I'm just going to encourage you to allow your eyes to drop closed,
To begin to tune into your breath,
To give a bit of space to listen to your body,
Finding that space of quiet within.
As you really explore your physical body,
What might she need in this moment?
Maybe it's pillows under the knees or a cozy blanket.
What we're looking to do here is to enhance this deep sense of comfort,
This deep sense of safety here with the body.
Deepening your breath as you let go of everything that has come before this time.
Giving your body,
Your emotions,
Your sensations,
Your full attention.
So your inhale naturally deepens as you encourage a sense of relaxation to also deepen.
You find that your exhales let go of all that you might have brought with you here to this time.
You find that it's all settling down,
Finding that rhythm of breathing that offers a settled sense of peace and quiet,
Continuing to turn towards any sensations that need to be acknowledged,
Whatever the day has brought up for you.
We want to give some space for the body to acknowledge how it's been carrying this stress,
This tightness,
Sensations of fear,
Concern,
Worry about a decision perhaps.
As we carry these heavy emotions over time,
It's as if they pick up speed,
They get more heavier,
Or they might take up more space in the body.
Perhaps it feels like you've been carrying this all by yourself.
So what if in this moment you could set it all down like taking off a heavy backpack?
Notice if you feel actually relieved after setting it down.
You might also notice if it feels completely unfamiliar,
Like you're missing something that's kind of always been with you.
Whatever it is,
It doesn't have to make sense.
We're just simply noticing here.
We want to begin to explore what's been held in the body.
Maybe fearful past experiences,
Or emotional closures,
Or judgments of how you could be or should be.
Maybe it's all been as if catalogued,
Like books on a library shelf.
And so that in this moment,
As you give yourself the time to turn towards these sensations in the body,
Recognizing that so many of these experiences in your personal history have never really been honored,
Have never really been given space to move.
So that all you really need to do in this moment is to breathe,
Almost as if you could imagine sitting with your fear,
Like an invited guest,
As you bring your curiosity,
Your love,
Your observation at what may be beginning to unwind with your next deep breath.
And remember,
We're just noticing.
Nothing to force,
Nothing to do,
Simply noticing.
Along with your next breath,
As you release on your next exhale,
Allowing yourself to continue notice what's going on inside.
Here,
In this moment,
There isn't anything to fear.
Instead,
It's as if we're meeting the fear,
As if sitting right there with the sensation.
Like a frightened child,
What might you say to her?
I'm here,
I'm listening,
It's okay.
Notice if there's any tightness and imagine bringing your breath right there to that place of constriction in your body,
Taking all the time you might need right here as you practice using your breath and your awareness to offer a sense of soothing,
Calming energy wherever it's needed most.
Let's be honest.
We live in a world surrounded by messages of fear.
Giving yourself a moment to honor that,
To just consider how fear has become ever-present right here.
For some of us,
Fear has wiggled its way into our psyche like a guest that's overstayed its welcome.
And now we're not exactly sure how to get it to move along,
Because it's just always there,
Sort of ever-present.
But now we're exploring creating this new capacity,
Getting curious about the sensations of fear that have been with us.
Let's be sure to not make ourselves wrong for feeling something as natural as fear.
It's there often as a messenger.
Now of course,
There will be times when fearful thoughts or even experiences,
They reappear.
This gives us a moment to deepen our sense of awareness as you give yourself time to simply be with what arises.
And what do you begin to notice as you explore your very private,
Your very personal,
Inner relationship to fear?
For many of us,
It acts like some kind of internal alarm system.
Yet,
If it's always ringing,
If it's just stuck on that alarm signal,
Ever-present,
Right there in the background,
Like some sort of alarm we can't shut off,
It's like we're numb to the sound,
Something we can't turn off,
Yet it significantly pulls us away from our enjoyment of the moment,
From our looking forward to the future.
If fear is always present,
It disconnects us from our inner knowing of how to navigate what's in our day-to-day life.
Come back now to a place of discernment,
Almost as if with intention you're switching off the alarm,
To settle more deeply into that place of peace and quiet.
With your next exhale,
Imagine the relief of that alarm finally being turned off,
Allowing fear to return to being just that messenger for you,
Only when it's needed,
Acknowledging that its message can't get through if it's constantly ringing away in the background.
Imagine turning off the news,
Imagine taking a break from conversations that remain focused on what's wrong and what there is to be afraid of,
Stepping away from doom-scrolling and giving space for your mind to explore what is good,
What is beautiful,
What is going well for me today,
Taking a moment here to reflect on the last thing you felt deep appreciation or gratitude for,
Let that fill your awareness just for a moment as you breathe in to whatever comes to mind for you.
It feels good to know that you're creating a new relationship with how you experience fear as you're learning to listen to your body's cues once that alarm system has been turned off.
It's so good to know that you can shift this for yourself,
That you can turn towards your body's inner wisdom that is designed to keep you safe.
It feels good to know that you can release outside influences that often pump fear to remain over there while you explore sensations of living much more rooted,
Much more connected within yourself.
Taking some time to breathe in to your own strength,
Cultivating that deeper sense of calm,
Taking that space you need to allow the fear response to be over there,
Separate,
While you explore the sense of your ground,
That awareness of discernment,
Allowing that wisdom from within to be your guide.
Trust this more and more,
And every time you give this to yourself,
Practice.
Practice this inward movement of being curious,
Of exploring,
Expanding that place of calm within,
Allowing it to grow stronger with each passing day,
Something you can trust more and more deeply,
A resource that you can call upon in moments when you need it most.
