Welcome to Meditation for Stress Relief.
I'm Danielle and I will be your guide for this meditation session.
This meditation is especially for those of you who are feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
Stress is the body's natural reaction to pressures or demands from a situation or life event.
While a small amount of stress is normal,
When we are constantly in a stress state,
Our mind and body just can't function the way it's supposed to.
This is a short practice that you can return to time and time again to help manage stress and give your mind and body an opportunity to rest and heal.
So take a moment to settle into your favorite meditation posture and let's begin.
As you begin to settle into your comfortable meditation posture,
Give yourself an opportunity to arrive in your practice today.
Allow your palms to rest facing downwards to invite in a calming and grounding energy.
And as you settle in,
Begin to take a few cleansing breaths,
Inviting your body to release any tense or nervous energy that you may have been building up.
So taking three breaths deeply in through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
Doing this at a pace that feels good for you,
Without feeling the need to rush.
And once you've taken those three beautiful breaths,
Returning to your natural resting breath.
From here just allowing yourself to breathe just as you are,
Creating a safe space,
A container for your practice where you can let go of your worries and troubles.
A space where you can just be exactly as you are in this moment.
As you begin to find more and more ease in your breath,
Begin to invite in an evenness in your inhales and exhales.
Maybe counting the length of each inhale and exhale so that they become even.
And as you do this,
Seeing if you can also invite in an acknowledgement of that space that exists between the inhales and exhales.
Those gentle pauses that invite us to go a little deeper.
And as you invite in this evenness,
Allow your breath to continue to flow effortlessly and with ease.
Finding this balance without forcing.
Allowing your body and your breath to find their way there as you are ready.
If you find your mind wandering,
Just continuing to guide it back to your breath.
To that feeling of expansion and centering with each inhale and exhale.
That feeling of peace and balance that you are beginning to cultivate and call into your life.
And if this even breathing pattern is starting to feel comfortable for you,
Begin to invite your exhales to get just a little bit longer than your inhales.
Possibly even letting those exhales become twice as long as your inhales.
And as you invite your exhales to lengthen,
You stimulate a relaxation response in your body.
So just feel that sensation of your entire body releasing with each exhale.
Feel your body softening and surrendering with each breath you take.
It's also perfectly okay here if you just want to stay with that even breathing.
Keeping your inhales and exhales at about the same length.
Just honoring what you need in this moment.
And trusting that this intention to find more peace and balance will happen for you regardless of the way that you're breathing.
You you From here begin to release any counting,
Any structure,
Guidance that you may have attached to your breathing.
Coming back to your natural breathing pace.
Noticing if anything has changed since you started your practice today.
Allowing yourself to breathe naturally just as you are.
Before you return to your day,
I will share a few affirmations with you to help remind yourself that you are in control.
That you always have the ability to access this space of perfect peace.
So as I say these affirmations,
As I share them with you,
You can just listen.
You can repeat the affirmation silently in your head.
Or if it feels good for you,
Maybe you even repeat them out loud.
So just taking one nourishing breath in and out to create the space for you to receive these beautiful and powerful words.
Breathing in through your nose and out through your nose.
And then being open to listen and to receive.
I understand that stress is a normal human response.
I don't have to let it control me.
This stressful experience is temporary and will pass.
I release any pressure I have placed on myself today.
I choose to find small moments of peace.
I love and accept myself exactly as I am.
I am doing my best and that is enough.
Slowly beginning to bring yourself back into the space that you're in.
Taking another moment here to notice how your breaths,
How these affirmations impacted your overall energy today.
And the breath is the back door to the nervous system.
Often when we are stressed and anxious we can experience erratic breathing.
Through the simple act of slowing down our breath we let our body know that we are okay.
Giving our nervous system permission to shift its response.
Giving our mind and body the opportunity to find peace.
Thank you so much for showing up for yourself today and for letting me be your guide.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
And may you release your stress and settle into peace.
Namaste.
