Hello,
My love.
If you're hearing this,
You're already on your way.
You've done the hardest part.
You got on the plane.
You took that brave step.
Right now,
Let's slow everything down together.
You don't need to pretend to be calm.
You don't have to fix the fear.
You only have to be here.
One breath.
One heartbeat.
One gentle moment at a time.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Hold for a moment.
And then exhale slowly through your mouth,
All the way to the end.
And again,
Breathing in through the nose.
Hold at the top.
And breathing out,
Long and slow.
Keep breathing.
And you may feel your heart beating faster or your palms a little sweaty.
And that's okay.
It's okay.
That's just your body doing its job.
Your nervous system trying to keep you safe.
Let's take a moment to thank your body for that.
It's not the enemy.
It's your guardian.
And you can whisper to it softly now.
Thank you,
Body.
Thank you.
I'm safe.
Now begin to notice where your body meets the seat.
The weight of your legs,
Your hips,
Your back.
Notice everything.
All the points of contact of your body with the outside world.
Feel the gentle support underneath you.
Steady,
Solid,
Holding you.
You might even imagine the seat down through the plane,
Past all the suitcases,
All the way to the earth far below,
Connecting you to the ground,
Even while you're in the sky.
Let's settle into a breathing rhythm.
Come try this pattern with me.
We'll start by breathing in for four counts.
Hold for two counts.
And we're going to exhale for six counts.
Let's begin.
In,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold,
One,
Two.
And out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
In,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold,
One,
Two.
Out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
In,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold.
And out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
In,
And in.
In,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Hold,
One,
Two.
Out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Each exhale helps the body soften,
Sending a gentle signal,
I'm okay.
If your mind races,
That's normal.
You might notice thoughts like,
What was that sound?
Or are we too high?
That's just your brain trying to predict.
See if you can thank each thought and gently return to your breath.
In for four.
Hold for two.
Out for six.
With every breath,
Imagine breathing steadiness into your system,
Breathing out the tightness.
Keep the breathing pattern going.
And you may notice the plane moving a little,
A sensation of turbulence or small shifts.
You can let those sensations become a part of your meditation.
When the plane moves,
You may say quietly inside yourself,
This movement is normal.
Every aeroplane is designed to move with the air,
Like a bird flexing its wings.
The wings are meant to bend.
The air currents are meant to flow.
It's not danger.
It's nature.
It's the air dancing.
And you are held safely within a structure designed by thousands of engineers,
Flown by professionals whose job it is to care for you.
Take a moment to picture them.
The pilots calmly monitoring.
The crew moving gently through the cabin.
Everything operating as it should.
You're surrounded by people who know exactly what they're doing.
You can rest now.
You don't need to be in control.
You can let yourself be carried.
Let your breath settle and let's come back to your senses.
One by one,
Let's use them to anchor you in this exact moment.
Let's start with sound.
What can you hear?
Maybe the hum of the engines.
Possibly a whisper of airflow.
Perhaps the faint murmur of noises,
Of voices.
Let those sounds be like white noise.
A lullaby of flight,
If you will.
Allow yourself to settle into those sounds.
Tune into your sense of hearing.
I'm right here.
Now notice touch.
The temperature of the air on your skin.
Fabric beneath your fingertips.
Perhaps you have a soft scarf,
A blanket,
Or your clothing.
Feel its texture.
This is now.
You are right here.
Tune into your sense of touch.
I'm right here.
Then sight.
Maybe the light through the window.
Or the pattern of the seat in front of you.
If you can,
Let your gaze soften.
No need to focus sharply.
Just let the world blur into calm shapes and colours.
Tune into your sight.
I'm right here.
And now taste.
You might want to close your eyes and bring all your attention to the sense of taste.
Maybe there's a lingering taste of coffee.
Or your toothpaste.
Take a moment to really focus in on what can you taste.
I'm right here.
And how about we head into the sense of smell.
What can you smell?
Might be your perfume.
Or the scent of the person sitting next to you.
It might be food.
What can you smell?
Focus in.
I'm right here.
And finally,
Breathe again.
The breath.
Your ever-present friend.
Breathing in through the nose.
Long,
Slow and deep.
Into your belly.
Into your ribs.
And up into your heart space.
And exhale through the mouth or through the nose.
From your heart space.
From your ribs.
From your belly.
Drawing the breath in.
Belly.
Ribs.
Chest.
And exhale.
Chest.
Ribs.
Belly.
Belly.
Ribs.
Chest.
Chest.
Ribs.
Belly.
Keep breathing in and exhaling.
Every inhale longer and slower and deeper than the one before.
Every breath a landing strip bringing you home to yourself.
Feel your belly.
Move with the inhale.
And then soften with the exhale.
And if your monkey mind kicks in,
That's okay.
It's okay.
Just come back to the breath.
Belly.
Ribs.
Chest.
Chest.
Ribs.
Belly.
Notice your ribs expanding as they open and welcome the breath.
And notice how they soften and make their way back towards each other as you exhale.
Take a moment to focus on your ribs,
How they move almost like wings.
Almost like you're flying.
I'm right here.
Now bringing your attention to your heart space.
As the breath builds from your belly to your ribs and up into your heart space,
Feel your heart space opening.
The spaciousness with the in-breath.
And the softening with the exhale as you release everything you don't need right here,
Right now.
Just observe your heart space as you breathe in and as you exhale.
Let your breath settle back to its natural rhythm and imagine this.
You're sitting inside a bubble of gentle golden light.
Visualize that bubble.
The light is calm.
The light is warm.
And it surrounds you completely.
It fills every cell with peace.
Inside this light,
Your heart slows a little.
Your breath steadies.
Your shoulders soften and drop.
Allow yourself to bathe in your bubble of gentle golden light.
Whilst maybe silently repeating one of these phrases.
I am safe.
I am supported.
I can let go.
Choose one of these phrases.
I am safe.
I am supported.
I can let go.
And let those words become your rhythm.
You see,
You don't have to fight the fear.
You only have to let go.
You don't have to breathe through it,
Sweetheart.
Fear can rise like a wave,
And then with time,
It softens again.
It always,
Always softens again.
Each moment you stay with your breath,
You're teaching your body that flying can coexist with calm.
You are rewriting the pattern,
Right here,
Right now,
Today.
We're almost there.
Whether you're still in the air or descending now,
Bring your awareness to your heart.
And notice the courage it took to be here,
To choose this flight.
To sit with what scares you,
Instead of running from it.
That is strength.
That is growth.
This is you doing something so brave.
And I invite you to feel that pride like a warmth spreading through your chest.
You are reclaiming the sky,
One breath at a time.
Let's finish with three deep,
Soothing breaths together.
Breathing in through the nose,
Hold,
And exhale.
In,
Hold,
And exhale.
Last one,
Breathing in fully,
Deeply,
Slowly,
Hold,
And release.
You can rest now.
Let your body melt into the seat,
Your breath gentle and slow.
Trust the process,
The journey,
The air,
The people guiding you.
And when you land,
Feel the solid ground beneath you again,
Carrying you forward into your next moment.
Calmer,
Lighter,
Proud of yourself.
You did it.
Take care.
