In this guided meditation,
We will be utilizing the power of the elements to help learn self-soothing as well as to help in managing anxiety.
Until you get familiar with each segment,
I recommend being in a place where you can both close your eyes as well as sit comfortably with your feet resting firmly on the floor.
Eventually you can do this practice at any time of day,
Or you might even utilize just one segment of it.
I think it's a great way to begin the day,
Especially if you wake up with any anxiety.
You can also try adding alternating bilateral stimulation to all or any parts of the meditation to enhance your experience.
All that means is that you gently tap right-left using your hands on each thigh.
So finding a comfortable place to sit upright and begin by sensing your feet on the floor,
Bringing all of your awareness to the bottoms of your feet and to the feel of gravity holding you to the earth,
Sensing the ball mounds and the heels,
What are known as the four corners of the feet,
The inner and outer ball mounds and the inner and outer heels.
Just feeling and knowing you have feet from the inside.
Not hovering and also not pressing,
Just resting your feet on the floor.
And you might think to yourself,
I am grounded,
I am safe.
I am grounded,
I am safe.
Now move your awareness to your central body,
The belly,
The chest,
The ribcage.
Feel the movement of the breath there.
Not thinking about the breath or counting the breath.
Just feel into how this central area of the body changes shape as the element of air moves through it.
Not manipulating the breath in any way,
Just allowing the body to breathe for you as it does every moment of the day.
You're just dropping your awareness to the felt sense of the movements in this central area.
Just noticing the exhale a little more.
Again,
Not manipulating or controlling,
Just feeling into the exhale and letting go.
You might think to yourself,
I am centered,
I am calm.
I am centered,
I am calm.
And moving your awareness to your face and in particular your jaw.
Allowing your mouth to open just a little.
Relaxing your face.
Relaxing your brow.
Making some saliva in your mouth.
Relaxing the jaw and making saliva engages the parasympathetic nervous system.
And this is our rest and digest function.
You might think to yourself,
I'm relaxed and at ease.
I'm relaxed and at ease.
We've engaged the earth element,
The wind element and the water element.
And all along through the power of our attention and thought in the mind,
We've been working with a fire element.
Now we're going to engage fire even more by using the mind and its capacity for imagery.
In your mind's eye,
Bring up a place in nature where you feel grounded and calm,
Relaxed,
And peaceful.
It can be a real or an imagined place.
Bring it up as fully as you can,
This beautiful place in nature.
Noticing all of your sense doorways,
Noticing the colors,
The smells,
The feel of the air,
And the sounds of nature.
Be there as fully as you can.
And sense feeling grounded and safe,
Centered and calm,
Relaxed and at ease.
And here again,
You can try adding alternating bilateral stimulation.
Just tapping right,
Left,
Each thigh,
Right,
Left.
Just tapping your hands on each thigh alternatingly.
Just enjoying this space for a few more breaths.
'm you
