Subduing Anxiety

This is an energy-based meditation that uses Traditional Chinese Medicine theory and acupuncture points to alleviate anxiety. It focuses on moving energy throughout the body to help one ground themselves in their body and reestablish the balance between the body and mind.

Transcript

Hello,

This is Brett.

We all feel anxiety.

We feel anxiety for a variety of different reasons.

Feeling anxious is a normal response to stressors.

I am feeling a little anxious right now about whether or not people are going to like this meditation about anxiety.

According to traditional Chinese medicine theory,

Anxiety is the result of a stressor causing excessive yang,

Or heat energy,

To rise to the head and disrupt the mind.

The stressor has created an imbalance between yang energy and the yin,

Or cool,

Energy.

In order to alleviate anxiety in clinical practice,

The objective is to subdue the yang energy and nourish the yin energy.

For this meditation,

We will focus on moving energy to different locations in the body.

Let me explain how the energy course is to prepare you for this meditation.

We will start by focusing our attention on the top of the head.

Then,

We will move on to the base of the neck.

We will move on to the back of the hand and concentrate on the soft tissue between the thumb and the pointer finger.

Next,

We will move to the center of the chest on the breastbone directly above the split of the ribs.

Lastly,

We will move our attention to the bottoms of the feet,

Concentrating on a point on the ball of the foot between the big toe and the second toe.

Find a comfortable position either lying down or sitting with your legs straight.

It will be easier to feel the energy coursing throughout your body if you are not sitting cross-legged.

Feel free to close your eyes.

Feel your body in contact with the surface beneath you.

Now,

Let's move on to deep breathing.

Breathing can help you relax and prepare mentally for the meditation.

Inhale through your nose and out your mouth.

As you exhale out your mouth,

Gently loosen the tension and allow your body to soften.

Inhale through your nose and exhale out your mouth.

Inhale through your nose and exhale out your mouth.

Inhale through your nose and exhale out your mouth.

You can resume your normal breathing pattern.

Draw your attention to the top of your head.

Yang is heat energy.

Heat energy rises.

Feel the gentle warmth of the Yang energy at the top of your head.

The back of your body is Yang.

To bring the body back into balance,

We will move the energy opposite its natural path.

Allow the energy to move and descend the back of your head.

Roll down the back of your neck and allow it to rest at the base of your neck.

In this area is the acupuncture point governing vessel 14.

There is an abundance of Yang energy in this region.

One of the main functions of this point is to dissipate heat.

While you focus on this point,

Feel the warm Yang energy ascend from the base of the neck to the base of the skull.

Feel the energy enter your brain and pacify your mind.

Allow the energy to ascend the top of your head and release into the atmosphere.

Draw your attention back to governing vessel 14 at the base of your neck.

Divide the energy in half and move the energy across the tops of your shoulders.

Move the energy down the backs of your arms,

Down the backs of your forearms,

And let it rest on the backs of your hands.

Move the energy to the soft tissue between your thumb and your pointer finger.

In this area is the fourth point of the large intestine channel.

This point is used to regulate the flow of energy in the body.

The arms and the legs have Yang properties while the torso has Yang properties.

As you concentrate on this point,

Allow the warm energy to trickle down your thumb and your fingers.

Allow the Yang energy to drip off the ends of your fingers and your thumbs.

The Yang energy dripping off the ends of your fingers and your thumbs should feel like placing your hand underneath warm water that's dripping from a faucet.

This will allow the Yang energy and the Yin energy to come back into equilibrium.

Move the energy from the backs of your hands to the palms of your hands.

How do your hands feel?

Does the energy in your hands have a shape?

Does it have a color or texture?

If you start to feel anxious,

Your hands can act as an anchor to bring you back into your body.

Allow the energy to move up the underside of your arms onto your upper arms and across the fronts of your shoulders to join at the center of your chest on the breastbone directly above the split of your ribs.

This point is the 17th point on the conception vessel channel.

The front of the body,

The chest,

The abdomen,

And pelvis are all Yin in nature.

The center of the chest is the area where Yin energy from food and Yang energy from air meet and the blood courses to the organs and the tissues of the body strengthening and nourishing them.

While concentrating on this area,

Breathe in deeply feeling the cool air enter into the lungs,

Feeling the chest expand and the belly rise.

Allow the cool Yin energy to nourish the body.

As you breathe out,

Feel the warm Yang energy exit into the air.

As you continue to breathe,

Feel the cool Yin energy from the air enter into the body,

Nourishing and restoring it,

And feel the warm Yang energy being returned to the atmosphere.

Notice how you feel in this moment.

Has your energy changed?

Was there a change in shape,

Color,

Or texture?

The breath can be another anchor.

When you feel anxious,

Draw your attention to your breath,

Concentrating on the expansion of your chest or the rise of your belly.

Let your energy seep from the surface of your chest through your torso to your spine on the back of your body.

Let your energy descend along your mid-back and low-back and travel to the base of your spine at the pelvis.

At the base of your spine,

Divide the energy in half and send each half down your buttocks to the backs of your thighs.

Allow it to descend from the backs of your thighs to the backs of your knees.

Let it move down the backs of your calves and your Achilles tendon to your heel on the bottoms of your feet.

As warm energy rises,

Cold energy descends.

Feel the cool energy on the bottoms of your feet like a cool breeze on a warm summer day.

When you are ready,

Feel the energy move to the balls of your feet between your big toes and your second toes.

This is the first point of the kidney channel.

At the bottoms of your feet,

This point is rich in yin energy and has a strong downward pull on the energy in your body.

As you concentrate on this point,

Allow the muscles in your face to soften.

Soften your jaw.

Soften the muscles in your neck.

Soften the muscles in your chest.

Soften the muscles in your shoulders.

Soften the muscles in your upper and mid back.

Soften the muscles in your belly and your pelvis.

Soften the muscles in your low back and buttocks.

Soften the muscles in your hips and thighs.

Soften the muscles in your knees and lower legs.

Soften the muscles in your feet.

Feel your body in contact with the surface beneath you.

Allow yourself to hear sounds around you.

When you are ready,

You can open your eyes.

Remember that anxiety is a mind state.

Mind states like happiness,

Sadness,

Worry,

And anger are impermanent.

They come and go.

If you begin to feel anxious,

Although it is uncomfortable,

Find solace in your awareness that this is temporary.

To increase our awareness of this,

Move your attention to the body.

Remember,

We are not suppressing anxiety.

We are letting it occur,

But we are drawing our attention to the expansion of the chest or the rise of the belly.

These are anchors that can settle the mind.

Just as the hands and the feet can act as anchors to ground us in our bodies,

Allow yourself to feel the breath of your hands and your feet,

And slowly the anxious feeling should dissipate.

Remember,

This is called meditation practice.

We practice so that we can apply what we learned on the path of life.

I hope you found this useful.

Thank you for practicing with me.