Hello,
I'm Jen.
This meditation is all about reframing stress so that we can use this energy in a way that is beneficial and not destructive.
This is a short meditation.
You can do it pretty much anywhere.
Please find a nice tall spine.
You can be seated in a chair,
Seated cross-legged on the floor,
Or even lying down.
Wherever you're at,
Tuck your chin slightly so the back of your neck is long.
Squeeze your shoulders to your ears and then release them.
And take three deep breaths.
Really slow,
Really mindful.
Breathing into the belly and then the lungs,
Allowing the collarbones to expand and then exhaling collarbones to ribs to belly.
So let's begin.
Inhale and exhale.
Inhale and exhale.
Inhale and exhale.
Now if you haven't already,
Gently close your eyes.
Bring your gaze to the brow point.
Find a steadiness here and continue to breathe slow and deep.
Just ensuring that your exhales match your inhales.
To begin to explore this idea of stress and the way that we respond to stress,
Just begin to notice how your body feels.
Notice if you're holding any tension anywhere.
If there's any area of the body that tends to hold your stress.
And just bring your attention to this area.
If you do not identify an area in your body,
Just continue to breathe slow and deep.
Focusing on the breath itself,
The movement,
The air coming in and out of your body.
Now bring your attention to something that does stress you out,
Something that is weighing heavy on your mind.
Bring that situation,
That person,
That challenge to the forefront of your mind,
Almost as though you could see them there right at your forehead.
Notice if the stress response occurs.
If you feel any tension,
Any clenching,
Any response at all,
And just breathe through it.
Your breath is your steadiness.
It's your strength.
Inhaling and exhaling equally with control and focus.
Just observing and noticing whatever it is that stresses you out.
Now allow this image to fade and see if you can release the response as well.
Just breathing in,
Breathing out,
Noticing if you feel a slight release.
Whether you do or not,
The focus should be on the breath,
Slow,
Steady,
Constant.
Now take a moment to explore this feeling of stress,
What's attached to it.
Notice the emotion that stress causes.
It may cause worry,
Anxiety,
Fear,
Anger.
It's different for all of us.
Once you identify that emotion,
See if you can bring it to the forefront of your mind.
See if you can really will yourself to feel completely stressed out.
And as you begin to feel the stress building in your body,
Begin to clench,
Tighten your fists,
Clench your toes,
Tighten the muscles in your legs,
The muscles in your arms,
Bring your shoulders up to your ears,
Clench your face,
Clench your belly,
Feel tight,
Tight,
Tight,
Tight,
Tight.
Take a deep breath in through the nose,
Still clenching everything,
Sitting up straight and tall,
And release completely out through the mouth.
Do that two more times,
Inhaling and clenching your body.
Really get fierce with it.
Imagine you can contain all of this stress in your body,
That you can capture it here,
Really pull in tight and release through the mouth.
One more time,
Inhale,
Sitting up tall,
Or having a straight spine and really clenching your body,
Hugging everything to the bone.
Imagine you could squeeze that stress right out of your body,
And release.
Now allow your breath to go back to its normal cadence.
Notice any subtle shifts in your energy.
Notice if you feel complete release in any area of your body.
You may need to just breathe normally,
Allow yourself to relax,
Just allowing your nervous system to reset a little bit.
Stress is often associated with poor health and even more stress arises from that.
And in fact,
Stress is a natural response.
It's information.
And when we explore our stress,
We're better able to use this information to our benefit.
If there is an emotion or a reason that you feel stressed,
There's something that is a little bit clearer for you now.
Just observe this.
Hold it almost as though you were taking notes in school.
This information is valuable.
It's personal.
And by observing it,
You're gaining objectivity.
Continuing to just breathe normally,
Continuing to relax.
Just send yourself some gratitude for taking a moment to release some of this pent up stress.
Ready yourself to return to whatever is awaiting you in your day or evening,
Knowing that you're a little bit better equipped,
A little bit stronger,
A little bit more knowing.
Very gently begin to blink your eyes open.
Shift the body a little bit,
Rocking side to side.
Very gently shrug your shoulders up,
Back and down.
Take in the scenery around you,
Noticing the colors,
The sounds,
The sensation.
Beautiful job.
I wish you well.
All underneath this======
