Breathe Away Anxiety

So many of us are plagued by anxiety and stress. The world is not an easy place to live sometimes. But as people who meditate, we can learn to breathe away our anxiety, breathe away our stress. Join us for this guided meditation where look at steps we can take to help relieve stress, anxiety, and tension. Music by Chris Collins. #47

Transcript

Welcome and I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.

Today I'd like to talk just a little bit about anxiety and how you can work at conquering your anxiety.

Conquer anxiety and deal with stress too.

It seems like in today's world we have so many things that cause us stress and anxiety.

We have this COVID-19 pandemic that just seems to go dragging on and on.

We have concerns about Russia and Ukraine,

Now Israel and Hamas.

These conflicts have a global impact.

There's anxiety about inflation and the rising prices of just about everything.

We all have the anxiety about things going on in the world and then on top of that we each have our own personal concerns,

Our own problems,

Difficulties in a relationship,

Ill health in ourselves or in our loved ones.

It's no wonder that so many people are stressed and anxious.

Why so many people are struggling.

What I know from my own experience is that all these things will pass.

They will.

They don't seem like it at the time but they will pass.

History will show you that conflicts come and go.

The world economy will always have its ups and downs.

The problems we face on a personal basis will gradually disappear.

They always have and they always will.

But what I also know is that often we are the biggest factor in our own anxiety and stress.

We ramp ourselves up with words and thoughts and I've said before words have power,

Thoughts have power and what we need to do is harness that power so it benefits us.

What I know for certain is that in times of high anxiety and stress it's the best time to meditate and be mindful.

It's the best time to get in touch with your breath and you may ask why.

When we feel anxious our body goes into fight-or-flight mode.

Our body is getting to run away and stand up and fight and because your body thinks it's going into action it knows it's going to need extra oxygen so our body starts taking in extra air and if we're not being active just standing around waiting anxiously for something to happen we take in more than we need and we exhale more carbon dioxide than we produce.

That's not a guess that's based on science.

This over breathing cause any number of symptoms that can leave us feeling even more stressed.

The symptoms include a pounding heart,

Agitation,

Nausea,

Restlessness,

Light-headedness,

Dizziness,

Muscle tension,

Feeling being disconnected,

Difficulty concentrating,

Trouble making good decisions,

And trouble regulating our emotions.

And this over breathing could cause or exacerbate a bunch of health problems like asthma,

Irritable bowel syndrome,

Insomnia,

Chronic pain,

And more.

On the other hand the breathing you do when you meditate can generally reduce all the physical symptoms.

It can help you to slow down your overactive mind and it can introduce a feeling of calm to your body and that's also not a guess.

It's based on science and there have been many studies that prove it.

Close your eyes now and let's get in touch with our breath.

It doesn't matter if you're sitting down,

Lying,

Or standing.

What matters is that you're comfortable in this moment.

So if that means laying down or sitting in your comfy recliner works best for you then that is what you need to do.

As long as you can be alert you're in good shape.

Take a deep breath and slowly let it go and then just breathe normally and let's start to scan our body.

As we begin to relax,

Relax your face,

Unfurl your brow,

And unclench your jaw.

Relax your neck and your shoulders.

Maybe roll your neck around in a circle to help loosen it up.

Shrug your shoulders and let them drop.

Relax your arms and your hands.

Let go of any tension in your chest or your belly.

Feel yourself getting heavier with each breath.

Relax your legs and your feet and try to notice any place in your body where you may be holding tension.

And as you begin to relax,

Let's start to focus even more on our breath.

Remember,

Our breath is like a river as it flows in and out.

Notice your breath as it flows in.

A cool sensation as it comes in through your nose.

The movement of your chest or your belly as the breath flows in and then out.

Continue to breathe at your normal pace and don't force anything.

Just let your breath move in and out.

Let your breath flow just like a river.

Sure and tranquil and calm.

Thoughts are just a continuous part of us.

They're a constant part of our world but you needn't concern yourself with your thoughts when you meditate.

Just observe them and let them go.

Just continue to follow your breath and listen to the sound of my voice.

The practice of meditation and mindfulness can change your life.

Let me say that again.

The practice of meditation and mindfulness can change your life.

Learning to relax your body and learning to follow your breath can actually change your physiology.

That's one reason you always hear me say that the more time you get in touch with your breath each day,

The better.

I don't say that because I'm a finicky old man.

I say it because it's true and I've seen the effects in my own life.

Just as an example,

When I began meditating 54 years ago,

My average pulse was 84 beats a minute and my average respirations were 20 beats a minute,

20 breaths a minute.

Now,

54 years later,

My average pulse is 60 and my average respirations are only 8 breaths per minute.

Meditation and mindfulness has changed me and in doing so,

It has made me calm.

It has made me centered.

It has given me peace within myself and each and every one of you needs to know that you can do it too.

Breathing in,

Breathing out,

Just one breath at a time.

The power of your thoughts and your words can shape your life and the power of your breath can also change your life.

By altering your thoughts and your words,

You can have a dramatic effect on your life and by getting in touch with your breath more on a daily basis,

It can also change your life.

It takes work and it takes time and it takes persistence and it takes commitment but I know that each one of you can do it.

Each one of you has that power just sitting inside you.

You just have to tap into it,

Just one breath at a time.

Take a breath in and then slowly let it out.

Do it again.

Remember your breath is like a river that flows calmly and surely.

Your breath is always there in all moments and it's there to help you breathe away your anxiety.

It's there to help you breathe away your stress.

All you have to do is take advantage of it whenever you can.

Breathing in,

You're breathing in peace and breathing out,

You're breathing out tension.

Breathing in again,

You're breathing in calm and breathing out,

You're breathing out stress.

Feel the tension leave your body.

Feel the stress melt away from your body just with your breath.

Breathing in,

Breathing out,

Just one breath at a time.

As you gradually breathe,

Your breathing naturally slows down and becomes more regular.

Breathe away anxiety.

Breathe away stress.

It's the easiest kind of therapy because all you have to do is breathe.

Just breathe.

And besides getting in touch with your breath more often,

Start to be more positive about your life.

When talking about yourself or talking with others,

I've said before your thoughts carry weight and thoughts create your reality.

I know some of you don't believe me when I say that but it's true.

When you fill your mind with negative thoughts,

It affects your mind and your brain releases chemicals that cause all the symptoms of anxiety.

All of them,

Rapid heart rate,

Problems concentrating and all the rest.

If you teach yourself to put a positive spin on things,

That's a plus.

If you begin to use words that are positive,

That's a plus.

If you do your best to remove negativity from your thoughts,

That's another plus.

And if you get in touch with your breath more often,

That's an even bigger plus.

And all of these pluses add up.

For the most part,

We can't change the distressing things going on in the world.

But what we can do is control how we react to those things.

We can do that by keeping a positive attitude and by keeping our words and our thoughts positive.

We can change our world.

We can change our perspective.

And by taking time throughout our day,

Even just two or three minutes at a time,

To get in touch with your breath.

We can breathe away and anxiety one breath at a time.

And in doing so,

We can make our lives better and more free from stress and anxiety.

We only have to try.

If you suffer with anxiety,

If you find yourself constantly stressed,

If you find yourself suffering with all the various symptoms of anxiety,

I'm here to tell you that this is the easiest and most effective way to get your anxiety under control.

No therapists,

No drugs,

Just you and your breath.

Just one breath at a time.

It will take commitment,

But I know you can do it.

Now,

As we come to a close,

Open your eyes and come back into the room.

Wiggle your fingers and toes and stretch and feel how good it is just to be alive.

Every day of your life,

It's a blessing to be alive.

You're ready to move back into the room and begin your day a little calmer and a little more joyful than before.

I hope that this has been a beneficial and a calming session.

And I want to personally thank each and every one of you for joining me in this practice.

You can breathe your anxiety away.

You just have to start.

Till next time.

Reviews

Thank you for a lovely breath meditation 🙏🏼

This was so lovely- thank you. I feel like you were talking to me directly as I am experiencing terrible problems with my heart rate and palpitations and dizziness and headaches since I got covid 4 months ago. I can’t seem to shake it off and my life is shrinking. And there are so many of those worries in the world that you mentioned and more personal ones on top.
Maybe I’m not sick with long covid but just really unconsciously anxious?
And I am trying to be positive and prioritise meditation and self care but I’m still struggling.
I find your meditations so reassuring and give me renewed resolve to keep going. Keep breathing and be positive and stop trying so hard but relax and trust that if I keep getting in touch with my breath and check myself for negative self talk then maybe I can change my physiology and get back to feeling healthy again.

Thank you Michael you are a bright shiny star in my life. I appreciate your talking the time to put these meditations out there for us.