Clearing The Clouds Of Performance Anxiety

Be it an important presentation at work, a university exam or a challenging conversation with a loved one. We all have situations in which we want to perform at our best. Often our self-induced perceived pressure to do so carries fear of failure. This meditation was designed for you to reconnect to your inner peace, perspective and poise so that you can clear the clouds of performance anxiety and show up as your best self. Prereq: None, just your breath & imagination. Love & gratitude, Canel

Transcript

Welcome my fellow being,

I am Janelle Thay and I will be guiding you through the Clearing the Clouds of Performance Anxiety Meditation.

Be it a university exam,

An important presentation at work or a challenging conversation with a loved one,

We all have situations in which we want to perform at our best.

Even our self-induced perceived pressure to do so carries fear of failure.

This meditation was designed for you to reconnect to your inner peace,

Perspective and poise so that you can clear the clouds of performance anxiety and show up as your best self.

Let's begin.

Take a comfortable position with your back upright,

Not up tight.

If you like,

You can place your hands onto your lap or bring them both into Gnana Mudra.

For this,

Rest your hands on top of your thighs with your palms open facing down and let your thumb and index finger touch forming a circle.

This hand gesture aims to remind us of the deeper knowledge and wisdom we carry within us.

Now close your eyes and let's take a couple of deep breaths together.

Make your exhale longer than your inhale.

Breathe in and breathe out.

Breathe in and breathe out.

Breathe in and breathe out.

Keep your own rhythm for six more breaths.

Elongating your out-breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system or the rest and digest response which helps our bodies and minds to calm down and relax.

Now return to your natural breathing pattern and observe your breath without judgment.

Bring your shoulders down,

Relax your eyebrows and release any tension in your jaw.

It's time to let the world go now.

Slowly breathe and be.

Very good!

There is nothing you need to do right now.

You deserve to take this time just for yourself.

You deserve to take this time just for yourself.

If the clouds of performance anxiety appear upon your sky,

Acknowledge their presence with a smile,

Greet them with equanimity,

Mentally noting or saying out loud,

I see you fear as you continue breathing calmly and steadily.

Now,

Imagine picking these clouds from the sky as if you were to pick apples from a tree.

Become familiar with them,

Look at them and try to understand them.

Why do they make you feel stressed or afraid of not performing at your best?

What is it that you're really scared of?

Put the clouds of performance anxiety on a scale of 1 to 10,

10 being heavy and horrifying.

What rating do you give them?

Now bring to mind the worst thing that can happen to you in your life.

What is it?

Maybe it's poor health or the death of a loved one.

What rating do you give it on a scale of 1 to 10?

Most likely a 10 or higher.

Now relate your performance anxiety to this one and rate it again.

What number do you give it now?

Probably less than a 5.

Becoming familiar with our fear and weighing it against something really scary helps us gain perspective and clears away the clouds.

It releases our worries and brings us peace.

Our minds must be clear to perform properly.

Peace breeds clarity.

Turn to focusing on your breath.

Breathe in and breathe out calmly and steadily.

This space is for you.

You're safe here.

Your breath brings you home to peace and clarity.

When your mind is analyzing your thoughts,

Assure it that you have the confidence to deal with it when the time comes.

Let your mind wander off.

Let your mind我们 Be aware of.

Now visualize you are in the situation where you want to perform at your best.

Now imagine you are in the situation where you want to perform at your best.

What are you wearing?

What are you seeing and what are you hearing?

And who is there with you?

Feel it as if it was real.

Keep using your breath as your anchor,

Breathing in and breathing out calmly and steadily.

See yourself writing or speaking,

Channeling your deeper knowledge,

Being at your absolute best.

You're calm,

Clear,

Confident and centered.

Feel how good it feels and absorb this feeling.

Take a deep breath and repeat after me whatever comes my way.

I know deep down that I have everything to handle everything with peace,

Perspective and poise.

I got this.

Sit a couple more moments with your breath holding this deeper knowledge within,

Breathing in and breathing out.

Let's take one final breath together.

Inhale and exhale.

Remember,

Whenever the clouds of performance anxiety show up,

Greet them with a smile and know that,

To put it into Pema Chitran's words,

You are the sky,

Everything else is just the weather.

Thank you for having taken the time to share your practice with me today.

Namaste.

Reviews

Very soothing and grounding meditation. Thank you!🙏

Valuable and informed. Good balance of body and mind.

From anxiety, fear, and dread to confident and excited. Thank you for this critical shift- I needed it and it is helping me stand in my power, right before a really important presentation at a conference!

It was like a deep dive into the river of the soul. Thanks 🙏🏻

Wonderful. Helps to calm down when anxiety seems to overrun you. Thank you. 🙏

Thank you

This app is a blessing.

You have the right way to bring calm, self confidence and acceptance. Our one to one sessions helped me a lot in many aspects of my life. Looking forward to our next session 💫

Love it! So helpful to lower my feelings of anxiety. Thank you for this meditation!

Thank u~💓💓

Thanks Canel for this beautiful meditation. "We are the clouds, the rest is just the weather" loved it!

Absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much

So so so good