Welcome to this meditation.
My name is Jeremiah,
And this practice is for the mornings where anxiety shows up before your feet even touch the ground,
If your mind feels busy,
If your chest feels tight,
If you already feel behind before the day has begun.
You are not alone,
And you do not need to fight your nervous system this morning.
You only need to begin by listening to it.
Find a comfortable position,
Allow your body to settle,
And gently close your eyes.
Invite a slow inhale through your nose,
And an exhale through the mouth with a soft sigh.
Again,
Inhale slowly,
And exhale completely.
One more breath just like that,
And now allow your breathing to return to normal.
Notice your body.
Notice what feels activated.
Where does anxiety live for you today?
A chest?
A throat?
A stomach?
Without judgment,
Simply notice.
You are learning how to stay with yourself instead of abandoning yourself.
Bring one hand onto your chest,
And one hand onto your stomach.
Feel the warmth of your own hands.
Feel your breath moving between them.
Now begin breathing in through the nose for 4,
3,
2,
1,
And out through the nose for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Nothing forceful,
Just steady.
Continuing as you inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And exhale in 1,
2,
3,
4.
Again.
And as you breathe,
Imagine your nervous system slowly receiving the message that it does not need to stay in survival mode right now.
You are here.
You are breathing,
And you are safe enough in this moment.
Thoughts may continue appearing.
That's okay.
Meditation is not the absence of thought.
It is learning not to become consumed by every thought that arrives.
Imagine your thoughts like weather moving across the sky.
You do not need to chase every cloud.
You do not need to believe every storm.
Just watch.
Breathe.
Notice.
And now imagine the version of you that moves through the day with a calmer internal pace.
Not emotionless.
Not perfect.
Just regulated enough to remain connected to yourself.
See yourself taking pauses throughout the day.
Breathing before reacting.
Softening your shoulders.
Taking deep breaths.
Choosing not to spiral.
Returning to your body again and again.
That is the practice.
Not becoming someone else.
Remembering how to return to yourself.
Take a deeper inhale through the nose.
And exhale slowly through the mouth.
Again.
In through the nose.
And slowly through the mouth.
Breathing in calm.
Breathing out tension.
Again.
One final breath.
Now begin to bring the awareness back into your body.
Feel your hands.
Your face.
Slowly wiggle your fingers.
And gently move your toes.
And when you are ready,
Gently begin to open your eyes.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
Anxiety often convinces us that we need to speed up.
To tighten.
We've embraced ourselves against life.
But healing sometimes begins with learning how to slow down enough to actually hear ourselves again.
Come back to this practice whenever your mornings feel heavy,
Rushed,
Or emotionally loud.
Thank you for being here my friend.
