Hi everyone,
It's Anne.
Today's practice is a quick session for when you're feeling stressed,
Overwhelmed,
Or just need a break.
Sometimes when we feel wired and are inundated with things to attend to,
Our bodies tend to take on the tension first,
Often before we're even cognitively aware of the fact that we're stressed.
There are many different ways to work with stress,
And some of the most effective ways I've seen have to do with targeting the body rather than the thoughts in the mind.
This works because the mind and body are intricately connected.
In fact,
They are one of the same,
But that's a topic for another time.
Unlike thoughts in the mind,
The body is so much more tangible.
So in this meditation,
We'll be targeting the body to help reduce feelings of stress.
I can't promise this meditation will make your stress go away,
But I can promise that if you let yourself sink into it,
If you try and relax your body as much as possible,
You can vastly improve the day you're going to have and vastly improve your reactions to the stress that's present in life.
Let's get started.
Find a comfortable meditation posture if you haven't already.
This meditation can be done seated in an upright position or lying down flat on your back,
Perhaps with a pillow under your knees and neck for support.
Find stillness in your body.
Begin to deepen your breath,
Breathing in and out of the nose.
Inhale for a few counts longer than you normally would,
And exhale for a few counts longer than you normally would.
Each time you exhale,
Feel a wave of relaxation washing over your entire body.
On your inhales,
Become aware of your breath and of your body.
And as you exhale,
Allow that wave of relaxation to soften anything that's holding on in your body and in your mind.
As you breathe in this way,
Bringing greater awareness to the in-breath and out-breath,
Sense your entire body settling.
Settling into the ground or chair where you're lying down or sitting.
Settling into a rhythm of breath that feels intentional and natural.
Settling into a rhythm of breath that feels intentional and also deeply relaxing.
Settling into this practice like rain settling after a big storm.
There may be a part of your mind that wants to rebel against settling into the present.
See if you can strengthen the part that values slowing down,
Being intentional,
And practicing meditation.
The things you have to attend to will all still be there after this meditation,
So you may as well enjoy this break thoroughly.
We'll begin our practice with a body scan,
Which will include what's called progressive muscle relaxation.
Or PMR.
PMR helps release tension in the body,
Which will consequently help release tension in your mind.
I'll be mentioning different body parts,
And as I do,
Bring your attention there,
Seeing how contracted you can make that muscle group.
After a few seconds of holding tension,
I'll cue you to release at all.
You'll pause there for a few moments,
Noticing the effect of the technique on that part of your body.
And then we'll move on to the next area.
Let's begin with the face.
On your next inhale,
No rush,
Scrunch up all the muscles in your face.
Your eyes,
Eyebrows,
Cheeks,
Nose,
Forehead,
Jaw,
Mouth,
Ears,
If you can.
Hold this tension for the rest of your inhale,
And when you need to exhale,
Let all those muscle fibers return to their original lengths.
Relax everything in your face,
And take a few breaths,
Just noticing what the face feels like now.
Relaxed.
Now shift your focus to your neck and shoulders.
As you inhale,
Bring the shoulders up to the ears as high as you possibly can,
And bring the chin to the chest,
Contracting the muscles in the front of the neck.
And then as you exhale,
Relax the neck and shoulders.
Notice any newfound sense of ease in this area of the body.
Now bring your attention to your stomach and chest.
On your next breath in,
Pull the belly button in toward your spine,
Contracting the abs,
And bring the shoulders in toward one another.
And on your exhale,
Soften the entire front side of the body.
Pause,
And notice what you feel.
Send your awareness to your arms and hands now.
As you inhale,
Bend the elbows,
Flex your biceps,
And curl your fingers in to make a strong fist.
Hold.
Don't lose the tension.
And then release the elbows,
Hands,
And fingers.
Pause,
And let any sensations of well-being in this area of the body grow as big as they want.
Now,
As you inhale,
Bring the shoulders up to the ears,
Contracting the abs,
And bring the chin to the chest.
Allow your attention now to draw toward the low back,
Pelvis,
And hips.
Take a deep breath in and arch your spine,
Bringing the pelvis up toward the shoulders and squeezing your butt muscles as much as you possibly can.
Exhale.
Relax everything,
Letting it all settle back down.
Enjoy any sensations of relaxation in this area of the body.
Send your awareness down to your legs now.
Take a big breath in and squeeze the kneecaps,
Straightening both legs.
Squeeze and hold.
And then exhale.
Relax the muscles of the legs.
Pause.
Breathe.
And notice what you feel.
Now,
Bring your attention to your feet.
As you inhale deeply,
Flex the feet toward the ceiling as much as you can and bend your toes in toward the heels.
Let the feet rest in the center of the mat.
And then exhale.
Take a deep breath in.
Pause.
And then exhale.
Relax.
Now,
As you inhale,
Bring the shoulders up to the ears,
And bring the chin to the chest.
And then exhale.
Relax.
And then exhale.
Now,
On your next inhale,
We're going to squeeze everything we just did.
So as you inhale,
Curl the toes,
Engage your legs,
Contract your abs,
Chest,
Shoulders,
Face,
Everything.
Hold that for a moment.
And then exhale.
Let everything settle back down.
Feel your body.
Feel your body settle.
If you're still breathing deeply,
Try and let go of controlling the breath in any way.
Let it return to its normal pace.
Just as rain comes and goes,
Muscles contract and relax,
So will periods of emotional stress come and go.
So,
As we prepare to complete this practice,
Slowly begin to open your eyes,
As if they were the eyes of an infant.
Take everything in around you as if you'd never seen any of it before.
Every moment is a new one.
Feel free to do a few gentle stretches,
Slowly making the transition back into your day.
I hope this was helpful.
See you next time.
