Join me in this simple practice to release anxiety and stress.
Come into a comfortable seated position with your feet on the earth,
Or you may do this practice lying down with your knees bent.
Often when we're stressed and anxious,
The energy in our body rises upward.
It can be difficult to ground and it keeps us living in our heads,
In a state of overwhelm,
Often feeling vulnerable and reactive.
This practice retrains our energy to move downward and ground.
Close your eyes if you haven't done so already,
And take a moment to notice how you're doing below the surface of your being.
Noting areas that might be tight or holding tension.
Hold these areas with a sense of love and compassion.
And tell your body that you're safe and that it's okay to relax and release.
We start with an easy technique that you can use anywhere to ground.
Place your hands palm face down on your thighs.
Breathe deeply,
And on that first exhale pull belly to spine as you press your hands into the thighs.
Inhaling deeply,
Feeling the belly swell and the low ribs widen.
And on your exhalation,
Press both hands into the thighs.
Inhale,
Breathing deeply,
Feeling the body expand.
And on your exhale,
Slowing that exhalation down as you press evenly into the thighs.
Inhaling sense the breath as it comes into your body.
And on your exhalation,
Let it be long,
Slow,
And smooth as you press.
A few more rounds just like that.
Good now let go of this practice,
Relax your hands,
And if you're lying down you may stretch your legs long.
Take your attention to the sensation of breath at the nostrils.
Just feeling the breath there as it comes into and out of your nostrils.
On the next inhale,
Trace the breath from the nostrils down the throat and into the lungs.
Exhale let your attention travel down your body and past your feet.
Inhale sweep the attention from the nostrils to the lungs to the floor of the pelvis.
Exhale let the attention travel down your legs and past your feet.
Inhaling sweep the attention from the nostrils to the floor of the pelvis between your legs.
Exhale draw the attention downward past the feet.
Have a sense of letting go of anything you no longer need.
Continue sweeping the breath in and down to the floor of the pelvis,
Noting sensation there.
Exhaling gliding the attention down past the feet,
Noting the sensation at the feet.
Just keep breathing.
Perhaps on the next round,
Pause the in breath at the floor of the pelvis and pause the out breath at the soles of the feet.
Exhaling to the floor of the pelvis,
Pause.
Exhale to the feet,
Pause.
Be curious to the sensations that you sense at these points.
Notice that peaceful sensation within the pause.
Whenever you're ready,
Let go of the breath and relax in this quiet space as long as you would like.
Wishing you deep peace my friends.
Namaste.
