Hey there.
Thanks for joining me today.
My name is Lisa,
And in our time together,
I'm going to walk you through a simple peripheral vision exercise called Stop the World.
And I like this tool because,
I don't know about you,
But I find it very easy to get caught up in my head.
How about you?
Like,
Does the chatter go on in your mind and sweep you away sometimes?
It does for me,
Especially when I'm working on something important or have a lot of deadlines.
So if you feel anxious or tense or maybe irritated or frustrated,
Angry,
Even depressed,
Those are some,
Not all,
But some of the signs that the chatter in your mind is starting to take over.
So what I'd like to offer today is an exercise to help neutralize the unpleasant internal dialogue by simply shifting your awareness.
Let's give it a try.
I invite you to go ahead and get comfortable.
I recommend sitting,
But lying down can totally work too.
This is your practice and it's up to you.
And we'll get started by taking a nice big deep breath in and then letting it go through the mouth.
And we'll do it again.
Nice,
Big,
Deep inhale through the nose and long,
Slow exhale through the mouth.
And one last time,
We're going to take a nice deep breath into the nose and hold at the top and maybe take another little sip of air and then a long,
Slow exhale.
Instead of closing your eyes like we usually do in meditation,
I invite you to pick a spot or a focal point to stare at and slowly begin to expand your peripheral vision to include all of the space around the spot you're focused on.
So we're gazing at this spot and your eyes might be soft or heavy,
And that's perfect.
We're going to stare at this spot and start to notice all of the space around the spot.
Let your awareness get wider and wider.
Nice,
Gentle breathing.
And now let's move your awareness to the right side of you.
If you're inside,
Try expanding your awareness all the way up to the top of the ceiling and all the way down to the floor and all of the space on the right side of you.
If you're anywhere else,
Sense into whatever is on your right.
How far can you sense out?
Eyes soft,
Gentle breathing,
We're relaxing.
And now let's move our awareness to the left,
Your left side all the way up to the ceiling and down to the floor.
And as far to the left as you can sense.
When I do this on my deck outside,
I try to see if I can sense the fence or even the street beyond the fence.
Eyes soft,
Gentle breathing,
Being present here.
And now let's expand your awareness even more,
Allowing your field of awareness to open so that you can sense the space behind you,
The space behind your shoulders,
Behind your head,
The space behind your back,
Maybe up to the ceiling and down to the floor.
Extending out as far as you can go.
Eyes soft,
Gentle breathing.
And when you do this at first,
It might feel a little strange.
But after you practice it a few times,
You'll begin to notice a general gentle calm that comes over your mind and body.
As you realize that your internal dialogue has stopped.
And this is how we move our awareness from the inside.
What's great about this exercise is that it can be done anywhere,
Anytime.
Let's take a moment here and check in with yourself.
How do you feel?
What's your mind doing?
Is it quiet or is it still chattering?
Does your body feel relaxed?
Are you still a little tense?
Just notice.
If you didn't get the results you were looking for,
You can simply do another round.
Notice in front of you,
To your right,
To your left,
And behind you.
If you're feeling calmer and more relaxed,
When you're ready,
Take a nice deep breath in and a soft,
Slow exhale and come back to here.
And now you can use this tool anytime to quiet your mind if you find yourself spinning.
And for many of us,
That's pretty regular.
So I invite you to take this and use it liberally and make it your own,
Meaning do it your way.
Experiment with it,
Play with it,
And make it work for you.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
I look forward to seeing you again next time.
Take good care.
