Welcome,
This is Taryn,
And I'm so glad that you're here.
This is a Whilespring Willow guided mindfulness practice,
Inspired by Yoga Nidra,
And this journey is designed to help us gently rewire the brain to ease the burdens of social anxiety and return to our authentic flow.
Begin to settle in,
Lying down comfortably on your back or seated,
Just sensing whatever feels best for your body in this moment,
Whatever brings you comfort and support.
Allow the body to signal the safety to the mind by letting go of your worries.
Know that we are working with the science of your being,
Deliberately inviting the nervous system to move away from the frantic,
Sympathetic state of alert and perform,
Into a deeply healing,
Parasympathetic state of rest and restore.
Begin by taking three slow,
Deep,
Diaphragmatic breaths through the nose,
And then allowing the exhale to be long and soft,
Letting the weight of any anticipation,
Any overwhelm,
To simply drop away from the brow,
The jaw,
The neck,
The shoulders,
And chest.
In this moment,
There is nowhere to go,
Nothing to do,
And absolutely nothing to fix.
To engage neuroplasticity,
The brain's remarkable ability to create new,
Smoother and more confident pathways,
When the body is completely at rest,
Naturally the brain shifts into the receptive alpha and theta states.
I welcome you to now set your heartfelt intention for this practice,
Your sankoppa,
To the state that most deeply resonates in the heart space today,
And allow your intuition to guide you.
Perhaps it's something like,
I move three more times internally into the fabric of your being.
Gently now,
Bring your attention to the physical body,
And simply with the mind,
Follow the sound of my voice.
Begin by bringing awareness to the right hand and palm of the hand,
The top of the hand,
And all five fingers on the right hand,
The right wrist,
Forearm,
Forearm,
Right shoulder and underarm,
Right side of the chest and waist,
Right shin,
Ankle,
Heel of the foot.
Sensing now the entire right side of the body,
The entire right side of the body.
Gently now,
Bring awareness to the left hand,
Palm of the hand,
Top of the hand,
And all five fingers,
Left wrist,
Forearm,
Left shoulder and underarm,
Forearm,
Left side of the chest and waist,
Left ankle,
Heel,
Top of the foot,
And all five toes on the left foot.
Gently now,
Bring awareness to the entire left side of the body,
Softly bringing awareness now to the back of the body,
The right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
The entire length of the spine,
The right side of your seat,
Left side of your seat,
The back of the right thigh and calf,
The back of the left thigh and calf,
On both heels of the feet,
The entire back of the body,
And gently now,
The entire front of the body,
Front of the head,
Forehead,
Right eyebrow,
And the soft space between the eyebrows,
The mind's eye,
Right ear and inside the ear,
Right cheek,
Nose and the air in the nose,
Inside of the mouth,
The throat,
The right collarbone,
The space just above the navel,
Your center of power,
And the abdomen,
The entire front of the body,
And briefly now,
Hold awareness at the central points,
The heart center,
The warm space of the heart,
The throat center,
Your voice,
And the space between the eyebrows,
The mind.
And coming back to the heart now,
And the center of the chest,
This is the home of your heart chakra,
The anahata chakra,
This is the source of pure,
Unconditional self-compassion.
Imagine breathing in a soft,
Healing,
Green light,
And with every inhale,
Sense the green light expanding,
Radiating warmth and safety.
Sense if there are any barriers or protective shields around the heart and allowing them to soften.
Feel the truth of your intention rooted here.
There is no need to protect yourself from yourself.
You are worthy.
Draw your energy upward,
To the base of the throat,
The center of your throat chakra,
The Vishuddha chakra,
This is the gateway to your authentic voice and expression.
And imagine,
Just imagine,
A clear,
Bright,
Sky-blue light swirling gently here in the throat,
Dissolving any constriction,
Any tightness,
Or any fear of judgment.
This blue light creates a spacious,
Open pathway for your truth to flow effortlessly,
Allowing the tension in the jaw and neck to release completely,
Signaling to this center that it is safe to speak your essence.
It is safe to speak your essence,
And it is equally safe to be silent.
Your voice is a gift,
And your silence is a profound peace.
You move through the world with ease and authentic confidence.
Allow your awareness to return to your natural,
Organic breath.
And I welcome you to invite this practice to offer a gentle reframe on your own beautiful strength.
It is the part that often feels most vulnerable,
Isn't it?
Representing your most delicate and authentic self,
The part that social anxiety makes you believe is too fragile to stand up to the hustle of the world.
The fear is not just a smudge,
But the moment a careless elbow swings past,
The snap of the stem,
Where you feel totally masked and undone.
But here's the profound truth that deep down,
You already know.
Like its stem is what allows the cup to be elevated.
It lifts the potential for joy and connection up to the light.
It holds the glass steady so it can be filled with the rich,
Complex flavors of life.
The paradox of courage is this,
It is the very perceived fragility of the stem that requires you to stand with exquisite balance and trust.
You are simply practicing standing tall,
Rooted in your own balance.
Balance.
Allowing yourself to be filled with the experience of life.
Worth is not defined by whether or not it stays perfectly intact.
You can sway,
You can wobble,
But your foundation holds you.
Back to your sankoppa intention,
And feel the truth of this intention settling deeply into your subconscious mind.
Allow this powerful truth to be repeated,
Felt,
And affirmed in the silence,
Vibrating every cell of your being.
You are safe,
You are held,
You are completely supported.
You are safe,
You are held.
There's no place to go,
Nothing to do,
And no need to awaken or move.
Simply allow yourself to rest in this deep,
Restorative peace.
Release any final effort in the deepest part of your being to return to your authentic flow.
