Anxiety Release Body Scan

This guided meditation experience guides you to recognize the physical manifestation of anxiety in the body. Then, release that anxiety through a specific breathing technique and mindfulness exercise. Leave this session feeling lighter, more free, and able to think clearly.

Transcript

Today,

I'm going to share a guided meditation for anxiety release.

With everything going on in the world right now,

It is good to know how to recognize and release tension from the body.

So make yourself comfortable on your mat or your pillow.

Sitting in a chair is okay too.

However you are most comfortable,

Then we'll start with a few collective deep breaths.

With your spine straight,

Hands in your lap,

Gently close the eyes.

Start to bring the attention to your breath,

The gentle in and out.

In and out.

One more in and out.

And as you are exhaling out,

Allow your body to sink into the chair,

Pillow or mat.

Allow yourself to be settled,

Grounded and stable right where you are in this moment.

Sending love notes to our bodies in the form of deep,

Deep breaths.

We are okay.

We are strong.

We are here.

We are now.

Throughout this practice,

I will draw your attention toward different parts of your body.

While we are drawing attention to each part of our body,

We will give it an evaluation.

We will notice it without judgment.

Maybe a shoulder is tight or the core is tired,

But for this first scan,

We'll place no attachment or judgment that we give it.

We're not judging,

We're not changing,

We're not telling it to go away or change in any way.

For this part one of the meditation,

We're just going to notice.

So let's start with that now.

Bring your attention to the top of your head.

On the top of your head,

Each one of your hairs,

Each hair follicle,

Notice where your hair meets your forehead.

Notice your forehead.

Notice the space between the eyebrows.

Notice your nostrils.

Notice your cheeks and cheekbones.

Notice your jaw and your jawbone.

Notice your ears and the space behind your ears.

Coming down to the front of the throat.

Paying attention to the neck,

The front of the neck,

The sides of the neck,

The back of the neck.

The shoulders and collarbones down into the heart space,

Breathing continuously with those deep love notes we call breaths in and out.

Taking time to feel from your shoulders up,

Feel into all the spaces in this upper part of your body.

Feel your brain resting in your skull.

Give it permission to let go and do no work right now.

We're in a space of being,

No thoughts are necessary.

Now let's continue sending that awareness down from the heart space,

From the back of the shoulder blades,

Down the center of your spine and coming out from the muscles connected to your spine.

Spreading outward and around to the ribs,

Coming into the front of your body towards your lungs and your core,

To your hips,

To the backs of your hips,

Through the buttocks,

Through your hamstrings,

The backs of your thighs and the tops of your thighs.

Notice your knees,

Your shins,

Your calves,

Your ankles,

Your heels,

The bottoms of your feet,

The tops of your feet and each one of your toes.

Just holding all of your body in this present awareness,

No judgment,

No attachment to how it's feeling.

Just holding it,

Seeing it,

Noticing it,

Feeling it.

Next we're going to scan back through the body from the bottom to the top.

But this time as we scan the body,

We're going to consciously notice where we are holding tension and as you notice each part of your body and notice where the tension lies,

We're going to try a breathing exercise to release it.

The breathing exercise is something I call the bubble breath.

The reason I call it the bubble breath is because we will be forming or visualizing a small bubble being formed or created in that space.

As you inhale,

You visualize the bubble in that space,

Be it the hips,

Shoulders or wherever you feel the tension.

Notice that space growing bigger and as you breathe in,

You create a little bit more space.

Your physical body will respond to this and on your exhale,

We will release the bubble and leave the space created by the bubble for the body to feel into.

So with your feet exactly where they are in this moment,

Let's bring attention to your toes.

Notice any sensations in your toes or the tops of your feet,

In the bottoms of your feet,

In your ankles,

Your heels,

The lower part of your shins,

Coming up through the calves and the upper part of your shins,

Noticing your knees and taking a moment if you feel into any of these places,

If there's stress or tightness and just sending a bubble of love,

That bubbly ball of energy to that space.

So on an inhale,

Visualize the bubble getting a little bit bigger and on your exhale,

Releasing it and allowing the body to take that space.

And we'll keep moving that energy upwards now through the tops of the legs,

Tops of the thighs,

To the hips,

Through the lower back and buttocks,

Wrapping to the front of the hips and the lower abdomen.

Bringing attention through the lower abdomen to the core where we may be feeling some tension or tightness.

So let's take a big breath here,

Expanding,

Creating that bubble of energy,

Allowing the space to be created.

Then on your exhale,

Release it.

Allow the abdomen to feel that space,

To release that tension and settle into a place of present awareness.

Coming around now to the back of the body towards the spine and all the tiny muscles and ligaments that attach to your spine and spread out from there,

The muscles that wrap around the back and up towards the shoulders,

Wrapping more through the upper body and around the chest and down both of our arms and to our hands and each one of our fingers.

Scan from your chest,

Upper back and arms through any area in this part of the body where you may be feeling a little tight,

Maybe a little stressed or hunched over.

Then we'll send it to the breath.

Deep inhale,

Creating the bubble.

Exhale,

Release the bubble,

But leave the space.

Finally we're going to come back up through the neck.

So starting at your shoulder blades to the collarbone,

To the front of the neck and the throat,

The side of the neck and the back of the ears,

The back of your neck that supports the spinal cord and is holding the weight of your head.

Use all the tiny muscles through there and whether you have a tight neck from a rough night's sleep or from looking at your computer too much,

Whatever it is,

Take a deep breath,

Form the bubble and then exhale and release the bubble,

But maintain the space.

Doing this idea through your jaw,

Your cheekbones,

Your third eye,

Nostrils,

Lips and any tiny muscles around your eyes and into your forehead.

Holding your face in your present awareness,

Feeling into your facial muscles and notice where you were feeling any tension here.

Perhaps holding the jaw,

Holding your breath,

Your tongue or maybe even squeezing your eyes or holding your neck in a funny position.

Just take a moment to notice those things and bring the breath of tension towards it.

Inhale,

Create the space.

Exhale,

Release the space.

One more,

We're going to bring the attention to the tops of our heads,

That line where our hair meets our forehead and around the ears to the backs of our ears,

The back of the neck,

Coming up through your scalp,

Holding the whole of your skull and your brain,

Holding more through your crown and even some of the space just above your crown.

Give yourself permission to create space with the breath,

Breathing in and out.

Release the breath,

But hold onto the space.

Give yourself room to breathe.

Give your brain space to think.

Create this mental clarity into your brain,

Your heart,

Your lungs,

Your feet,

Into every part of your body.

You deserve to feel clear,

Spacious,

Safe and stress-free.

You deserve this.

We all deserve this.

So now,

As we've scanned each part of our body from top to bottom,

Let's hold this present awareness of our whole body from head to toe in our mind's eye.

Taking another deep breath and letting it go slowly.

Staying in this space of present awareness and thanking yourself for giving yourself this gift,

This gift of the body scan and anxiety release meditation for you in this moment today.

Your body thanks you.

Your mind thanks you.

Now slowly start to pay attention to the sounds in the room,

Sensations around you.

Feel your feet where they may meet the ground.

Slowly blink open your eyes.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining this meditation today.

May you be well.

Namaste.

Reviews

I have anxiety in my epileptic seizures I thank you for your meditation session in helping me relax for my day☺️

Perfect :) <3

Very soothing voice. Helped me to recenter and focus on the moment. Thank you

Very calming. Thank you