Welcome to today's practice,
Which will hopefully help you during times of stress.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable position,
Sitting with your back upright.
You can have your palms facing up if you're wanting to invite some healing energy,
Or have the palms face down if you're looking to feel more grounded.
And then go ahead and gently close your eyes.
Let's take a few deep breaths now.
Simply letting the body relax here.
Now,
Visualize yourself standing in a big field with no one else around.
Everything is calm and peaceful.
You feel safe.
And you're surrounded by nature.
You decide to sit down in this meadow.
And as you look around,
You start noticing the beauty all around you.
You are fully relaxed here.
In the distance,
You see dark clouds closing in as the sky grows a little darker.
You see that a small storm is forming.
And you start to feel some light rain falling down.
Imagine that the storm is your stress.
It could be a mild stress with just some rain and a little wind.
Or it could be a very high stress with extremely strong winds and a heavy downpour of rain.
For this practice,
We're going to face a very strong and powerful storm to bring light to our inner strength.
So you feel a storm getting stronger and the wind blowing harder.
And you sit there calmly in the meadow,
Completely unfazed by it.
We know the storm cannot hurt you here.
You have a choice to react to the storm with fear or with love and acceptance,
Knowing that the storm is harmless and this visualization that you are creating.
Happiness and anxiety are our reaction to fear and worry.
While danger is real,
Fear is not.
And we have the power to differentiate between the two.
Sometimes stress can take over in a matter of seconds.
But once we become aware of it and acknowledge it,
We can take steps to handle it properly instead of letting it control us.
Just like sitting through a storm in the field,
Stress cannot harm you if you know that it will pass you by.
You can control your reaction to the events around you.
So really embrace the stress now and fully let it exist without fighting it.
You see the storm of stress in front of you.
It's very dark now.
As the storm clouds get thicker with rain coming furiously down,
You decide to get up from where you are sitting and slowly start walking towards it without fear or worry.
Just pure confidence that you are safe and in control.
You get closer and closer as the storm draws near and the wind blows with tremendous speed.
But the winds and rain have no effect on you and you find you're easily stepping forward.
As you keep moving,
You see the eye of the storm.
Around that eye,
The winds and the rain are extremely powerful and strong.
Yet you have zero worry as you step inside of this eye.
You are now standing inside the storm center and everything is calm and peaceful here.
You look around from within the eye of the storm and can see all the chaos around you.
But inside here,
It's calm,
Even cozy.
You are now standing inside the storm center.
This is your space.
Your safe spot.
And so when the stress has fully taken over,
You have a choice to come here and let it blow over without a fight by just sitting right in the middle of it,
Realizing that it cannot hurt you here.
You are now standing inside the storm center.
You are now standing inside the storm center.
Imagine that your body is the center and any stress is just a storm surrounding you that comes and goes.
You are in control and can always come back to your safe space.
You are now standing inside the storm center.
You are now standing inside the storm center.
And now you see that the storm is losing power.
Dying down slowly.
The rain is easing up and there's only a light drizzle.
You see the clouds drifting away as the sky gets brighter.
The sunlight peeks through the clouds as they pass by.
Then eventually the sun bursts out with great intensity,
Shining a beautiful light and warmth all around you.
You see birds coming out and they start singing.
You notice butterflies and bees buzzing around the flowers that are blossoming now after the rain.
Everything is beautiful and peaceful now.
You have weathered the storm knowing that it would eventually pass.
Imagine all the storms you've already weathered in your life.
You are now standing inside the storm center.
You are now standing inside the storm center.
Now let the image of the field go as you slowly come back to the breath.
Take a few deep breaths,
Slowly bringing ourselves back to the present moment.
Thank yourself for taking this time to slow down and be with yourself.
And now repeat after me.
May I be happy.
May I be well.
May I be safe.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
Taking as much time as you'd like.
Once you feel ready,
Slowly and gently open your eyes.
