Relieving Anxiety: A Meditation For Nonprofit Professionals

Join Megan to relax into various grounding techniques + a supportive process for calming anxiety. We'll bring loving awareness to the breath and body, and practice welcoming all emotions to the party. The meditation closes with the poem, It Is Enough, by Donna Faulds. I hope this helps soothe your nervous system and nurture yourself, and I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments.

Transcript

Welcome.

Thank you so much for joining today.

My name is Megan Whitney,

And I'm based in Chicago.

I am a meditation teacher and mindfulness coach,

And I've worked in nonprofits for the past 17 years.

Today's theme is going to be around offering compassion for the one in you who feels anxious.

You're welcome to sit,

Stand,

Lay down.

I also encourage you if you want to move your body.

Meditation does not need to be done sitting on a cushion with your back super straight.

You can take a walk and stretch.

So check in with your body.

Let's close our eyes or lower the gaze.

Tapping into that beautiful breath.

Pulling your attention on the inner world.

As I guide this practice,

I encourage you to listen to my guidance,

And then use your own wisdom to take this in the direction that is most of service to you.

There is no right or wrong way to meditate.

Let's tune attention on the breath.

You may like to imagine that you're gently opening an umbrella in your abdomen as you breathe in.

And letting go on the exhale.

Closing that umbrella.

If the mind is particularly active,

It's not a problem.

The mind will naturally wander many,

Many times.

Throughout this practice,

You may like to make a mental note.

Whenever you notice your mind has wandered,

You can say to yourself,

Thinking.

And then return your awareness to the present.

Breathing in.

I know that I'm breathing in.

Breathing out.

I know that I'm breathing out.

Thich Nhat Hanh offers this way.

It's so simple to touch back into mindfulness in any moment.

Breathing in.

I know I'm breathing in.

Breathing out.

I know I'm breathing out.

I welcome you to choose your adventure of allowing your breath to return to its natural pace.

Or if you'd like to promote a greater sense of calm and relaxation,

Elongating the exhale,

Making it longer than inhale.

It's a beautiful way to soothe the nervous system.

To remind yourself,

I am safe in this moment.

Feeling called to offer a few postures that you can try on.

One may be placing both hands on the heart.

Or one hand on the heart.

One hand on the belly.

Offering a compassionate touch in whatever way feels supportive to you.

I'll offer a few more grounding practices to ease us into this practice of turning towards our feelings with compassion.

I always love feeling the sensations of my feet on the ground.

Or any surface below the body.

Resting awareness on this felt sense of being held by the earth below.

Imagining there is a beautiful tree trunk with sturdy roots growing from the bottom of your feet down into the earth.

Settling into the core.

Rooting you and grounding this body.

So now we'll take some time to explore with curiosity and as much non-judgment as possible.

What emotions are visiting us?

And as I take you through this practice,

If there are parts where you're not sure what's going on or how to do it,

Encourage you to really go easy.

To reconnect with gratitude for yourself for just showing up.

And always know you can tap in and out of the practice.

You're your own best teacher.

So let's begin by scanning through the body.

Starting at the top of the head.

Bringing loving,

Kind awareness to the sensations that are here right now.

You may like to bring an intention of softening.

As you slowly scan down.

While these sensations are allowed to be here,

They're welcome to the party.

You might notice what happens when you turn toward them.

Like a loving adult might turn toward an innocent child.

Just noticing and seeing yourself.

So if there are certain sensations that are calling your attention,

Can you bring your attention to these areas?

And see if you can welcome them.

If you notice your mind naturally creating some drama or a story of,

Oh,

I must have pulled my leg in the gym yesterday,

Or whatever stories the mind is creating.

That's okay.

Mind's trying to protect you.

It's its main job.

Try on just dropping into the felt sense of whatever sensation in the body is saying,

Pay attention to me.

You may even like to place a hand on it.

What does that sensation feel like?

Is there smoothness?

Twistiness?

Not good or bad?

Just what is it?

Is there a shape to it?

There any movement?

Oftentimes,

When you turn toward the sensation,

It can change.

Because I'm noticing I'm doing this right now,

You may like to just check in with the face.

Sometimes we get into this furrowed brow,

Like figure it out mode.

How is it to relax around the sensation?

Allowing breathing deeply.

Moving into the next part of this practice.

These emotions that visit us are often coming in tandem with the sensation.

It took me till my early 30s to learn that emotions show up as physical sensations that move through the body.

That's why we call them feelings.

Because we feel them.

So I invite you to check in.

What emotions are visiting me?

All emotions stem from joy,

Anger,

Sadness,

Disgust,

And fear.

So again,

So much curiosity and kindness toward yourself.

Taking the posture and loving attention you'd offer a child,

You can ask yourself,

What emotions are here?

This is anger.

This is joy.

Feel free to go wild and choose any emotion.

It doesn't need to be the core ones.

And noticing that we're not saying I am anxious.

We're trying on.

This is anxiety.

This anxiety is showing up.

It's not who I am.

It's not forever.

And it's currently asking for my gentle attention.

So again,

Dropping into the sensations that are here in the body.

Welcoming in all emotions to the party.

And anxiety is a form of fear.

Fear is a threat that's happening right now.

Anxiety is fear about the future.

So when you notice your mind wanders to catastrophizing or preparing for a conversation,

Maybe you try on the earlier phrase of coming back to that breath.

Breathing in,

I know I'm breathing in.

Breathing out,

I know I'm breathing out.

In this moment,

I have access to this natural medicine,

This healing breath.

And I am safe.

Oftentimes when we feel strong,

Big emotions,

It's natural to feel like I'm going through this alone.

Nobody gets it.

So I encourage you to notice right now that you are surrounded by beautiful meditators who like you experience anxiety,

Fear,

And all emotions under the sun.

But we all have diverse lived experiences.

We share a common humanity.

And you are not alone,

My friend.

The last step that I'd like to share that I love doing,

There are so many options of how you can continue to nurture yourself,

Is to offer some soothing words.

To turn toward this part of you.

And say what you might say to a friend or a little one who's having a hard time.

I don't know your experience.

And if you're having a beautiful time in this moment,

You can soak that in too.

We're bringing awareness to what is.

And stress is a natural part of life.

So whether it feels like your mind is creating it into something big,

Or something small,

You deserve compassion.

And the body responds to working with the body,

Rather than logic.

So we often say,

It's no big deal.

Others have it worse.

I encourage you to be kind.

You may say to yourself,

Hey,

I'm listening.

I'm here for you,

Darling.

Try on what words work for you.

This belongs.

I promise to check in with you again.

I care about this suffering.

So see what lands for you.

Some phrases may feel cringeworthy.

Other phrases may feel just right.

If we were in the Goldilocks world,

Find what feels right for you.

As we move to a close,

I always appreciate a moment just to reflect.

What do you want to bring forward from this practice?

What have you learned about yourself?

So I'd love to offer a poem by Donna Faulds.

To close this practice.

It is enough right now to taste one moment of peace.

Of course,

I want more.

But at least the door is open.

It is enough to draw a conscious breath.

And let my hands relax.

Fingers releasing their tight grasp on things outside of my control.

It is enough to shed a layer of stress as if taking off a jacket or a pair of too tight shoes.

Ease of being has to start somewhere.

This breath is my first step.

Let's take another collective community breath together friends.

Soaking in so much love and gratitude for yourself.

Extending out that love and gratitude into the world.

Opening your eyes when you're ready.

So thank you so much friends for practicing together.

I hope this is of service to you and so many you encounter.