Hi and welcome to your meditation.
This is a short practice to help you anchor in your body and to find a sense of steadiness when anxiety feels overwhelming.
We'll use our body as a safe place to land and we'll also tap into the practice of pendulation which is gently moving our awareness between what feels difficult and what feels supportive.
This meditation is a moment of practice but it's also a tool you can return to whenever life starts to feel a bit too much.
The body can be a place of safety,
A reminder that even in difficulty steadiness is possible.
No feeling is final and two things can exist at the same time,
Discomfort and calm,
Tension and ease and through this practice we'll move gently between them.
So use this meditation and take what you learn with you into your daily life,
A reminder that you can always anchor in the body,
Reset and then begin again.
So let's begin by settling into a comfortable position.
Take a slow breath in through your nose and let it out gently through the mouth.
Take as many of these breaths as you need just breathing in gently through the nose,
Slowly and softly out the mouth and then begin to notice the support beneath you,
The weight of your body being held by the ground and if it feels okay close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Bring your awareness to your breath,
You don't need to change it,
Simply notice its rhythm.
Where do you feel the breath most clearly?
Maybe it's at the nostrils,
The chest,
The belly,
Let your awareness rest there as though the breath is the gentle anchor holding you in this moment and if your mind races that's okay,
Your thoughts are allowed,
Each time you can come back to the breath,
Back to this anchor.
Now let's gently explore pendulation by moving between discomfort and steadiness.
With pendulation you're teaching your body that it can move between different states,
That it's not trapped in any moment.
Before we visit the places of tension or anxiety,
Let's begin by finding a safe place in the body.
Take a moment to scan gently through your body.
Where do you notice a sense of ease or at least a sense of neutrality?
It might be the weight of your legs,
The steady contact of your back against a chair or even just the natural rhythm of your breath.
There is no right answer here,
Simply choose one area that feels supportive enough,
A place that you can return to.
Once you've found this place in your body,
Take a moment to rest all your awareness there,
Send your breath into the space,
Feel the comfort,
The steadiness of it.
Now from this base of steadiness,
We'll begin to pendulate,
Touching into discomfort for a moment and then returning here to safety.
So first,
Bring your awareness to a place in the body where you feel anxiety,
Tension or a sense of unease.
It might be the tightness in the chest,
A nervous flutter in the stomach or a sense of restlessness in the hands or the legs.
Just notice these sensations,
You don't need to fix it,
Simply name,
Here is tension or here is anxiety.
Stay in this place for a few breaths,
Only as much as feels okay.
And now gently begin to pendulate,
Shift your awareness back to a place in your body that feels more settled or at least more neutral.
Again,
Maybe it's the weight of your legs,
The steadiness of your seat,
The gentle rise and fall of your belly.
Rest there and let your nervous system feel this contrast.
Now gently return to that place of anxiety or tension,
Just notice,
No need to fix.
Simply name where it is in your body,
What it is,
Acknowledge its presence and then come back to that place of safety within your body.
Notice that contrast.
Now like waves gently move back and forth,
Notice from tension to steadiness.
From discomfort to support.
You're teaching your body that it can move between states,
That it's not trapped in any one place.
Indulation is all about taking a few steps forward into discomfort and then stepping back as much as is needed.
With this practice you don't need to prove anything to yourself or anyone else,
You're simply walking between different states within the body,
Teaching yourself that there is safety and there is discomfort.
And knowing how to step back from what feels too much.
So for the next few breaths,
Practice pendulation,
Step into discomfort and step back as needed,
Only doing what feels okay for you in this moment.
Now begin to let the practice settle,
Feel your breath as an anchor once more.
Notice the body being held,
Supported,
Safe in this moment.
Remind yourself that anxiety is not only one state and your body also knows calm.
You can return to this practice of pendulation whenever you need that reset.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes or lift your gaze,
Take one last steady breath and thank yourself for showing up for this practice.
