Hi,
And welcome to your meditation to help work through anxiety.
I crafted this practice from my personal experience navigating anxious loops.
These loops for me are when I tell myself not to be anxious,
I get frustrated that I'm still anxious,
Get overwhelmed by the frustration,
Increasing anxiety,
And now back where I started.
And in this loop,
This anxious back and forth,
I'm pulled from the present moment.
So the two techniques I paired in this session,
Breath awareness and visualization,
Are ones that can gently support you and me in coming back to the present moment,
Breaking the anxious loop.
We can build the skills that support us in coexisting with anxious thoughts so we can compassionately acknowledge when we've entered an anxious cycle.
To start,
Come into a comfortable seat.
If sitting doesn't feel right in this moment,
You can do this practice lying down,
Standing,
Or even walking.
If you're sitting or standing,
Gently align the shoulders and head,
Chin slightly tucked,
Allowing yourself to create length along the spine.
Rest in the arms,
In the lap,
Or on the knees,
Or even down along the sides.
Taking one more moment here to make sure you've arrived in the right position for yourself today.
Begin with eyes open,
Focus soft,
Starting to take some deep breaths,
In through the nose and out through the mouth.
Deep inhale through the nose,
Filling the belly,
The ribs,
The chest.
Exhaling fully,
Emptying out chest,
Ribs,
Belly.
Keep breathing,
Allowing the breath to grow deeper for a few more moments here.
With your next exhalation,
Release the breathing pattern,
Coming back to your natural breath,
And choosing to close the eyes if you haven't already,
Or keep your focus soft.
Becoming aware of your environment,
Noting any sounds or smells,
If it feels hot or cold in your space.
Letting yourself settle into this moment.
It's okay if the mind is racing,
If you're fidgety.
However you're showing up is okay.
Shifting your focus to the body,
Arms on top of legs,
Weight of the body pressing into the surface beneath you.
Becoming aware of any sensations or possible tension you may be holding.
We're not trying to change anything here.
If you get distracted by a sensation or it brings up different thoughts,
This is okay too.
Simply acknowledge what is arising before coming back to the body.
Let your focus shift from the body to your breath.
Where does the breath create a rising or falling sensation?
Can you feel your belly rise and fall?
The chest?
Or maybe the feeling of breath moving in and out of the nostrils.
Finding a place to focus on the breath that feels comfortable to you.
As we did with the body,
We're not trying to change anything here.
We're following the natural rhythm of our breath in this moment.
Witnessing thoughts as they arise and gently letting them go.
Begin to witness a green light resting in the belly.
Imagining with your inhale that this light floats to the third eye center behind the brow.
And on the exhale,
It floats back to the belly.
Following this light's movement with each passing breath.
Letting your focus be gentle,
Soft,
And easy.
Not holding on tightly to the technique.
If you lose the visualization,
It's okay.
You can start again at any time.
If there's any tension in a space the light travels through,
Try imagining that tension release with each pass of the light.
Allow the light to carry your breath into any part of the body that needs it.
On the next exhale,
See the light traveling down to the feet.
Inhaling brings it all the way back up to the crown of the head.
Moving throughout the entirety of your body now.
Gently releasing tension along the way.
Inhale,
The light travels up.
Exhale,
Back down.
Creating a gentle,
Easeful circle around the entirety of your body.
Gradually guide your light into your heart center.
Inhaling,
The green light grows brighter.
Exhaling,
It releases warmth.
Releasing the visualization now.
Letting your focus come back to the rise and fall of the breath.
Focusing on any area of the body that helps you do this.
Witness the effects this practice,
Your breath,
Your light,
May have had on your body today.
Notice where you're making contact with a surface.
The weight of the body pressing down.
Maybe the feet on the earth.
Starting to become aware of the body in the here now moment.
Connecting with sounds,
Smells,
Or sensations in the space around you once more.
Taking a deep inhale through the nose.
Exhale through the mouth fully with a sigh.
And when you're ready,
Slowly open the eyes.
Before you transition away from this practice,
Take a moment to check in.
Take some time to be curious.
Maybe there's a sense of relief or possibly resistance.
Whatever arises is okay.
See if you can be with it.
Because that ability to let our anxious thoughts and emotions simply exist,
Free of judgment,
That is mindfulness in action.
And that's the skill that you'll take off the mat,
Off the cushion,
Into your day-to-day life.
And thank you for dedicating time to practice with me.
I hope to see you again here soon.
