Welcome to The Daily Insight.
My name is Linda Hall and I'm a teacher here on Insight Timer.
Today's meditation will help you manage stress and anxiety using a combination of practices including mindfulness,
Grounding,
Breath awareness and self-compassion.
Allow your eyes to comfortably close.
Breathe out down the full length of your body through your open mouth if you like.
Become aware of the surface directly beneath you.
Notice your body's weight is supported.
Sit back onto the support.
Become aware of the volume of your body and its movements as you breathe.
Allow your breath to slow and lengthen in its own time.
Notice the support beneath you is steady.
Notice that is here for you now.
Sit back onto the steadiness.
Let it support you.
Let the whole of you sit back on the steadiness.
Breathe out down to the steadiness.
Allowing your body to release what it is ready to let go of.
As you do so,
Notice the softening,
Releasing motion of the out-breath and allow the whole of your body to soften and release as you breathe out.
Releasing what it's brought with it here and no longer needs to carry.
Let it flow out,
Down and away.
In your own time,
Become aware of the sensation as air enters and leaves your nostrils as you breathe.
Notice the air is cool as it enters,
Warm as it leaves.
Notice the expansion of the in-breath.
The release of the out.
Notice you are breathing in from the space around you and out again into it.
In your own time,
Become aware of any holdings,
Sensations or emotions in your body without judging them or trying to change anything.
Notice they are just something happening in this moment.
Nothing more,
Nothing less.
Let back from them.
Let them be there.
Breathe into these places and allow them to soften and release on your out-breath.
Take your time.
As you sit back on the steady support directly beneath you,
Allow your out-breath to continue to soften and release what's ready to be let go of.
Let it flow out and away.
In your own time,
Become aware of any unhelpful thoughts or holdings in your mind without judging them.
Notice they are just something happening in this moment.
Nothing more,
Nothing less.
Sit back from them.
They are not all of who you are.
You are more than your thoughts,
More than the holdings.
Breathe into these places and allow them to soften and release on your out-breath.
Let it all flow out and away.
In your own time,
Become aware of the play of light and shade through your closed eyelids.
Right round your peripheral vision.
Let it be there.
Notice the touch of the air on your face and body.
Let it be there.
Let everything be there.
Sense the space in front of you,
To either side of you.
And behind you.
With its tapestry of sounds.
Clear and distant.
Let it all be there,
Without trying to change anything.
Sense the horizon spreading out all around you.
And the height of sky above you.
You have all of this space to breathe from.
As you breathe with this space,
Sit back onto the steadiness directly beneath you.
Sit back from everything.
And soften your attitude towards yourself.
Let it become kinder.
Warmer.
Reassure yourself.
Let yourself know that you're doing okay.
You're doing well.
In your own time,
Take your awareness down to the steadiness.
Right there beneath your body.
Breathe the steadiness up into you.
Let it steady you.
Breathe into the very human you that is sitting within your chest as it rises and falls on your breath.
Breathe with compassion and respect.
Allowing your out-breath to release yet more of what it's ready to let go of.
Let yourself know that it's completely okay to be exactly as you are right now.
In your own time,
Notice the sensation of air entering and leaving your nostrils.
The touch of the air on your face and body.
Notice your body being supported by the surface beneath it.
And when you are ready,
You can draw this meditation to a close.
