Hi there,
I'm Bailey and I'm glad you're here.
Where you are right now is a place so many people have been to so many times before,
Including myself.
Anxiety is tough.
Whether it's momentary or long-term,
It can feel really heavy and isolating.
I want to assure you that you are safe here.
And most of all,
What I want to help you feel at the end of this meditation is that you feel safer in your body.
It's the number one place that you deserve to feel safe in.
I want you to first start out by finding a comfortable position.
You can be sitting or lying down,
Whichever feels best for you right now.
I want to invite you to close your eyes,
But if that doesn't feel right for you,
Just have a steady gaze in front of you.
There's no need to push yourself to do anything I suggest during this meditation if it doesn't feel right for you.
Trust your intuition and make adjustments if needed.
I want you to place one hand on your belly,
Breathing in and out of your nose.
Let your breath move in and out of your body at its natural pace.
I want you to feel your belly move with each inhale and exhale,
Feeling your belly expand and contract with each breath,
Noticing that your body knows exactly what to do and that there is no need for you to do any work to make your body breathe.
Just simply notice what's happening,
That's all.
Focusing your attention there and allowing your body to relax.
Be present to each breath.
No need to think about the next one or the one before.
Just the current inhale and exhale.
You may notice that your mind begins to wander.
You may begin to think of something or hear something or feel an emotion or feel a sensation.
Keep in mind that our brains do this.
You are just being human when that happens.
When your mind wanders,
Just gently bring your attention back to your breath.
Just gently redirect yourself.
You could say to yourself,
Return.
Or sometimes I will say to myself,
Inhale and exhale as I focus on my breath.
Don't focus on being perfect at this.
Just be.
Just be here and breathe with me.
See if you can let go a little more.
Let your body sink into your seat a little more.
Surrender to this moment a little more.
It's okay if your mind wanders.
It's okay if you get sleepy.
It's okay if your heartbeat quickens and you start to worry.
It's temporary.
It's all temporary.
It is in the space that we're in right now where we let everything exist simply as it is.
We're not trying to resist anything.
We're just relaxing into all of it exactly as it is.
I once heard a quote that said,
The act of meditation is being spacious.
So that's exactly what we're doing.
Letting this moment be spacious.
Allowing yourself to take up space.
Allowing all of it to exist.
So,
This is my attachment.
I want you to visualize your body floating on the surface of water.
The water is thick like the dead sea,
So your body doesn't sink.
Every time you breathe,
The water ripples from the movement of your body,
Which creates a slight wave to the water.
Your body feels heavy and light all at once.
You trust that the water has you,
So you let go a little more.
The water is warm and gentle on your skin.
It almost feels like there is no water.
It's peaceful and quiet,
And there's nothing you have to do.
The water is floating you and your body is breathing you.
You just get to be here and rest.
It's time to start coming back to the space.
I want you to feel what's around your body,
Finding the surface beneath you,
The clothing against your skin,
The blanket above you,
The air breathing on your skin,
Bringing yourself back to the present moment and waking up your body.
I like to wiggle my fingers and toes,
Just a gentle reminder to ground yourself back into your body.
Taking a few more moments here to just be with the breath.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
I'm so glad you joined me for this meditation.
Please be sure to be gentle with yourself today.
I look forward to meditating with you again soon.
Until then,
Take care and be well.
