Thank you for joining me in this meditation,
Loving kindness towards fear.
This meditation is helpful for learning to soften and reduce tension in the mind and body,
Especially when faced with anxious or fearful thoughts or situations.
When we experience fear in the mind,
Whether it is real or imagined,
Our body responds by contracting.
We can feel tension,
Shortness of breath,
And other physical and emotional signals that all tell us that we are not safe.
Rather than ignoring those signals and pretending they don't exist,
We can practice softening.
We can begin to grow more patient and curious in response to those signals.
Of course,
If you are in an environment or situation that is not safe,
Please do what you need to,
To get to a place of safety before beginning this practice.
Now,
Find a comfortable seat,
Or if you prefer,
Lie down.
Take the next few moments to set yourself up so that you feel safe and held in your space.
If you are sitting,
Ensure that your spine is straight,
Possibly using a cushion or yoga block to elevate your hips,
But let your shoulders relax.
Start by taking 3 deep breaths,
Inhaling through the nose,
And exhaling,
A couple more breaths like that,
Inhaling,
Feel the air move into the chest,
Allow the torso to expand in all four directions,
And exhale,
And exhale.
Start by scanning the body from the crown or the top of your head,
Down to your feet.
First become aware of thoughts coming into your awareness.
Notice the quality of your thoughts,
Watching them as if you are watching clouds or bubbles floating by.
If you get stuck on a certain thought,
That's okay.
Simply notice you got stuck,
And see if you can notice without judgment.
Treat yourself the way you would treat a child learning to walk.
Gently bring your attention back to your body,
Back to your breath.
Noticing the muscles of the face,
Begin to soften the jaw,
Allow the tongue to release.
Letting the neck relax and the shoulders become heavy,
Feel the arms start to melt towards the ground,
Relaxing the wrists,
Hands,
Fingers,
Softening the belly as you continue to breathe.
Feel the hips heavy on your seat,
Cushion,
Floor,
Bed,
Relaxing the legs,
Thighs and knees,
Soften,
All the way down to your feet and your toes.
Now return your awareness to your heart space.
Focus on the sensations of breathing here.
Again if you find yourself distracted,
Pulled into thoughts,
Gently and compassionately return your awareness back to your breath.
As long as you're focusing on your breath,
It's virtually impossible to focus on anything else.
And now imagine your lungs are actually inside your heart.
Begin breathing in and out from this place.
As you breathe in,
Visualize your heart expanding,
Stretching on all sides,
Front to back.
As you breathe out,
Feel or see energy radiate out from your heart and through the rest of your body.
You might imagine this energy as bright light or warmth.
Continue breathing like that and observe this energy start to move out of your body.
Holding this energy,
Start to imagine a situation,
Perhaps in the distant past or more recently,
In which fear came up for you.
It could be fear that came up in the face of a real threat to your safety or one imagined in your mind.
Remember,
It is all felt in the body,
So whatever situation arises is right for you at this time.
Imagine that situation is in its own bubble,
A few feet in front of you.
You are protected by the energy you created moments ago.
You are supported by the earth.
Notice any sensations that might come up right now.
See if you can witness them without judgment and continue to breathe deeply from your heart.
Can you be with this fear?
Can you notice the body and the mind responding without taking action?
If this part of the meditation becomes too much for you,
Please stop and find a position that feels safe,
A child's pose,
Lying down,
Walk on the earth,
Or run cold water over your hands to return to your body.
But if it feels safe to do so,
When you feel ready,
Start to breathe out and send this heart energy to the feared situation in front of you.
Knowing that you are safe and supported in this moment,
Continue to send that breath to the fear.
You may choose to do this for a few minutes,
But know you can always return to this meditation.
So take your time and be patient with yourself.
When this process feels complete,
Take a moment and if it's difficult to find gratitude for the situation,
That is also okay.
Feeling gratitude is not about saying that you would like to experience this again.
Instead it is about freeing yourself from this energy by receiving the lesson the fear is teaching you.
Feel a sense of gratitude here.
Thank the fear for how it has given you the opportunity to expand your awareness and your ability to hold compassion and love for yourself.
Thank you for teaching me fear.
You might choose to place your hands on your heart,
Or provide yourself with some other loving touch that feels safe,
And slowly begin to see the situation dissolve.
Dissolving with the heart energy that you sent.
Begin to hear the sounds in the space that you're in.
Return to the sensations of your breath and where you're sitting,
And slowly taking your time if your eyes are closed.
Thank you for joining in this meditation of sending loving kindness towards fear,
And hope to guide you in another meditation soon.
