So feel free to close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Settle into your chair.
Settle into your being.
As you begin to take a few deep breaths.
In.
And now.
Taking a moment to notice your breath.
Without forcing or modifying it anyway.
But relaxing back into the natural rhythm of the inhale and exhale.
As you exhale,
Is it possible to relax any overt tension you might be holding on to?
Softening your shoulders.
Letting go of tightness in the back.
Relaxing your belly.
And softening your hands on your lap.
Is it possible to bring to mind a recent experience?
Or even a far distant one?
Where you felt overwhelmed or stressed.
Perhaps not choosing a major trauma of some kind.
Just a situation that you noticed worrying about.
Noticed the tendency to hold on to what might happen or what did happen.
Thinking about it in your mind.
Feeling it in your body.
Noticing what happened in that experience.
If somebody was present.
Noticing what he or she said.
Noticing how you felt in response to what he or she said.
Noticing how you felt in preparation for the situation or in reaction to the situation that already had happened.
Tightness.
Jitteriness.
Pain.
Notice what you were thinking in that moment.
What you were thinking about the other person,
If another person was present.
Identifying what you were believing about you.
Identifying what you were thinking about the world in general.
Did it create a general assumption?
A familiar assumption about yourself or others.
These thoughts often repeat themselves.
Even if the situation is different.
Our tendency to believe things about others,
About ourselves or the world.
Often perpetuate.
Fear can often underlie them.
It can be helpful to ask,
What am I afraid of in this moment?
What was I fearing would happen?
That fear ends up being our beliefs.
That fear alters and creates our expectations.
What perpetuates these fears?
Did someone tell you them or teach them to you?
Our survival instinct is a protective feature.
Always looking out for our safety.
And can make these fears or these self doubts even more powerful.
Noticing what these beliefs are.
Is it possible to ask yourself,
Are they true?
Is there evidence that they are true?
Is there evidence of the contrary to be true?
Let yourself notice and see that evidence.
That evidence that the opposite can also be true.
What would your life be like if you were able to see the flaws in the logic behind those thoughts?
What would your life be like if you were able to let them go?
What is it that you need to begin to let these thoughts go?
Reassurance of that evidence of the contrary.
Nurturance,
Acceptance,
Kindness,
Permission to be who you are.
Self love.
Trust,
Perhaps in the relationships that you have formed.
And how may you begin to offer whatever it is you need to yourself?
Perhaps a mantra,
Rituals of self care.
Journaling or a script of some kind.
Communicating it to another.
Or even a daily kindness.
Imagine yourself getting whatever it is you need in order to let these thoughts go.
And noticing the effect on your body.
Noticing the effects on your mind.
A softening.
A warmth.
An understanding of love.
And well being.
And we can practice this softening.
Even if it's hard to identify the beliefs in our mind.
A few moments a day.
Taking a few deep breaths.
Stretching or expanding.
Wherever we feel contracted or tight.
Validating the reaction of our body or mind to protect itself.
And sending ourselves compassion.
In order to feel safe enough.
To explore whatever threat we might be perceiving.
And set an intention to take any piece of this practice with you.
As you go on throughout the week.
Sending yourself love and trust and ease.
Namaste.
