Sometimes we find ourselves in an emotional storm.
And today we're going to focus on the skill how to build our own anchor.
For in these moments of storminess,
It's helpful for us to rely on an anchor to keep us steady and on course.
As we begin this brief meditation,
I welcome you to find a comfortable seat.
One that is sitting with dignity as you reach the crown of your head up towards the sky,
Elongating your spine.
Notice how we're feeling in this moment.
Are there areas of tension or tightness around your eyes,
In your shoulders,
In your torso,
Perhaps in your hands,
Your legs or feet?
In the next few moments,
Bring awareness of your breath to each of these areas of tension,
Allowing some relaxation to take hold and tension to release.
Let's together begin that process.
Breathing in slowly and fully for the count of four.
Hold your breath at the top.
And now let's exhale fully from the base of our lungs out to the top for an elongated count of eight.
And we'll do that cycle one more time.
In for a count of four.
Breathing in fully into your lungs,
Feeling them expand.
Holding your breath at the top.
And exhaling fully for an elongated count of eight.
Beautiful.
And one final time at your own pace.
Breathing in.
Holding.
And exhaling.
Feel your body relaxing in to itself while at the same time holding that sitting posture of dignity.
Spine and crown of head reaching to the sky above.
Sitting in this moment of relaxation,
I invite you to think about and notice what emotions are coming up for you right now.
Where are you noticing those emotions take hold in your body?
How do they present themselves?
Are you feeling a sense of frustration?
A sense of unease?
A restlessness of the mind?
And as we use those words,
Do you notice tension resurfacing in any of those familiar places in the body?
If so,
I invite you to deeply breathe into those areas of tension,
Acknowledging the emotional state,
But inviting your physical body to resume a relaxed position.
Releasing areas of tension,
Using the breath as the guide to do so.
It is always with us.
How might we feel when we release the tension?
When we release the emotions that are causing a bit of a storm within us?
Might we imagine feeling a sense of peacefulness?
A sense of ease?
A sense of calm?
These are attainable emotions.
As we imagine ourselves embarking on a voyage on the water,
We feel a bit of turbulence on the water.
Herein lies our emotional storm.
We recognize the feelings of unease,
Perhaps of frustration,
Perhaps even anger,
A restlessness within.
And as we start to imagine these emotions within us,
We might turn to the visualization of a turbulent sea,
The waves becoming larger,
More frequent,
Perhaps even some white caps on the top.
They signal to us this feeling restlessness and unease.
Without an anchor in place,
We feel a lack of stability.
We feel at the whim of wherever these emotions may take us.
But that is not necessarily our destiny.
For we have the ability to cultivate our own anchor,
To create our own stability in these times of emotional distress.
I invite you now to consider what might your anchor be made of?
What might your anchor look like?
For in our own metaphor,
We do not need to adhere to the traditional iron anchor with its rounded bottom and pointed ends.
This anchor is yours.
It serves the purpose of inviting calm and stability in times of worry or frustration or restlessness.
What does your anchor need from you?
Might it be a certain color,
A certain texture,
A sense of secureness?
Might it have a hefty weight or no weight at all?
Your personal anchor is one that works for you.
It is one that is meant to create a sense of stable,
A sense of calm.
And this stability amongst the waves is for you and your benefit.
It is a gift that you give to yourself,
One that you can create and one that you can utilize at any time.
As you bring your visualization of your anchor to the forefront of your mind,
I invite you to cast it gently and patiently into the waters,
Into that emotional storm.
Calmly,
Without force,
But instead by invitation,
With a sense of patience and ease and trust that your anchor will serve you in these moments of unrest.
As you watch your anchor move through that emotional storm,
Notice your breathing and notice the calming of the waves.
I invite you now to resume that relaxation breathing designed to calm our nervous system,
Activating our relaxation response,
That natural part of our being that invites us to engage in a feeling of calm and ease,
A steadiness of sorts,
Breathing in and breathing out.
And each time we're breathing in,
Our anchor is continuing to sift through,
Sink through and depart to truly part the waves of our emotional storm,
Inviting a sense of calm to come over us.
And with each exhale,
We relax a little bit more into this stability that we're creating for ourselves,
Breathing in and breathing out.
I invite you to continue this ritual of breathing,
This breathwork that is helping your anchor take place and take shape amongst the storm,
Calming it with each breath.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Steadiness.
Breathing in and breathing out.
As our anchor has truly calmed the waters,
Creating a steadiness within,
We might take a moment to notice that not all the waters around us are calm,
For they are still in their natural state of waves,
Responding to the winds around.
But even in the midst of a wavy sea surrounding us,
We can still feel a sense of stability in our own place,
For we have used our anchor wisely.
Used our anchor wisely,
And for our benefit,
To create some stability amongst the wider storms around us.
A true gift to ourselves that we may connect with our inner emotional stability at any time.
For our anchors are just that.
They are our breath.
They are our conscience.
They are the wisdom for us to enact them both in a way that serves us when we feel unsteady,
When we feel restless,
When we feel frustrated,
When we feel lost amongst the waves.
We have these skills to return to,
To create and recreate anchors that serve to remind us of our inner calm,
Remind us of our own emotional stability,
And that it is accessible to us when we need it.
As we continue to enjoy this calming feeling of breathwork,
I remind you that your anchor is with you in everyday life.
It is ours to access when we need it,
And we can do so through engaging in our breath,
Patiently,
Calmly,
And with a steadiness that serves us.
And in doing so,
I invite you to bring your awareness back into your breath in this moment,
Feeling the steady rhythm.
And as we begin to close our meditation,
I wish to remind you that this steady rhythm of your breath,
This sense of calm is always available to you.
When you need it most,
You can reconnect with it here,
In this posture of dignity,
In your inhales and exhales.
May you turn to your breath when you need it,
And enjoy this calm throughout your day.
