Welcome,
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today,
I just want to talk a little bit about preparing for change.
We all have so many changes in our lives and it causes us stress and anxiety.
The Greek philosopher Plato once said to his students,
I believe Heraclitus was the one who said that all things pass and nothing stays.
And comparing existing things to the flow of water,
He says you could not step twice in the same river.
The only thing constant is change.
From birth to death,
Our lives are a constant stream of changes.
And while we can't avoid these changes,
We can alter the way in which we react to them.
In your life you will likely face many big changes,
Like perhaps a divorce,
Or changing jobs,
Or moving,
Or starting college,
Or starting a family,
And maybe even facing a terminal illness.
Each of these changes will bring different levels of stress and anxiety to your life,
But we can alter the effects by getting in touch with our breath,
By looking within for the strength that each of us has inside.
You may not believe that you do,
But that strength is laying there inside of you,
Each one of you,
And all you have to do is breathe.
Anxiety is the body's natural response to danger,
The well-known fight,
Flight,
Or freeze responses.
But unfortunately,
Your brain doesn't know if you're anxious about a saber-toothed tiger or about your new job.
And part of the problem is that too often,
We look at things from our thoughts instead of at our thoughts.
If you look at thoughts as something outside of yourself,
It's easier to deal with them.
We have to teach ourselves to look at things differently.
There are a number of things you can do to relieve anxiety and stress,
And one of the most valuable is meditation and mindfulness.
We'll talk about the rest of them in a minute,
But first,
Let's start to get in touch with our breath.
Close your eyes now,
And let's begin to relax.
It doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Lying down,
Or standing.
The goal,
However,
Is to simply connect with your breath.
The goal is to be comfortable in this moment.
That can be laying on your bed,
Or it can be sitting in your favorite chair.
It can be standing with your back against the wall.
It really doesn't matter.
Just stay alert and in this moment,
And just be comfortable and at ease with yourself.
And please be sure to silence all of your devices.
This is your time,
And you don't need to be interrupted by chirps from your phone or computer.
And hopefully you're someplace where you won't be disturbed.
First,
Let's scan our body,
And begin to relax.
Just breathe normally,
And don't force anything.
You breathe the way you breathe,
And I'll breathe the way I breathe.
Just breathe in,
And then slowly let it out.
Unclench your jaw.
Unfurrow your brow.
Relax your face.
Release any tension that's in your neck or your shoulders.
Moving down,
Relax your arms and your hands.
Let go of any tension that's in your chest or your belly.
And feel yourself getting heavier with each breath.
Relax your legs and your feet,
And as you begin to relax,
Let's start to focus even more on our breath.
Breathe in slowly,
And then gently exhale.
Notice where you feel the breath as it flows in and flows out.
Perhaps the movement in your chest or your belly,
Or perhaps a cool sensation in your nose as the breath flows in.
Listen to the sounds of your breath moving in and out,
Flowing like a river of calm,
A river of tranquility.
Continue breathing gently in and out,
And just focus on your breath.
You're going to have thoughts that's just part of being human,
But in this moment,
You can choose to let those thoughts go.
Just let them drift away on the current of your breath.
For now,
It's just you and your breath moving gently in and gently out,
One breath at a time,
One moment at a time.
Your breath is the key to calming your mind,
The key to dealing with frustrations and anxieties and insecurities.
It's the key to being happier in your own skin,
And it's the key to dealing with anxiety and stress.
If you learn anything from me,
I want it to be the idea that getting in touch with your breath is a powerful tool for dealing with stress,
For relieving anxiety,
For dealing with pain,
And so much more.
And we all have that little voice in our heads that talks to us about what's going on.
It seems sometimes there's a constant play-by-play going on,
And sometimes we have negative thoughts.
We're worried about the future.
What if I don't get that job?
What if I don't get that raise?
What if the stock market crashes?
What if there's another pandemic?
And on and on and on.
All things that we have no control over.
Just continue breathing and follow your breath,
Breathing in and breathing out.
When we create little scenarios in our minds,
Our brain can't tell the difference between what is real and what is not.
The body reacts to what seems like an emergency.
It speeds up our heart.
It speeds up our breathing.
It releases hormones and neurochemicals throughout the body.
And so our imaginings can have a very real effect on our body,
And it's not a good effect.
And meditation isn't about ceasing to think,
But about learning to recognize our own patterns and to gently consider our thoughts,
To guide them,
To look at them.
You aren't the talk going on in your head.
You are the one who recognizes it and what it is.
There are other things that can help with anxiety and stress.
Making sure you get enough sleep.
Many people find it helpful to listen to sounds as they go to sleep,
Like the sound of running water or the sound of a forest.
Getting enough exercise.
Exercise releases endorphins,
Which will improve your mood and feeling of well-being.
Another thing you can do is focus on positive thoughts.
Words have power,
And I'm going to do a whole session on just that.
Focusing on positive thoughts will also improve your mental state.
It also helps if you can visualize success.
Picture yourself succeeding at whatever you do.
Picture yourself mastering your breath or whatever else you try.
Thoughts also have power.
And just remember,
It takes time.
And most of all,
It takes practice.
Focus on each breath,
From beginning to end,
One breath at a time.
And then do it again.
And then again.
And then again.
A person who takes up gymnastics doesn't just jump up on a four inch wide balance beam and dance around and do somersaults and cartwheels.
They start off slow,
And they repeat each move over and over,
Thousands of times,
So that they can move perfectly most of the time.
Just focus on your breath.
Listen to it.
Feel it moving inside you.
Feel it as it comes in through your nose.
And follow it as it moves through your body,
Filling you up.
And then follow it as it goes back out.
And now,
Start the whole process over again.
One breath at a time.
If you have thoughts,
Just let them pass.
Acknowledge them and let them go.
They have no importance because we are busy breathing.
Just one breath at a time.
Meditation and mindfulness are some of the best things you can do to conquer anxiety and stress.
Get in touch with your breath as often as you can throughout your day.
For just two or three minutes at a time,
If that's all you have available.
Focus on your breath.
One breath at a time.
You can do this and I'm here to help.
Now,
As we come to a close,
Take in one long deep breath through your nose.
And exhale through your mouth,
Letting out a sigh.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Open your eyes and come back into the room,
Ready to resume your day.
Stretch and feel how good it is to be alive.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming practice.
And thank you for spending this time with me.
We can fight anxiety by utilizing our breath.
Till next time.
.
