The following meditation by Lula Spergato,
Which can be done sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down,
Is designed to help us ground and center ourselves when feeling stressed,
Overwhelmed,
Panicked,
Or when we simply desire to be more present.
We will be employing a skill set that can be remembered by the acronym I CAN,
Where the I represents I Here Now,
A way of framing our experience that can consciously orient us to the present moment.
The C is for connecting with our body,
The A is for acknowledging and allowing our thoughts and feelings to come and go,
And the N is for noticing our surroundings through our five senses to recognize that there's more to our experience than what's going on inside of us.
The phrase I CAN is meant to empower us with a sense of agency in any given situation.
We'll start by going through this process somewhat slowly with detail,
And then do a much quicker second round so that you can experience two different ways of making use of this skill set.
So first,
See if you can become aware of yourself in the here and now.
You might even say to yourself,
Here I am,
Or I'm aware,
Or I'm here now.
As a means of connecting with your body,
I invite you to slow down your breathing with a few long exhales through either your nose or your mouth.
You could try both and notice any differences.
These drawn-out exhales can help us ground and center ourselves.
See if you can feel your body settling or sinking a bit more each time you breathe out.
You're welcome to continue with the slower breathing or allow your breathing to find its own natural rate and rhythm.
Next,
Become aware of your physical posture and positioning,
As well as any contact your body is making with your surroundings,
Especially the ground that you're standing on.
Feel the weight of your body being supported in this way.
If your body needs support,
You can feel it.
If your body needs support,
You can feel it.
If your body needs support,
You can feel it.
If your body needs or could benefit from a bit of movement,
Feel free to shift your position,
Stretch,
Shake out your hands,
Press your feet into the ground,
Or move in any other way you choose.
And if you do move,
Bring attention to the effects of these movements.
In other words,
Any changes you experience in the felt sense of your body.
Now,
I invite you to take a moment to acknowledge any thoughts or feelings showing up.
This would be like a pause in your life.
This would be like acknowledging someone walking past you on the street.
You're not running up and having a conversation with them,
Nor are you running away,
But rather just waving or nodding your head in acknowledgement as they pass by.
So,
See if you can simply acknowledge and allow thoughts and feelings to freely come and go,
As they are,
Without a struggle.
When a thought or feeling arises,
You may find it helpful to silently say to yourself,
There's a thought,
Or there's thinking,
Or there's feeling.
The word there can provide some observational distance between you and these experiences.
Finally,
Take a moment to tune into your environment by engaging your five senses.
If your eyes are currently closed,
Open them briefly to notice what you can see in front and or around you.
You may notice colors,
Shapes,
Patterns.
Also,
Notice what you can hear,
Sounds that are loud or soft,
Close or distant,
Intermittent or constant.
And notice what you're touching with any part of your body,
Including your hands,
Feet,
Or even the sensation of air or clothing on your skin.
You can also notice if there are any lingering tastes in your mouth or anything you can smell at this time.
Notice that you are interacting with the world around you.
If your mind chimes in with evaluations or judgments about what you're sensing,
You may say to yourself,
There's thinking,
And then gently bring your attention back to simply noticing these sensations as they are,
Not as what your mind says about them.
Okay,
Now we're going to go through the I Can steps much more quickly so that you can have this more efficient approach available to you.
Become aware of yourself in the here and now.
Connect with your body by starting to notice what you can hear,
Connect with your body by slowly exhaling,
Sensing how you're being held and placed by gravity and the ground beneath you,
And gently moving a bit if desired.
Acknowledge and allow any thoughts or feelings to come and go,
Perhaps by saying to yourself,
There's a thought or there's a feeling.
And notice the interaction between you and your surroundings,
Including what you can see,
Hear,
Touch,
Taste,
And smell.
So,
Whenever you'd like to or feel it could be beneficial to ground and center yourself in the present moment,
Depending upon your circumstances,
You can slowly or quickly go through this exercise of I Can connect,
Acknowledge,
And notice what I'm experiencing here and now.
And this brings us to the end of the meditation.
