Meditation For Anxiety

A peaceful guided practice, gently led by Diane, to help you still the mind, clear stress from your nervous system and be free of anxiety.

Transcript

Hi, I'm mindfulness coach Diane Yeo and I'm grateful to be guiding you in your meditation today. This meditation will help you to calm your mind, Release stress and anxiety from your nervous system and feel more relaxed and at peace. Anxiety is on the rise and it's preventing people from living the life they want to live, But it doesn't have to be this way. Many years ago I suffered from anxiety, My mind was going non-stop and I was constantly worried about what my next anxiety attack was going to be. I was caught up in a vicious cycle and I felt completely overwhelmed. I'm so grateful I found meditation. I became aware that my anxiety was caused from non-stop stressful thinking and that I had the power to train my mind to focus in the present. This shifted my perception completely. I no longer felt like a victim, I felt empowered. Most anxiety is caused by our thinking. Every thought you think is instantly messaged down to the body. Anxiety is typically caused when we're worried about the future. As well, Thoughts like, I'm so stressed out, Will create stress in the body. Meditation will calm and clear your mind, Which in turn will release the built up stresses. If you're on medication for anxiety, I'm not suggesting this is a replacement. You should always consult your doctor before making any changes. Before we begin, Let go of any expectations of what your meditation should look like today. There's no such thing as a good or bad meditation. Each meditation may be different and whatever experience you have is the one you need. During your meditation, You may have lots of thoughts or you might have few. Sometimes you may feel relaxed and peaceful and sometimes you might find it hard to sit still. It's all okay. Just like any skill you've developed, It takes time. So give it a chance. So let's begin. Get relaxed and comfortable and when you're ready, Gently close your eyes. Begin by gently observing the breath as you inhale and then as you exhale. Breathing in and out of the nostrils if that feels comfortable for you and there's no need to manipulate the breath. You're simply watching the breath move naturally. Observing the breath as you inhale and then observing the breath as you exhale. During this meditation, The mind might wander off and start thinking and that's what it's used to doing. Give it something different. Raise the breath, Observing the breath as you inhale and observing the breath as you exhale. Gently bring your awareness to your toes and to your feet and allow your toes and feet to completely relax. Bring your awareness to your ankles, To your calves, To your knees and to your inner and outer thighs and allow your legs to completely relax and let go. Gently observing the breath as you inhale and then gently observing the breath as you exhale. Following that natural flow in and then following that natural flow out. Breathing in and allow the breath to move into the abdomen area. Allow the breath moving into all of your organs and as you exhale, Relax and let go even more. Breathing in, Allow the breath to move from the lower mid and upper back. Feel that expansion in the back area. Exhale, Relax and completely let go. Breathing in, Allow that breath to move into the heart area. Feel the heart opening up as the breath enters the heart. Exhale and relax. Allow the shoulders to drop. Allow your arms to relax. Allow your hands to relax and allow every finger to completely relax and let go. If there's any tension in the jaw area, You may want to wiggle it back and forth. And then completely relax the face and the entire body. So it's always a real gentle back and forth. You never have to push anything away. You never have to try, Control or fix your thoughts. At any time during the meditation, You realize that the mind's caught up in thinking, No problem, That's what it's used to. Give it something different. As you breathe in, Think breathing in. Observe the breath on the inhale. And as you breathe out, Think to yourself breathing out, Observing the breath on the exhale. Anytime that you bring your awareness to your breath in this meditation, Know that you're instantly guiding your mind to the present moment and your true nature. The breath gives you a choice, A place in your focus inward, Beyond thought. So be curious about the breath. Gently observe the quality as you inhale. And then gently observe the quality as you exhale. It's always changing. You're building a relationship with the breath. You're getting to know the breath. And in return, The breath is guiding you to the present moment, To the calm and peace within. You may be aware of space or silence. You can observe that. You may be aware of thoughts, Sounds or emotions. Observe that. At any time you notice the mind getting caught up in thinking, Gently introduce the breath, Observing the breath as you inhale. And then gently observing the breath as you exhale. Bring that beautiful flow in and that beautiful flow out. That's how you breathe. And it's always a real gentle back and forth. You never have to push anything away or try and fix your thoughts or control them. Instead, If the mind gets caught up in thinking, Very gently bring your awareness to the breath. Observing the breath as you inhale and then gently observing the breath as you exhale. The breath will guide you to the present moment instantly and your true nature. So it doesn't matter if you have lots of thoughts or few during this meditation. The key is, If at any time the mind does start thinking, That's what it's used to doing. Give it something different. Bring the mind inward by gently bringing the awareness to the breath. Observing the breath on the inhale and then gently observing the breath on the exhale. Every time you do this, You're training the mind to go inward. You're strengthening the mind to be more present and to dive deep to where the stillness and calm is. Healing The beauty is there's nothing that you have to get right or to perfect. You're simply being curious and observing the present moment. You're getting to know the breath, Observing the quality, Observing that flow in, Observing that flow out. You're creating space between you and your thoughts and tapping into that still silent place. So it's always a real gentle back and forth. You never have to push anything away. You never have to fix your thoughts or control them. Gently observing the breath as you inhale and then gently observing the breath as you exhale. When you're ready, You can gently open your eyes. When you open your eyes, Keep your focus inward. Continue to observe your breath wherever it's moving in the body. Notice how the body is moving with the breath and notice how your body feels as you're sitting. You can practice mindfulness from morning to night. Simply set an intention to pause at different times during the day and take a few mindful breaths. Anytime you become aware you aren't present, You're present. So it's the perfect opportunity to stop, Hit the pause button and breathe. Start to become aware of what you're thinking about or talking about during the day. When you notice you're worrying about the future or getting caught up in a stress-filled thought, Stop, Pause and redirect your focus back to your breath. As you inhale, You can think the word peace and as you exhale, You can think the word calm. Every time you do this, You're training your mind to be present and calm. You're taking charge of what you focus on and this is how change happens, One simple choice at a time.

Reviews

A great guided meditation to calm the mind and body from overthinking and anxiety! Definitely recommend a listen! Cheers! 👍🏽

Wonderful, thank you Diane, feel much calmer about facing the day now.

That was wonderful feel very much at peace & calm, thank you🙏

Pleasant voice was comforting making the meditation easy . Namaste.

Perfect for calming my brain, which has been chaotic all day. Thank you 🙏