Welcome to this guided meditation experience,
Which will help you deal with those overwhelming times of high stress.
When we find ourselves in situations that are very high stress,
It can seem impossible to get to a place that feels good again.
Your world may seem smaller,
More focused on the big stressfulness of whatever is going on.
All the comforting aspects of life may seem like a distant memory and like they might be gone forever,
But this is not the truth.
The good and the comfort still exist,
And they are still right here.
You just can't see them from inside the storm.
One of the quickest,
Most effective ways to dissolve stress is by consciously breathing.
When we are not fully here in our bodies,
Our thoughts can whisk us away,
Making us lose sight of how to get out of all the intense discomfort.
Luckily,
When we remember to have awareness by focusing on our breathing and body,
We can bring ourselves back.
So let's practice now with some conscious breaths.
Fully and fully,
Inhale as if you are sipping really good flavored air,
Expanding your belly and chest all the way,
Holding it for a moment,
And exhaling,
Feeling a wave of relief wash over you.
Inhale again,
Filling yourself up with fresh,
Much needed oxygen for all of your cells,
Hold it for a moment,
And exhale,
Another wave of relaxation gently moving through you.
Inhale,
Yummy oxygen,
Giving your body what it wants and needs,
Holding your breath at the top,
And then exhaling slowly,
Your body easily finding even more relaxation.
Breathing in,
Feeling your whole body being nourished,
Exhaling,
Feeling your whole body's relaxation.
One more time,
Such a fulfilling deep breath,
Feeling all oxygenated and nice,
And exhale,
Allowing your genius body to rest and do its thing.
Take note of how you feel at this very moment.
Let your breath keep flowing in and out as you close your eyes,
If you haven't already.
Picture yourself standing barefoot in a big grass field.
The grass feels like it's made of velvet.
The sun is the perfect amount of warm on your face.
You can choose to hear a little brook of running water,
Or some birds,
Or some trees gently blowing in the distance.
You choose to sit down in the soft,
Clean,
Warm grass and look around.
The open space is so beautiful,
And it's so easy to relax here.
It's as if all the surroundings are holding you in a light embrace.
As is a natural part of life,
In the distance you see some dark clouds rolling in.
You begin to feel a few raindrops coming down.
Now imagine this storm is your stress.
It could be a mild stress with just a little rain and wind,
Or it could be a big,
High-stress storm.
Let's practice facing a really strong and powerful storm together to strengthen our future coping abilities.
The cool thing about this grass meadow,
And this version of you,
Is that even as you feel the storm getting stronger,
And the wind blowing harder and harder,
You easily remain sitting there on the velvety grass,
Observing the storm.
Here,
You know that you have a choice.
To react to this storm with fear,
Or to feel fear with awareness and in knowing that the storm cannot hurt you here.
This storm represents our stress,
Our reaction to scary things.
In life,
Whether there is a true threat present or not,
We can practice responding in a way that won't whisk us away with the storm against our will.
Just like this imaginary storm in the field,
Stress cannot get you and harm you if you know that you can let it simply pass by.
In any situation,
Our worst suffering is born from our reactions,
Our resistance to what is happening around us.
To help us feel better in future situations,
We can practice our reactions now.
Practice responding in a way that embraces stress,
Fully letting it exist without fighting it,
And watch as it dissipates on its own.
You see the storm of stress in front of you,
The dark storm clouds getting thicker.
You can feel the water raining down and the wind blowing hard.
Right as you feel the fear and stress wanting to take hold,
Wanting to increase,
Right as you feel that vulnerable and helpless feeling rise up,
You suddenly are like,
Wait a minute,
And like flipping a switch,
You decide you're not a victim to this,
And you're not seeing the situation accurately.
You get up from where you're sitting,
And slowly start walking towards the storm,
Without fear or stress,
Just pure confidence that you're actually safe and in control.
You get closer and closer,
And you notice you're experiencing the wind and the rain in a way you never have before.
The water droplets feel like a cleansing,
Uplifting massage moving down from the top of your head,
Your shoulders.
The wind is picking up speed,
And you feel it,
But it has no effect on you.
You suddenly know in a new way that the wind and the rain and the grass and you are all part of the same force,
A force ultimately made up of wellness and reassurance,
Of peace and wonder.
As you look forward,
You see the center of the storm,
Where the winds and rain are even stronger,
Yet you have no worry as you move forward,
Until you are standing inside the center of the storm.
You stand there,
And you know that ordinarily the chaos all around you would be sucking you in against your will,
But now,
Regardless of how it all looks,
You feel a sense of calm and knowing that all is okay.
Even if you feel your heart rate elevating and your breathing quicken,
You know that's a sign that your body responses are working well,
But that you can choose to let the stress blow through and be on its way.
You can choose to not get lost in the feeling.
You can be right in the middle of it all,
While knowing it can't hurt you here.
Observe your body with the storm raging all around you from this place of knowing,
Knowing it is safe,
Knowing that you are in control,
Even if you feel discomfort,
And that storms are just collections of energy that pass.
In all of your awareness,
You begin to notice the sensation of the raindroplets are lessening,
The storm is losing its power,
The clouds are beginning to dissipate,
And the skies are slowly becoming lighter and bluer.
The rain becomes a drizzle,
Which becomes a mist,
As you feel the sunlight begin to pour down,
Warming and drying you and everything around you.
The light becomes brighter,
Shining down all over,
The loving energy penetrating your body with a sensation of relaxation and reassurance.
You hear birds in the distance fluttering about,
Singing.
You feel the grass,
Velvety and warm under your feet.
You smell a faint aroma of flowers and fresh air coming from the nearby trees.
You have the thought,
I didn't know this was possible.
Just moments ago,
I wouldn't have thought that the storm and the feelings could all transform.
It's so beautiful.
This beauty is always possible.
This is a beauty you carry with you in your mind and your heart area all the time that keeps you safe.
It keeps you knowing that stress can't take hold of you if you choose to let it do its thing and pass through,
As you remain aware,
Noticing sensations,
Noticing the present moment all around that you are breathing in and out and in and out.
You take a conscious deep breath,
Filled with the oxygen from the trees and the flowers and the sunshine,
The air that's always here for you,
Every moment of every day.
You take another full breath,
Feeling the sunlight permeate your body,
Relaxing it,
Feeling it as the fresh air bathes you in all of its life-giving energy.
And as you exhale slowly,
Letting any remaining tense energy leave you and disappear into the sunlight,
You take one more breath,
Allowing the memory of your successful movement through the storm to be present right now.
So good.
Whenever you'd like,
You can feel free to open your eyes,
Notice the objects and colors and light around you,
And become present in your current environment,
In your body.
Practice this session or technique whenever you'd like,
Outside and inside of stressful storm situations,
And you'll realize more and more the abilities you possess to ride through storms,
Never losing sight of the safety and calm that never ever leave your side.
Thank you for being here with me,
And I'll see you next time.
