Welcome,
My name is Julia and I'll be guiding you through this practice to help reduce stress and feelings of anxiety.
Begin by finding a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down,
Whatever feels best for you.
Close your eyes or simply soften your gaze and take a deep breath in through the nose,
Allowing your chest and your abdomen to fully expand.
Hold the breath for a brief moment and then exhale slowly out through the mouth,
Beginning to release any tension or any tightness.
Let's take a few breaths like this,
Inhaling deeply in through the nose,
Holding for a moment and slowly exhaling out through the mouth.
One more time,
Going at your own pace.
As you breathe here,
Just beginning to take note of how your body is feeling in this current moment.
If you notice any areas where you're holding on to tension or discomfort,
Starting to send the breath into those spaces.
Visualizing that inhale,
Creating some room,
And visualizing that exhale,
Releasing some of the stress,
Some of the discomfort.
Continuing to breathe at your own pace.
Each inhale,
Creating space for your practice,
And each exhale,
Releasing any thoughts or anything that may be weighing you down.
While it's totally normal to experience feelings of stress and anxiety,
It's what we do with them that dictates the impact that they can have on our body and our minds.
Allowing these feelings to simply be observed,
Be seen,
Or be heard,
Before letting them pass from the body,
Can help us to develop a better stress response.
Whenever you find yourself noticing a thought that feels stressful or causes anxiety,
Simply breathe into it,
Observe it,
And allow it to pass.
By allowing these thoughts to pass,
We are keeping them from taking root in our bodies and in our minds.
It's when we allow these feelings to take root and to grow that we become overwhelmed and experience the physical manifestation of this negativity.
As we continue to breathe deeply in this space,
Imagine a warm,
Golden light beginning to surround you,
Feeling its comforting embrace.
As you breathe in,
You feel this light entering your body,
Filling you with a sense of peace and calm.
As this warming light washes over you,
It slowly melts all of the stress,
All of the tension,
And all of the feelings of anxiety in your body,
Allowing you to release all of those sensations with your exhale.
You see this light washing over every cell,
Every muscle,
Every bone in your body,
Soothing and relaxing them completely,
Starting to shift the focus to your breathing,
Observing the gentle rise and fall of your chest as you inhale and exhale,
Allowing this rhythm to guide you deep into a state of relaxation,
Like the rhythm of the waves lapping against the shore.
You may wish to repeat the following affirmations silently to yourself.
I am calm.
My body and my mind are at peace.
I am safe and fully supported.
I am not my anxiety.
Allowing these words to settle in,
Anchoring you in strength and tranquility,
Bringing your attention to your heart center,
Calling in that beautiful golden light,
Allowing it to settle into your heart space,
Radiating its love and compassion throughout your entire body.
With each inhale,
Feeling or visualizing this light expanding,
Surrounding your entire being with love and warmth.
With each exhale,
Allowing this love to radiate out into the world,
Surrounding yourself and others with this beautiful,
Calming energy.
Using this moment to connect with these feelings of love and compassion,
Knowing that you are deserving of it and knowing that you are able to create it whenever you need.
Staying in this space for as long as you'd like to and whenever you are ready,
Gently bringing your awareness back to the present moment,
Moving the body and slowly opening the eyes,
Taking a moment to thank yourself for taking this time to nourish your mind,
Body and spirit,
Knowing that you can return to this place of peace and calm whenever you need.
