Coronavirus De-stressing: Inhale Calm & Exhale Anxiety

This is a guided practice to take you from anxiety to calm during the stressful and uncertain time of the coronavirus. We will use breathing and body scan techniques to shift from a stress response to a relaxation response. Kelly will invite you to set some intentions throughout the practice for how you want to show up in the world during this difficult time.

Transcript

Hello,

I'm Kelly Mackin.

It's a stressful time right now for everyone,

With all sorts of thoughts and emotions running through us.

We can use meditation as a tool to help inhale calm and exhale anxiety during these uncertain times and set intentions for how we want to show up in the world during the coronavirus.

Get in as comfortable and relaxed a position as you are able for this meditation.

Maybe that's lying down if that's available to you.

Take a relaxing breath in through the nose and on the exhale,

I invite you to close your eyes.

Let's go inward.

Take a few slow deep conscious breaths in and out through your nose.

Let's invite an initial intention for our meditation today and we will continue to set intentions throughout our meditation.

Welcome the intention to navigate these difficult times to the best of your ability.

Take a long slow deep inhale through the nose and on the exhale seal that intention.

Again,

Take a long slow deep inhale and on the exhale seal your intention to navigate these difficult times as best you can.

Let's begin to soothe your nervous system that has been heightened over the past few days.

Moving from a stress response to a relaxation response in your body with our two to one breathing where the exhalation is twice as long as the inhalation.

Take an inhale through the nose for two,

Three,

Four,

Five and hold it at the top for two,

Three,

Four,

Five and lengthen the exhale for two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight,

Nine and ten.

Again,

Take an inhale through the nose for two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Hold it two,

Three,

Four,

Five and exhale for two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight,

Nine and ten.

One last time,

Inhale through the nose for two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Hold it for two,

Three,

Four,

Five and exhale two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight,

Nine and ten.

Now just return back to a natural rhythm with your breath,

Just allowing it to flow in and flow out.

Feel everything around you begin to fade and just disappear into the background,

Arriving fully into the here and now,

Into this moment.

Become increasingly absorbed in your breath and just let go of everything else.

The human mind is incredibly averse to uncertainty and ambiguity.

We are conditioned to want control,

To want to know what comes next,

To have the safety and comfort and positive assurance in our lives that we are conditioned to think certainty brings.

In these current times of uncertainty,

While you do not have control of the outer world and the world you live in with the coronavirus right now,

You always have control of your inner world.

You truly create your reality and your experience.

You can generate those feelings of comfort,

Calm and safety from within and that's what we will do right now.

Just begin to quiet down your mind and relax your body more deeply.

Start by scanning your body.

Notice any areas where you feel yourself holding tension that you can soften and relax and begin to breathe into those areas.

Begin to feel the tension and the stress draining from your body with each inhale and exhale.

Now relax your face,

The space between your eyes,

Your eyelids,

Your jaw,

Releasing your tongue from the roof of your mouth.

Relax your shoulders gently away from your ears.

Relax the muscles in your back.

Allow your arms to just rest by your side.

Melt your body deeper into whatever surface you are touching.

Allow your body to feel at ease.

Lean into the feeling of your body being so light that you are floating.

Feel your breath breathing you,

Becoming one with your breath.

Observe your mind simmering down,

Quieting,

Slowing,

At ease.

Now that we have quieted down your mind,

You have access to deeper levels of awareness to be more conscious of what is going on within you.

See if you can start to become more aware of the thoughts and feelings you are having given the coronavirus.

Notice how you can remain steady and calm as you welcome these thoughts and feelings without resistance,

Continuing to use your breath as your anchor.

Some of these thoughts and emotions may be consuming you,

May be causing you a great deal of stress right now.

You may be worried about your family,

About your work,

About the health of loved ones,

About the future.

For these may have been difficult thoughts and emotions you have been resisting.

Perhaps you are trying to stay strong and positive,

To be grateful for what you have or to distract yourself.

While those are good things,

Your unpleasant thoughts and emotions will still be there underneath the surface,

And what you resist will persist.

It's okay to not be okay.

Acceptance is the brave ally of serenity.

Resistance is the fearful accomplice to suffering and anxiety.

Know that whatever you are feeling,

That is alright.

Just grant yourself the space to feel,

To relinquish control,

To not hold on to anything,

To just become aware and allow.

Accept the intention to accept whatever the truth of your current state is.

Take an inhale through the nose,

And on the exhale seal that intention,

To accept whatever the truth of your current state is.

We cannot escape the pain and stressors in life.

It is part of our contract in being human.

Without the bad,

We don't get to experience all of the good.

But we can control the additional hurt,

The excess stress,

The extra emotional and mental tension we do or don't put upon ourselves,

And have a better relationship with our hardships through acceptance,

Through surrender.

There is clean pain that is pure,

An inevitable part of our human experience,

And there is polluted pain,

Full of impurity.

It's the additional debris,

The unnecessary suffering that we add to the pain.

Accept the intention to minimize the additional suffering you place on yourself during this time.

Take an inhale through the nose,

And on the exhale seal that intention.

One more time,

Take an inhale through the nose,

And on the exhale seal the intention to minimize the additional suffering you place on yourself during this difficult time.

It's in this acceptance,

Taking ownership of your thoughts and feelings,

That you are empowered to release them.

You can't give away what you do not own,

So you have to allow and accept them,

To own them.

Only then can you truly let them go.

So now we can begin to let go,

And we'll use our breath,

Inhaling and exhaling out the nose.

Inhale acceptance,

And exhale resistance.

Again,

Inhale acceptance,

And exhale resistance.

Inhale surrender,

And exhale control.

Inhale surrender,

And exhale control.

Inhale calm,

And exhale chaos.

Inhale calm,

And exhale chaos.

Inhale connection,

And exhale isolation.

Inhale reassurance,

And exhale worry.

Inhale reassurance,

And exhale worry.

Inhale comfort,

And exhale distress.

Inhale comfort,

And exhale distress.

Inhale love,

And exhale fear.

Inhale love,

And exhale fear.

Having released some of your additional suffering,

The things that are not serving you at this time,

Taking up precious space in your mind and heart,

You now have room to fill up that space purposefully.

Set the intention to fill up that space with love,

Gratitude,

Calm,

And patience.

You can inhale through the nose,

And on the exhale seal that intention.

Silently ask yourself,

How can you be the calm in the storm right now?

What good can you put in the world today?

How can you be the best version of yourself during this difficult time?

Let these intentions settle into your heart,

And let's extend them out into the world by breathing through your heart center.

Feel the inhale and exhale flowing through your heart.

On every exhale,

Feel your heart expand.

Feel your intentions ripple out into the world.

When your mind begins to wander,

Just gently come back to your breath flowing in and flowing out of your heart center.

Take a few deep conscious breaths.

A long inhale and long exhale.

Notice how you are feeling in this moment,

And how it's different than what you were feeling before you started this meditation.

This change,

This feeling has come from within you.

Nothing on the outside had to change for you to get here.

Paradoxically,

When you let go of control,

When you have cultivated a better relationship with everything that is outside your sphere of influence,

You actually gain control.

You gain control of your inner world,

And that is what gives you power.

As you go back out into the world,

Remember your intentions.

To navigate this time as best as you are able to.

To accept whatever your truth is.

Allowing yourself to feel whatever you are feeling,

Knowing it's okay.

Don't resist or push it away.

Accept and own it so you can let it go,

And make space for the love,

Gratitude,

Calm,

And patience you want to replace it with.

To be the calm in the storm,

To put some good into the world when it needs it most,

And show up as a version of yourself you are proud of during this difficult time.

Begin to move your fingers and move your toes.

Maybe stretch your body,

Moving it from side to side.

And when you're ready,

Gently open your eyes.

Thank you for meditating with me.

I hope meditation can be a helpful tool for you as you navigate this time during the coronavirus.

Reviews

Thank you for soothing my soul with this meditation ♡ I also do meditate with your sunrise meditation every morning, it is so peaceful and refreshing ♡

A beautiful and profound way to become calm in the storm.

Thank you for these beautiful, powerful words.🙏💕

Thank you. I found the meditation very helpful. ♥️♥️♥️

Thankyou Kellys that was very helpful and constructive

This is just what I needed right now, I feel a much needed sense of relief. It helped to think about “clean pain” vs. “polluted pain.” Thank you.

“Acceptance is the brave ally of serenity. Resistance is the fearful accomplice to suffering and anxiety.”

Wise, true, and profound.

Thank you from my heart to yours 🙏💗☺️

Wonderful and timely. Music a little loud compared to voice.