Hello and welcome to this mindful meditation.
Start by finding a comfortable position.
This could be sitting or lying down,
Whatever feels best for you and I'll give you a moment to find what feels most comfortable.
When you are comfortable,
Gently close your eyes and allow your body to begin to relax.
Breathing in and out.
Take a cleansing breath in and breathe out any tension in your body.
As you begin this practice,
Take a moment to welcome and congratulate yourself in being here,
That you are actually taking this time to be present,
To go inside and to allow yourself this time for peace.
Allow yourself to take a few moments for a mindful check in,
Feeling any tightness,
Any tension,
Any sensations in your body.
As well as checking in with your mood,
Feeling into your emotions and just acknowledging whatever is being felt and letting it be.
Now very gently bring your awareness to your breath.
Feeling mindful of your breath in your abdomen,
Expanding on your inhalation and falling on your exhalation.
Breathing in and breathing out with awareness.
Feeling the rise and fall of your stomach.
This type of mindful breathing can help you calm down when you are feeling anxious or fearful.
So just be mindful of your breath coming in and going out.
Your mind may be racing with uncomfortable thoughts,
Whether they are thoughts about the news you heard today or worries about the future.
And that's okay.
You are allowed to have these thoughts,
Feelings and emotions.
Remember that you are human.
But throughout this meditation,
If you find your mind wandering,
Just gently bring it back to focusing on your breath.
Right now in this moment,
You are slowing your life down,
Taking it one breath at a time.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Moment to moment.
Now gently withdrawing your awareness from your breathing,
You can shift your focus to your body and mind.
Feeling into your body,
Into the world of sensations,
Thoughts and emotions and acknowledging whatever is being experienced.
So whatever it is that you are feeling in your body,
In your mind,
Just acknowledge whatever is being felt and let it be.
As you are feeling into your body and mind,
You may at times continue to experience some anxious thoughts,
Worries,
Fears.
And there are times when you can use the practice of mindfulness or investigating to discover the underlying causes of your fears.
If it appears that even after practicing mindful breathing that these negative feelings persist,
You can actually bring your attention to those feelings themselves.
Just feeling into the fear.
Very gently dipping your toes into feeling the fear.
Just acknowledging what's there.
Letting it be.
Feeling into the fear with awareness.
There's no need to try to analyze or figure things out.
Just feeling into the experience of feeling anxious,
Fearful or worried and letting it be.
Simply listen with compassion.
There is no need to push yourself.
Just meet your fears at their edges.
Feeling into the anxiety and just acknowledging that those feelings are there.
As you learn to be with things as they are,
You may discover the underlying causes of your fear and pain.
And now you can gently withdraw from this mindful investigating.
Simply come back to your breath again,
Breathing in and breathing out.
Just staying present with each breath.
Now just like you're watching your breath coming and going,
You can even begin watching your very thoughts that you think,
Just like watching the clouds flying by in the sky.
Just observing any fearful,
Anxious thoughts as mental events that come and go.
Knowing your mind,
Noticing the ever changing nature of thoughts just coming and going.
And now gently withdrawing your awareness from the mindfulness of your thoughts,
You can come back to your breath once again.
Just be mindful,
Breathing in and breathing out.
And although you did this wonderful,
Mindful work by being present with your fears,
I would like to remind you that you are safe.
You are safe here in this quiet place that you've created for yourself.
Take a moment again to congratulate yourself in being here and doing this mindful work.
For taking this time to be present,
To go inside and to allow yourself this time for peace.
Take a deep breath in and let it out and repeat the following affirmations to yourself.
I am here for myself and I am okay.
Everything is working out for my highest good.
And as we near the end of this meditation,
Just take a moment to remember all of those that are being challenged with these same feelings.
All of those individuals living with fear,
Worry and anxiety.
Just extend your well wishes of healing and of peace to everyone.
You may now begin to gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
Allow your body to stretch out.
And when you are ready,
You may slowly open your eyes and continue on with your day.
Thank you so much for joining me in this meditation.
I am so grateful for you.
