Calm Your Fear Of Flying Meditation

Welcome to this track to calm and relax you before you travel or whilst you are flying. This meditation is designed to help people afraid of flying soothe their body and mind.

Music from Orange Free Sounds

Transcript

A huge welcome to this meditation to deal with anxiety about flying.

This meditation and talk is suitable before you fly and during your flight,

So begin by making sure you're comfortable,

Sitting with a straight back and your feet on the floor.

If you can,

Close your eyes gently and start to focus on your breath.

Let your body settle into the present moment.

Take a deep,

Slow breath in through your nose,

Allowing the air to fill your lungs.

Hold it for a moment at the top and then exhale slowly through your mouth,

Letting go of any tension.

Take another deep breath in,

Feeling your body begin to relax with each inhale.

Exhale completely,

Releasing any tension that may have been building up in your body.

Now,

With each breath,

Notice how your body is gently settling.

As you inhale,

You're inviting peace and calm into your body and exhale gently.

Allow yourself to be fully present in this moment,

Here and now.

And as you breathe deeply and gently,

I invite you to begin to focus on the sensation of your body,

Feeling the support of the surface beneath you,

The chair and your feet on the ground.

Notice how grounded you feel.

Your body is being supported and held in this space.

You are safe here and now.

Now let's move our attention through the body,

Releasing any tension you might be holding on to.

Begin with your feet.

Notice how your feet feel in the space they occupy.

Gently bring awareness to your toes,

Your arches,

Your heels,

And if you notice any tension,

Just simply allowing it to melt away with each exhale.

Now,

Slowly,

Gently move your attention up to your ankles,

Your calves,

Your knees.

Breathe deeply into this area.

And as you exhale,

Again,

Releasing any tightness or discomfort.

Continue to bring your awareness upward to your thighs,

Hips,

And pelvis.

Feel the muscles here relaxing,

Releasing any tension.

As you breathe,

Imagine any anxiety or fear melting away.

Next,

Bring your awareness to your abdomen and chest.

With each inhale,

Feel your belly gently rise,

And with each exhale,

Let your chest relax and open.

Allow any stress in this area to dissolve with every breath.

Now focus on your shoulders,

Your arms,

And your hands.

If you notice any tightness or resistance,

Gently breathe through it,

Letting go with every exhalation.

Feel your body softening,

Becoming more and more relaxed.

Finally,

Bring your awareness to your neck,

Your jaw,

And your face.

Relax your jaw,

Allowing your teeth to part slightly.

Rest your tongue on the bottom of your mouth.

Soften your eyes and all the little muscles around your eyes and your forehead.

Feel the muscles in your face and your scalp,

Releasing and relaxing.

And with each breath,

You become more grounded,

More at ease,

And more relaxed.

You are safe and you are letting go.

And as we sit here together,

Quiet,

Comfortable,

Safe,

And relaxed,

Let's just very gently turn our attention to the thought of flying.

Knowing that you are safe.

Without judgment,

Gently notice what physical sensations you have in your body when you think of being in a plane.

Observe these feelings as an interested observer.

You may have heard that wisdom that what we resist persists.

But when we lovingly turn our attentions to our feelings,

Those feelings that we might try to push away or ignore,

Just being with them,

Then we can allow them to flow.

Nothing ever stays the same.

And you might notice the intensity of them,

Or these feelings changes,

Or the location moves.

Just give your attention to what you can feel in your physical body.

These feelings may intensify or decrease.

Just notice and accept what is happening.

You are safe.

They are simply feelings that come into our awareness.

And the more we can acknowledge and feel them,

The easier it is for them to flow smoothly and gently through us.

Breathing gently,

Noticing the sensations of your body.

And as you do this,

Listen to my voice and the many insights you're having yourself about your fear and your anxiety.

And you don't have to believe that any of what I'm saying is true.

Just to be open to the possibility,

To be curious about those feelings and your emotions.

Because the truth is that fear can be so useful and helpful for us.

When we experience fear in the present,

Like jumping out of the way of a lorry or backing away from the edge of a cliff,

The body reacts without us having to analyze or worry about the danger.

There is little thinking or thought involved.

We can trust that our body and our senses will respond to keep us safe.

Can you think of how this has worked in your own life?

The body working for you,

Working to keep us safe.

The body is working for us constantly,

Always.

And the mind doesn't have to get involved.

Fear is not something we have to avoid at all costs.

It's part of life,

Part of the ups and downs,

Part of the web of emotions that flow in and out of our life.

They don't need to be judged or analyzed,

Simply felt and experienced.

And you might like to ask yourself,

Would you like to be completely free of all fear?

And if you were,

What situations might you put yourself into without concern for the consequences?

I hope you can see that fear has a really useful,

Valid role to play in our lives.

But if you're anxious about flying,

That's fear of a different kind.

Because if you were flying,

And in the unlikely scenario of something not working or going wrong,

You wouldn't be here listening to me now.

You would be dealing with that emergency in the present moment.

So this is a fear of the future,

Of anxiety about something that could or might happen.

And the truth is that those thoughts about fear of flying,

This is what is making you experience emotions you would rather not experience.

But are those feelings based on reality?

Are they true of what you're experiencing here and now?

Of course they're not.

They're simply ideas that you're experiencing of what might or could happen.

We can make up thousands of stories about what might happen in the future,

Or what could happen whilst you're flying.

Some plausible,

Others ridiculous.

If I told you a story that a plane you're flying in is going to turn mid-flight,

Safely,

Into a sleigh pulled by sparkly reindeer that fly you to the moon,

You're going to think I'm being daft.

But the point is that this is no way less or more true than the thoughts you're having that are making you fearful.

We could argue that in the realms of probability,

My idea is less likely.

But all of it is just thought.

None of it is real or tangible or physical.

It's all will-o'-the-wisp,

Mental activity that comes into our mind,

And then,

Unless we cling on to it,

It flows out again.

Thought is just mental activity.

I'm showing my age here,

But when I was young,

I loved those little paper dolls that came with their underwear printed on.

And then you could cut out different outfits and tag them on.

Now,

Thoughts are like this.

They come undressed and can flow out of our mind in the same state of affairs.

But,

If we find those thoughts fearful,

We can grab hold of them.

And then,

Like the paper dolls,

We can add more to them.

We might add a paper dress,

A jumper,

A cardigan,

Shoes,

A couple of coats,

A scarf,

A shawl,

A couple of hats.

And before we know it,

The original doll is hidden in a mess of unnecessary thoughts.

Extra layers.

This is another of my slightly off-the-wall examples,

I know.

But can you see how this works?

We can allow thoughts of fear to come in and out,

Without trying to analyze what they say about us,

How it means we'll never be able to handle x,

Y,

Or z,

Or to judge that fear or ourselves in any way.

Experience is always moving on.

And that applies to our internal thinking and feeling as well.

Let it flow.

Don't try and dress it up with more thought and thinking.

And you might be amazed how quickly it moves from,

I'm feeling anxious.

That's okay.

Oh look,

That feeling is passing.

To,

I think I fancy a drink from the trolley.

Or not.

You may get stuck in the thoughts of anxiety.

But that's all okay too.

It's all just experience.

Not to be judged.

Not good or bad.

But part of life.

It's a part of this amazing,

Fantastical experience of life and our journey through it.

So be with it all.

The joyful parts,

The scary parts,

The boring parts,

The mundane parts.

So let's turn our attention back to flying and tapping into that wisdom that you already possess of how to deal with any anxiety.

We've talked here about being with the body in the present moment and allowing thoughts to flow without judgment or feeling the need to do anything about those thoughts.

Just letting those feelings of anxiety go through.

And now if you would like,

You can join me now on a visualization to imagine a peaceful flight.

Visualize yourself stepping onto the plane,

Feeling calm and confident.

Picture yourself moving down the aisle,

Finding your seat and settling in.

The seat is comfortable and you feel supported.

You're in control.

And you feel safe.

And as you sit,

Take a moment to notice the environment around you.

The sound of soft murmurs,

The hum of the air conditioning,

The gentle click of seatbelts.

Everything is calm and you're at ease.

Now imagine the plane beginning to taxi down the runway.

You might notice a sense of anticipation,

But rather than fear,

You feel a quiet sense of curiosity.

As the plane picks up speed,

Feel the sensation of the wheels lifting off the ground.

Imagine the weight of the world being left behind,

The earth falling away beneath you.

You're supported by the plane,

Gliding effortlessly through the air and with every breath you feel lighter.

As you soar through the air,

Feel the peace that comes with knowing you're in the hands of skilled pilots and a safe,

Well-designed machine.

Trust in the process.

You are held,

Supported and secure.

And your body adjusts with ease as you rise through the air.

The plane moves smoothly through the clouds and you notice there is no need to hold any tension.

You can let go,

Knowing that this is just another journey,

One that you're safe to experience one that you are capable of handling.

Trust in your ability to remain calm and centered.

And now we will repeat a series of affirmations that can help you release any fear that lingers and embrace peace and tranquility as you fly.

I'll say the affirmations out loud and then you can repeat them silently to yourself.

I am safe,

I'm supported and I can trust my inner wisdom and guidance to look after me.

I allow my feelings without judgment to flow.

I'm curious about any emotions I feel.

And I allow them to pass through my body.

I trust that I'm exactly where I need to be.

My body reacts with ease to this flight.

The sky is open and vast and I am calm and free.

And now slowly bring your awareness back to the present moment.

Begin to notice the surface beneath you,

The space you are occupying.

Take a deep grounding breath in and as you exhale bring your awareness to your surroundings.

Feel the peace you've cultivated through this meditation lingering in your body,

Mind and spirit.

You know that you can trust your emotions.

You know that whatever your emotions and your feelings,

You're safe.

There's no judgment to be made about your feelings or you.

Carry these feelings of peace and tranquility with you as you prepare to transition back to your day.

Reminding yourself that you can return to this calm place whenever you need to.

Take one more deep breath,

Slowly exhaling and when you're ready begin to gently wiggle your fingers and your toes.

Stretch your body softly if you need to and when you're ready open your eyes.

And carry this sense of calm with you knowing that you are safe,

Capable and at ease with the experience of flying.

And so if you've enjoyed this meditation,

I'd love you to join me again.

I've got meditations and talks and courses on my profile but in the meantime,

Thanks so much for joining me and I look forward to being with you again very soon.

Bye-bye.