Hello and welcome.
I'm Rhodes Perry,
And today I'll guide you to reclaim your agency when you find yourself caught in the grip of anxiety.
Now,
Anxiety is not a thought problem.
It's a biological loop.
When we are stressed,
Carbon dioxide builds up in our system,
Sending a threat signal to the brain.
This meditation uses a biological reflex called the physiological psi.
Research shows that this is the fastest known method to offload that CO2 that builds up in our bodies and then signal to our nervous system that we're safe.
You aren't just thinking your way to calm in this practice.
You are breathing your way there.
So to begin,
I invite you to find a sitting position that allows you to be alert,
With your spine erect but not rigid,
And also relaxed.
If you haven't yet already,
Please close your eyes and rest your hands in an easy,
Effortless way.
Allow your awareness to scan through your body,
And wherever possible,
Soften and release areas where you feel tension.
This practice is simple,
Yet incredibly profound.
You'll take a sharp inhale in through the nose.
It'll sound something like this.
And then at the very top,
You'll sip in a second,
Shorter inhale to fully expand the lungs.
So it'll sound something like this.
And then,
You'll release a long,
Slow exhale through the mouth until you're completely empty.
So the full practice will sound something like this.
Now the magic happens in that second inhale and the long,
Extended release.
So let's try three rounds together now.
So let's inhale in,
Another tiny sip at the top,
And then a long,
Slow exhale out.
And really make sure that that exhale is a sigh.
So try that again.
So let's inhale in,
Second inhale,
And then release everything as a sigh.
And then one more time.
Inhaling in,
Sip,
And then let go.
So here's what a few rounds will sound like,
And let's do this together.
Now for the next several minutes,
I'll move back.
You have the switch.
You know how to use it.
If your mind begins to drift toward any kind of thinking,
Simply return to the sensation of that double inhale.
And then the long,
Slow exhale,
That sigh.
If you feel your system reach a state of calm,
You can let the breath return to normal.
And simply rest in the safety you've created.
If anxiety begins to bubble up,
Return to the breathing,
That rhythmic breathing.
As you breathe,
Understand what's happening inside.
That second inhale pops open tiny air sacs in your lungs,
And it allows you to offload the maximum amount of carbon dioxide on that exhale.
Feel the weight of your body settling deeper into the floor with every exhale.
You aren't breaking the loop.
You're shifting from the alert branch of your nervous system to the calm branch.
Now slowly begin to bring your awareness back to the room.
Notice if the familiar organization of your stress has shifted.
Transformation requires staying in a state of dissolution just long enough for the nervous system to release its grip.
And you've just given your system a good amount of time to create that kind of space.
Notice the quality of your presence now.
Is there more room in your chest?
Is your jaw a bit softer?
This is your natural calm state.
So you don't need to wait for a full track like this one.
You can use this physiological sigh in a meeting,
In your car,
Or before a difficult conversation.
It works in just 30 seconds.
The switch was always there,
And now you know how to flip it.
So go ahead and take one final deep breath in.
And a long appreciative sigh out.
And thank you as always for practicing with me and growing a sense of belonging from the inside out.
