breath out through your mouth as if you're breathing out through a fine straw,
Feeling your body relax as you do that.
Another deep breath in through your nose and a long breath out through the mouth,
Relaxing down and settling.
One more time,
Deep breath in and a long breath out,
Deeply relaxing.
Allowing the turbulent water of life to start to come to some sort of calm and then just breathe naturally.
And begin to notice how your breath is in your body.
Maybe you notice the sensations of the air coming in and out of your nostrils and throat.
Noticing how your lungs,
Ribs and belly expand and contract as you inhale and exhale.
Whenever your mind gets pulled out by a thought or a worry,
There's no need to judge yourself or stop it or do anything with it at all.
Just let it be there,
Let go of the clinging to it and gently bring your awareness back to your breath and your body.
Becoming aware of how with the in-breath there's a sense of gathering and with the out-breath there's a sense of releasing and letting go.
Let your body follow that.
So each time you breathe out,
Let your body relax more deeply.
Gradually resting and gradually settling.
Moving deeper into the body,
Notice the feelings and sensations in your head and your face.
Feeling deep into your head and deeply into the muscles in the face.
Letting them all be soft and relaxed.
Letting your forehead and your jaw relax down.
Taking your awareness down into the shoulders,
But deep into the shoulders and the joints and ligaments.
And as you breathe out,
Let your neck and shoulders really relax down toward the ground.
Moving down the length of your arms,
Feeling deep into the arms,
All the way from your shoulders to your fingers.
Letting your arms relax and be heavy.
Moving down the length of your torso,
Notice what you feel deep in your chest and your heart area.
Maybe your back muscles and your lower back.
Feeling deep into your stomach area and all the way down to your genitals.
Letting all the muscles and the joints and the bones deeply relax.
Taking your awareness deep into your legs,
From your bottom all the way down to underneath your feet and your toes.
Feeling deep into the muscles in your legs and letting them relax into the ground and be heavy.
You can take another deep breath in through your nose and a long slow exhale out your mouth.
Letting your whole body deeply relax into the ground.
At some point you may notice you've drifted off in thought again.
And at this point where you notice you've drifted,
You'll probably notice a sense of tension somewhere in the body.
Let that part of your body soften and relax again.
And gently bring your awareness back to your breath and to the feelings and sensations in your body.
There's nothing else you need to be doing right now.
You can let everything else go.
You are safe and you are supported.
Just let go and enjoy the feeling of deep relaxation.
As you relax here for a moment,
Allow a feeling of fear or anxiety to arise.
Something you may be fearful of right now or something that's caused you anxiety in the past.
You're in a safe space so you can let it arise in your body and mind for a moment.
Letting yourself really feel it.
And now drop the story of it.
All the what-ifs and the buts that surround it.
And let's just look into its raw nature.
Where in the body do you find this fear or anxiety?
Is it one place or many?
What are all the sensations of it in the body?
Remember just the raw sensations.
Let everything else go.
Does it seem to move or is it static?
Does it have a solid edge to it or not?
Would you find a specific point where you could draw a circle around it and then say,
There,
That's the fear there or not?
Would you put it in a box or pull it out to show someone?
Does it have a particular energy tone to it or a vitality to it?
Or maybe a pattern of movement to it?
Could you grab hold of it or grasp it with your hand or not?
Does it have a sense of space to it?
Or is it something really solid?
Can you notice the ever-changing nature of it?
How it's not something as solid and fixed as you normally feel it is?
That actually by unpacking it a bit,
It's not quite as solid and overpowering as you normally know it to be.
Now with another deep but relaxed breath in through the nose and a long slow breath out,
Let your body deeply relax.
Relax.
And just notice your relationship with that fear for a moment.
Has it changed somehow?
By looking into its nature,
Does it seem to lose some of its power?
Do you feel like you have a healthier distance from it?
As the meditation comes towards an end,
Reflect on that for a moment as you breathe and relax.
Author Marcel Proust wrote,
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
And this is so true with healing and transformation.
You might still notice fear and anxiety pop up during your day that will disturb you,
That is a natural response to your situation.
But as you gradually begin to change your perspective of it,
Change how you inhabit your body,
And transform your relationship with these feelings,
They will gradually lose their power over you.
And you can start to enjoy your life with much more calm and joy.
This meditation is part of my course Transforming Fear and Anxiety.
If you found value in it and would like support in finding a healthier way to be with anxiety in your life,
Transforming your life,
Then you're welcome to have a look at the course.
Thank you and hopefully see you there.
