Hello,
And welcome to Imagination,
Travel,
And Tips.
Are you a nervous flyer?
If there's turbulence,
Does it make you jittery?
Do you get uptight when you think about the plane ascending and descending?
First,
Let's acknowledge that all of those feelings are okay.
If you have any range of anxiety,
Those are your feelings.
We aren't going to try to remove them.
Have you noticed if you try to remove a feeling,
Your mind gets bogged down with two issues,
The original one and the effort you're putting into removing something that has a life inside of you.
Trying to remove something that is part of you is only going to give you more anxiety.
When the day comes that you're ready to give up this anxiety,
Then you can work on that.
Knowing this then,
Let's take a moment to identify the feelings.
First,
Get yourself in a comfortable position,
Whatever that feels like to you.
You can sit comfortably,
You can lie down,
Whatever you want.
Close your eyes.
Take some slow,
Deep breaths in through your nose.
Focus only on your breath.
If there's a sound outside,
You can hear it and acknowledge it,
But return to your breath.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold to the count of four,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And exhale slowly through your mouth.
Let's do that again.
Take a deep breath in.
Hold to the count of four,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And exhale slowly through your mouth.
Focus again,
Take a deep breath in,
Hold to the count of four,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
And exhale slowly through your mouth.
Think now about how you feel when you think about getting on a plane.
Where do you feel this?
In your belly,
Your head,
Your neck,
Your chest?
Think about those feelings now without any judgment.
If thoughts of fearful memories come to your mind,
Simply acknowledge them,
Then move away to focus again on your breath.
Any time throughout this meditation,
When you feel the need,
Take deep breaths in through your nose,
Hold to the count of four,
And then exhale slowly through your mouth.
Now that you're a bit more relaxed,
Let's imagine yourself in an airport.
Walk into the airport and see the ticket counters.
Continue to take your slow,
Deep breaths and watch what is around you at the airport.
Think about your feelings from before.
If some of them start to increase,
That's okay.
Your feelings are part of who you are.
We're not going to get rid of them.
As you start to walk through the airport,
Past the ticket counters,
Continue to take slow,
Deep breaths.
Acknowledge the feelings you had at the beginning and let them stay with you as you pass through security.
Remember,
You are not at battle with yourself.
Focus on tranquility and peace.
You have total control of your breath.
Look at the monitors and see where your gait is and start to mentally walk to the gait.
Walk slowly,
Observing the other people.
As you continue to take deep breaths in through your nose and exhale through your mouth,
You'll smell the food and coffee as you pass by restaurants.
Have a seat at the gate now.
Make space in your head for the feelings you have.
Have they changed since we began?
Are they the same color and shape?
Do you feel them in the same place in your body?
Now it's time to board the plane.
Continue to take deep breaths in slowly through your nose and exhale slowly.
You are in complete control of your breath.
As you walk through the plane to your seat,
Look at the empty seats.
Imagine these seats are absorbing all your negative energy.
If you want to dump some of the thoughts along the way,
Feel free to do so on each empty seat you pass.
That's why those seats are there to take your burden.
Now in our journey,
You are at your seat.
Maybe there's someone already sitting down in the seat next to you.
Take a moment to look at them.
Smile.
Put away any belongings you have.
Place the seat belt around your waist.
Put your head back on the headrest and close your eyes.
Let's pause here for a few minutes while you become aware of your senses.
As we go through each one,
Continue to take deep breaths in through your nose,
Hold to the count of four,
And slowly release your breath through your mouth.
What do you hear?
At any moment,
People talking,
A baby crying,
The sound of the engines,
Nearby laughter.
Do this again.
Focus on what is around you.
Keep your eyes closed.
Inhale,
Exhale,
And let out all the air.
What do you smell?
Is there coffee brewing?
Can you smell someone's perfume?
Small amounts of jet fuel?
What do you feel?
Has someone pushed your seat?
Do you feel cool air from the overhead air?
How does your clothing feel against your skin?
Are you hot?
What do you see?
Your eyes are closed so you can see whatever you want to see.
Perhaps your beloved pet is gazing into your eyes.
Your lover's hand is over yours.
A clear blue sky with mountains in the background.
This is your safe place.
Put all the thoughts of things waiting for you.
Put those away.
You are free in this space to let everything outside just be.
Whatever is waiting,
It will be there later.
This is your time.
Enjoy it.
Now the plane engines get a little louder as they prepare to do the job they are meant to do.
Continue to keep your eyes closed.
Focus on your feelings and different sounds around you.
You are in complete control of your breathing.
Soon it's time for the plane to rise up into the sky.
Keep your eyes closed and continue to focus your mind's eye on your personal safe place.
Imagine now that the plane has leveled off,
But soon there's a little turbulence.
It's okay.
You have been instantly transported back to when you were a baby and being rocked back and forth.
Back to when you were a baby and well protected and safe.
Let's continue to imagine being rocked back and forth,
Back and forth.
Now it's time for the plane to make its way back down to the ground.
The plane engines change their sound as once again they prepare to do their job.
Your body feels heavily relaxed as the weight of the surrounding air covers you.
You feel the plane's wheels touch the ground.
You hear the squeal of victorious delight from the wheels.
The control still lies in your breath.
Continue to take slow,
Deep breaths.
If you have already drifted off to sleep,
You'll continue to be at a soft peace.
Listen to this meditation over and over.
The more you listen to it,
The more familiar you will be with the process.
You are in complete control over your thoughts.
May you soon enjoy flying.
