This meditation is a combination of practices that release anxiety and help you feel more grounded and harmonized.
Be patient.
Stay with the practices,
Giving them time to do their magic.
The combined practices are amazing crown jewels of relaxation.
We begin in a yogic practice called legs up the wall pose.
For this practice,
You may need a chair or wall,
A yoga mat or blanket,
And two pillows.
Pause here if needed.
If you know this practice,
Come into it now and breathe deeply.
If not,
I will explain how to come into the practice using a chair to prop up your lower legs.
Let's begin now by placing a yoga mat or blanket in front of the chair.
Sit on the floor with the side of your body against the front of the chair seat.
Lean back on your elbows and swing your lower legs up on the seat.
Now comfortably arrange your torso,
Your arms,
Your hands on the floor.
Make any final adjustments that you need to feel relaxed.
Arrange your pillows,
One on the left side of your head and the other near your right shoulder.
Now we will use an energy medicine practice from Donna Eden called cap it off to calm anxiety.
Place your left hand on the crown of your head,
Allowing your head to tip slightly to the left,
Releasing your arm on the pillow.
Place the right hand across your forehead,
Holding this arm up and allowing it to float here.
Now begin to take your attention to your breath.
We will be taking three releasing breaths.
Inhaling through your nose and exhaling from your mouth with a sigh.
Let's do that now.
Taking a deep breath in.
And on that next exhale,
Release the breath by pulling your belly in.
Inhale and welcome a full deep breath into the body,
Allowing the belly to swell.
Exhale,
Releasing slowly and breathing in and out through your nose now.
Keep your hands in place.
Inhaling into the lower belly and feel the rib cage begin to widen.
This ensures that you're breathing diaphragmatically.
When we experience anxiety,
We're almost certainly not breathing in a deep manner.
As you inhale,
Really feel the lower ribs widen.
And exhale slowly.
Continue to breathe deeply as you sense the hand on the forehead.
Stimulating the neurovascular points,
Which are the two bumps on the forehead.
By resting the hand here,
We have a direct communication to the nervous system,
Telling the body it's okay to relax.
It should feel very soothing.
The hand on top of the head stops the loop of energy that encircles the head during anxiety,
Often creating repetitive thought patterns.
And that feeling of being on a perpetual hamster wheel.
Now move the right hand from the forehead to the heart center,
Right in the middle of the chest.
Perhaps resting this arm on the other pillow beside your shoulder.
Continue to breathe deeply,
Leaving the other hand resting on top of the head.
Slowly circle the hand at the heart,
Inviting the body to soften with this gentle touch and with these deep full breaths.
Now as you're ready,
Rest the hand on your heart and rest your attention here as well.
Just allowing the body to breathe deeply,
Being attentive to the heart space.
Now move the right hand from the heart to the sacral center,
About three inches or seven centimeters below the navel.
Feeling the breath coming into the belly and the low ribs.
Inviting the belly to soften.
Often with anxiety,
Our digestion becomes compromised.
Placing the hand here soothes the energy loop that often holds our belly hostage with tension.
Now take the left hand from the top of the head and rest it on top of the hand on the belly.
Welcome the feeling of softening the entire body.
The entire body softening as you continue to breathe deeply,
Resting your attention at the belly.
Deep full inhalations and long slow exhalations.
Perhaps noticing how full and heavy the entire torso feels.
So grounded now,
So relaxed,
So secure in your own body.
Letting go of the breath as you relax your hands to your sides.
Shift the focus to your legs,
Perhaps feeling the lightness there as much of the blood from the legs has released into the torso.
Sensing the feeling of fullness in the belly.
Notice the depth there.
So much softness and peace.
Like a deep well of water.
Now shift your attention to the physical heart,
Noting how it has slowed.
Everything slowed down now.
The heart space is so open.
Resting your attention there.
Perhaps experiencing the deep peace of spirit within.
Stay here as long as you would like.
Much love to you my friends.
Namaste.
