This is a meditation for anxiety.
If you can,
I want you to lay on the floor,
On a bed,
Or in some grass.
Find somewhere comfortable for your body to feel supported.
Now that you're comfortable and listening to the sound of my voice,
I want you to breathe and connect with your body.
Feel your body breathe.
Bring your awareness to the tip of your nose where the air flows in.
Breathe the air in through your nose.
Follow it down into your throat and then into your chest.
Feel your chest expand.
The front,
The back,
And the sides of your rib cage.
And then on your exhale,
Follow the air all the way back out through your mouth or nose.
Breathe in,
Fill your chest and expand.
Breathe out and let yourself empty.
Let's do a couple more rounds together.
Breathe in,
Let yourself fill up.
Breathe out,
Let yourself empty.
Inhale,
Fill all the way up.
Expand your chest,
Maybe even your belly too.
Exhale,
Release all the air out.
I want you to keep breathing at your own rhythm that feels comfortable and keep listening to the sound of my voice.
I know that this anxiety has you wanting to run.
And the more you run,
The louder it seems to get.
Today we are going to take off the running shoes and practice being with the anxiety.
Because honestly,
That's what it wants.
It wants you to be with it so that you can help it move through your body.
And when you try to resist or avoid,
It stays trapped in your body and that causes more discomfort.
Take a breath in and breathe out.
Let's start with identifying where the anxiety lives in your body.
Allow it to tell you.
Don't forget to keep breathing.
The breath will help you to acknowledge the anxiety and remind your nervous system that you are okay,
Even though there are big emotions and sensations happening in the body.
We will begin to scan the body and ask the anxiety to show you where it lives.
All you need to do is intuitively listen for yes or no responses from your body as we scan.
Take a breath in and breathe out.
Let's start with your head,
Your mind.
Is there any anxiety that lives here?
How about your face,
Cheekbones,
Mouth,
Your jaw,
Your teeth?
Is there any anxiety that lives in your face?
Move down into your neck.
How about your shoulders?
Let's move into your chest.
Is there any anxiety that lives in your chest?
The front or back side of the heart?
The sides of the rib cage?
Keep breathing.
Let's move down into your arms.
What about your hands or your fingers?
Let's move over into the abdomen.
Is there any anxiety that lives in your belly?
Let's move to the back.
The middle back,
The lower back.
Tune into your vertebrae.
Is there any anxiety that lives in your spine?
Let's move down into your hips.
Left hip,
Right hip.
Is there any anxiety in your hips?
How about your legs?
Upper leg,
Middle leg,
Lower leg.
Take a breath in and breathe out.
Tune into your ankles,
Your feet.
What about in your toes?
Feel into your whole left leg,
Your whole right leg.
Is there any anxiety living in your legs?
Take a breath in and breathe out.
Now feel into your whole body all at once.
Thank the anxiety for showing you where it lives and thank yourself for giving it permission to just be without making it wrong,
Running or resisting it.
Take a breath in and breathe out.
We are going to end this meditation with some light grounding.
I want you to imagine a stream of light coming down through the crown of your head,
Into your spine,
Down your spine all the way to the base,
Down through each of your legs,
Down through your feet.
And as the light moves out through your feet,
It starts to take the shape of tree roots that are filled with light.
These tree roots extending from your feet make their way all the way into the earth and they travel down,
Down,
Deep into the center of the earth where they connect to the earth's core.
Feel this.
Take a breath in and breathe out.
Feel this grounding throughout your whole body.
Say to yourself,
I am connected.
I am grounded.
I am safe.
Two more times.
I am connected.
I am grounded.
I am safe.
I am connected.
I am grounded.
I am safe.
Breathe in and breathe out.
Slowly start to release this imagery and come back to your physical body.
Come back to the space and the sounds in the room.
Notice the temperature on your skin.
And whenever you're ready,
You can open your eyes to the room.
Thank you for joining me in this meditation.
It might be nice to ground your experiences through some journaling.
Be sure to move slow and take it easy.
Namaste.
