Hello and welcome to this meditation for relieving anxiety.
Find a comfortable posture.
Take a moment to close your eyes if you're in an area where it's okay to do so.
Bring your focus inwards and notice where your attention naturally wanders to in this moment.
You may observe that in an anxious state,
Your heart might be beating faster than normal.
Rather than resist this or try to change your overall state,
Can you accept yourself in this moment?
And can you thank your heart for beating and keeping you alive?
Oftentimes throughout our day,
We may tend to forget that our heart beats for half the waking day,
Even while we're sleeping.
But it's in these moments of anxiety that we have this wonderful opportunity to thank our heart for keeping us alive.
Start to thank your heart now by either saying out loud,
Thank you,
Or mentally making an affirmation,
Saying it silently in your mind.
And now either mentally or verbally repeat the affirmation,
I am safe.
And allow these words to sink into the heart area.
As you repeat the phrase,
I am safe,
Notice that a portion of your body and mind started to relax and soften.
Even if it is not a dramatic change in this moment,
Can you see where this relaxation and calm is occurring within your body and within your mind?
Now begin to pay attention to your natural inhales and your natural exhales.
Bring all of your awareness into noticing your breath.
As you continue to observe your breath,
Begin to lengthen your exhales,
Making your exhalations a few counts longer than your inhalations.
You'll observe that the longer that you exhale,
The more the body starts to relax.
As you continue to watch your exhalations,
See if you can also soften part of your body that is tightening up or gripping.
See if you can let go of this resistance by breathing out and relaxing that area.
As you continue to watch your breath,
Put a smile on your face and feel thankful for taking the time to practice meditation,
Especially through a particular turbulent emotional state.
Really thank yourself because you have the courage within you.
You're a lot braver and stronger than you think.
And as we wrap up this practice,
Before opening your eyes,
Just take a moment and scan your body.
How does your body feel in this moment compared to the beginning of this meditation?
And observe the state of your mind.
What is your mental state like now compared to the beginning of this meditation?
Now you may bring your hands to heart center and thank yourself once again for practicing and treating yourself with care and compassion today.
May you be happy and experience a peaceful mind.
Namaste
