Hi,
This is Kelly Mackin.
This meditation will help you release the stress from your day or your week.
My meditation teacher,
David Gee,
Who is the author of the book,
Destressifying,
Defines stress as how we respond when our needs are not met.
We have between 8 to 15 unmet needs a day.
Maybe someone was supposed to do something and they didn't.
Or maybe someone made you feel less than,
A loved one got hurt,
Or the barista at Starbucks gave you the wrong order.
Some stressors might be small,
Some might be big,
But every day we're piling new stress onto the stress we've already accumulated over a lifetime.
So it's important for us to have healthy ways to manage that stress,
Because how we respond to those unmet needs greatly impacts the quality of our life.
Let's begin to release some stress.
Get in a comfortable position.
And when you're ready,
Close your eyes.
Take a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in through the nose,
Lift your shoulders,
Clench your fist,
Curl your toes,
And a big audible exhale out the mouth,
Relaxing your body and letting that all go.
Again,
Let's release some of the tension in our body by taking a long,
Slow,
Deep inhale through the nose,
Lift your shoulders,
Clench your fist,
Curl your toes,
And a big exhale,
Relaxing your body and releasing it.
One more time,
A deep inhale through the nose,
Lift your shoulders,
Clench your fist,
Curl your toes,
And a big exhale,
Let that all go.
Let's return back to the natural rise and fall of your breath,
Allowing the breath to simply breathe itself.
Notice where you're holding some stress in your body and allow your breath to breathe into that space.
Visualize the stress leaving your body through your breath.
Feel the tension draining out of your body.
Feel yourself become increasingly absorbed in the breath and just let go of everything else.
When we start the day or a new week,
We're standing tall without the burden of stress.
As the day and the week goes on and we have needs that aren't met,
Our stress starts to pile on us like heavy bricks we're carrying on our back.
The more bricks we have piled on,
The more difficult it is to have a positive stress response,
To act in the ways we want to act,
To feel the way we want to feel.
Think about any of the bricks that you're carrying with you from today or this week,
Anything that is weighing you down.
Let's remove them with each exhale.
Open your exhale,
Carrying negative stress away from you.
Take a deep inhale through the nose and on the exhale,
Release any expectations from your day or your week that created stress for you.
Again,
Take a deep inhale through the nose and exhale,
Release any expectations.
Take a deep inhale through the nose and on the exhale,
Release any negative thoughts that do not serve you.
Take a deep inhale through the nose and exhale,
Any worry that is wasteful.
Lastly,
Take a deep inhale through the nose and on the exhale,
Let go of any unmet needs from your day or your week.
Feel the tension release,
Feel a sense of peace wash over you.
Notice the lightness you feel having shed those bricks that you've been carrying.
We can remind ourselves that we can choose to carry around those heavy bricks or we can choose to release them.
Gently and silently,
We are going to introduce the mantra,
With this breath,
I release.
A mantra is a Sanskrit word which means mind vehicle.
It's a way to transport us beyond our thoughts and anchor our attention in the present moment.
Silently on the inhale with this breath and silently on the exhale,
I release.
With each exhale,
Feel yourself releasing any stress in your body.
Once you're relaxed in a quiet state,
Let the mantra go and just breathe normally.
When you notice thoughts or sensations entering your mind,
Just ever so gently come back to the mantra.
With this breath,
I release until you let go of the thought and return to your quiet state.
I'll watch the time and guide you out when it's time.
If your mind starts to wander,
Just come back to the mantra.
With this breath,
I release.
These bricks we carry are heavy.
Our expectations,
Negative thoughts,
Worry and unmet needs.
But these bricks are only heavy when we pick them up.
We can choose not to pick them up.
And if we find that we are carrying them with us,
We can choose to release them.
When you feel yourself carrying a heavy load,
Come back to this mantra.
With this breath,
I release.
And let go of that stress that you're carrying with you.
Let's begin to get some movement back in your body.
Maybe move your head from side to side.
And when you're ready,
Take a deep inhale through the nose and on the exhale,
Gently open your eyes.
It's beneficial to have a daily process to release your stress.
Just taking a few moments right after work,
Towards the end of your day to let go of some of the unmet needs that you've piled on.
I hope you feel some of your stress lifted and are more at ease after this meditation.
