Hello and welcome to this meditation.
This meditation will be focused on grounding.
Grounding is a practice that we can take on to bring us back to the present moment.
Oftentimes in moments of stress and anxiety,
We may live in our minds.
Constantly running different thoughts and feeling disconnected from our bodies will cause us to feel more stressed out.
When we're able to connect more with the body through grounding,
We can start to tap into our natural relaxation response.
In this meditation,
We will tap into our grounding quality by utilizing touch.
So as you find a comfortable seat,
Try to keep your feet firmly planted on the floor beneath you.
Keep your spine straight and take a moment to check in with your breath.
Notice where you can feel your breath.
Typically when breathing in a shallow manner,
You may observe your chest slowly rise up and down.
However,
With deeper breathing that promotes relaxation,
You'll notice the abdomen begin to expand as well.
See if you can deepen your breath enough that on your inhale,
You notice the abdomen start to balloon out,
Followed by the ribs which will expand to the sides,
And lastly the chest and back expanding out from the front and back.
When you take a slow exhale,
Notice your chest fall in first,
Then the ribs come in,
And then the abdomen come in last.
Continue to follow this breathing pattern of noticing your abdomen rise when you inhale,
Then the ribs expand to the sides,
And the chest and back start to expand on the top of your inhale.
And on your exhale,
You'll notice the chest start to come in,
Then the ribs,
And then the abdomen.
As you continue to notice your breath go in and out in this deep and relaxed way of breathing,
Begin to tune in to the feeling of touch,
Noticing your abdomen press against your shirt as you breathe in deeply.
Notice the fabric around the chest and shoulders and back begin to move as you breathe in and breathe out.
If your attention wanders away from your breath,
Simply just observe that your mind has wandered.
Generally speaking,
When we are distracted by thoughts,
Our attention will travel upwards towards our head.
You may also observe that your attention will become scattered as a result.
To ground back down,
Simply move your attention down to the abdomen and start to pay attention to the breath once more.
Also being aware of the feeling of touch as the weight of your clothes press against your skin,
Start to become grounded once more,
Slowly settling the nervous system.
In a moment,
You'll hear a bell which will signify the end of this meditation.
As you go about your day today,
If you catch yourself feeling anxious or becoming lost in various thought patterns,
You can always come back to this technique of breathing deeply and grounding your attention onto the physical body.
And this will bring you back to the present moment while at the same time calming the nervous system.
Thank you for practicing today.
