Welcome to the session on dealing with anxiety.
Unfortunately,
I think in the world today,
It seems so common for people to be struggling with anxiety.
And we all go through it in some way.
At some time.
And I'm not surprised because the world is actually quite a scary place.
There's so much that we have to be responsible for,
So much that we need to do.
One good way to think of anxiety,
To have a perspective of it.
Is to know that It's a fight or flight response to our life,
To the world.
And actually,
Even though it's uncomfortable,
It's trying to do something really positive.
What it's trying to do,
Its job,
Is to keep us safe.
But as we know,
It's not very comfortable to live with.
And this fight or flight response gets stuck in a kind of habitual pattern.
Of reaction.
To our environment or to our life.
And sometimes we really just have this deep sense of anxiety.
Every day was not even a particular reason for it.
And it's just because this habitual patterning gets stuck in our system.
Gets stuck in our body.
And our first response to anxiety is normally we just want to get rid of it.
We want to stop feeling anxious,
Understandably.
But anxiety,
Especially anxiety that we just feel every day with no particular reason.
Often comes from something much deeper.
Maybe early on in our childhood.
Just in a way that we respond.
To the world.
And so by trying to get rid of anxiety,
We can layer it with more kind of inner conflict going on.
Which isn't very helpful.
So a more healthy way I feel is to allow.
That anxiety,
To allow it in the body,
Make space for it.
And hold it with a sense of compassion.
As much as possible.
And when we really feel that anxiety,
When we allow ourselves to feel it.
And we allow it to process in the body.
It allows it to heal and dissipate on its own.
And then also noticing probably when we feel anxiety.
There will probably be a sense of contraction in holding the body.
So noticing that.
Breathing out and allowing the body to relax.
This allows the energy of anxiety to move through the body.
And another layer that we can do with it also is to have a kind of inner inquiry and unpack anxiety a little bit.
Because when we feel anxious,
We can become really identified with it.
It seems like that's who we are.
We are anxious.
But by unpacking its nature and really looking into it a little bit,
We can become less identified with it.
So we are not their anxiety.
It's just a feeling.
In the body that we can allow to process and move through.
And remembering that nothing is permanent.
Things are changing all the time in the body,
In our system.
And emotions are just energy moving through the body.
So if we can allow them to unfold naturally.
They can transform and dissipate on their own.
And this creates a much healthier inner environment.
An environment of trust.
An environment of safety.
Which is so essential.
To kind of heal our anxiety.
And at the same time,
We can come back to what feels resourceful for us.
Really taking resource.
And comfort.
In the ground,
In the body,
In the breath.
In source,
Whatever it might be for you.
So in these ways that I've described here,
Instead of just telling the mind not to be anxious,
We're actually going through an embodied.
Transformation.
Where we begin to really cultivate a sense of safety.
And trust in the body.
Which is essential when we live with anxiety.
So let's move into the meditation,
Which will give us time to really embody what I was talking about.
So yeah,
Find yourself somewhere comfortable to be.
You're welcome to be seated on a meditation cushion.
Seated in a chair.
Or even lying down if that's more comfortable for you.
Gently closing the eyes.
Allowing your awareness to draw in.
Towards your body.
And towards your centre.
Down to the ground.
And just giving yourself a moment to breathe naturally.
Noticing the breath coming in and out.
And really noticing.
How that breath feels in the body.
So the belly,
The lungs,
The ribs.
Rising and falling as you breathe.
And really being inquisitive.
Of the sensations.
As you breathe.
And starting to notice particularly the outer breath.
So really following the length of the out-breath.
Noticing.
How the body releases and relaxes naturally.
Each time you breathe out.
And letting your body really follow that each time you breathe out.
Allowing the body to kind of melt down.
And ease down into the ground.
Or the chair or the bed supporting you.
With each breath letting go.
Relaxing a little deeper.
And you could almost have the sense that each time you breathe out,
Your awareness kind of drops down.
And almost sinks into the ground just for a moment.
Before it comes up again into the in-breath.
And then on the next out breath,
Allowing your awareness to go all the way to the ground.
Noticing.
That ground supporting your body.
The sensations of the chair or the bed.
Or the ground.
Pushing up from below you.
Really holding and supporting your whole body.
As you breathe.
Noticing how that ground feels as it's soft.
Is it hard?
The sensations,
The way your body meets the ground.
And again,
Still allowing your body.
To deeply relax.
Into that ground.
Each time you breathe out.
And then from that ground.
Slowly bringing your awareness up into the body.
Gently scanning around the body.
And opening your awareness up into the whole body.
To notice all sensations,
Feelings.
Energy.
Vibrations in the body.
Gently scanning around the body.
As my teacher Rob says,
Kind of like you're in a dark cave.
Shining a torchlight around.
The cave to see what's there.
Noticing any tension or holding the body.
Breathing out.
And allowing that tension to melt away.
Just relaxing.
And being.
Present in the body.
And while relaxing there.
Begin to notice.
A feeling of anxiety that might be there present in your life right now.
Maybe really alive in your body now.
Or if not,
You could bring up a situation in your life.
Where you feel anxiety.
And let that really be felt in the body.
Really feel its presence as if you're there in the moment.
And start to notice how easy it is to allow that feeling in the body.
How much she can make space for it and allow it to be.
Noticing if he can hold it with a sense of compassion.
So really allowing yourself to feel it in the body.
Process it,
Digest it.
In its raw state.
So try to separate out.
The sensations that you feel in the body.
And the stories that we attach to it.
And just notice in its bare awareness.
And noticing any contraction or holding.
Or tension in the body.
Breathing out.
And letting the body melt down again towards the ground.
Having the tension melt away.
And allowing the energy of the anxiety.
To move through the body in the way that it needs to.
Let's look at that anxiety.
In its fairness,
In its rawness.
So noticing.
Just wave,
Feel it in the body.
The area.
Noticing if it has a shape or a size.
Maybe it has a certain vitality.
Or vibration to it.
Or maybe a kind of movement or flow to it.
Does it have shop?
Edges.
Or round edges.
Does it have no edges?
Would it be possible?
To put your hands around it and grab it.
Or would it slip through your fingers?
Is it static or is it moving?
Is it solid?
Or does it have a sense of spaciousness?
Or energy to it.
Remembering that you are not their anxiety.
It's just a feeling in the body.
Moving through the body.
If we allow it.
And kind of separating ourselves out a little bit.
And just noticing it in its rawness.
So just allowing.
And at the same time,
Taking deep comfort.
The inner and outer resources.
So noticing the safe and warm and comfortable room that you're in right now.
Letting yourself be held by that.
Noticing steadiness.
And holding of the ground that you're resting in.
Adding yourself,
Take deep comfort in that.
Enjoying the relaxation in your body.
Enjoying that compassionate,
Open holding space.
Of allowing.
Taking comfort in the breath coming in and out naturally.
Or allowing yourself to really open out.
To a sense of source,
Whatever that might be for you.
God or the universe.
Or something else.
So breathing out.
Letting go of the anxiety.
And the stories.
And just resting for a few moments.
In the ground,
In your body.
The present moment.
Relaxing deeply.
And just being.
And then when you're ready,
Gradually beginning to move the body.
Just slowly and mindfully.
Maybe you want to stretch or yawn.
Or sway the body.
Taking a deep breath in.
And letting out a long,
Slow out-breath.
Relaxing the body.
And gently opening the eyes when you're ready.
So I hope you enjoy that practice and I hope it was helpful.
To kind of allow you to disidentify with that anxiety a little bit.
And just have some space to rest and resourcefulness.
Allow things to just move through.
If this felt helpful,
Supportive for you,
I do actually have a course.
On dealing with anxiety and fear.
So you're welcome to check that out if you want to.
I hope that you feel a little bit calmer and a little bit more rested.
And hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
