This is Samantha Sesiman,
Licensed mental health counselor.
Welcome to your Releasing Fear meditation.
Join me by sinking in.
Wherever you are,
Get comfortable.
Bring your gaze towards the floor or close your eyes.
Take a long,
Deep breath into your belly.
Open your mouth and let it all go.
And repeat.
Slow breath in,
Fill your whole stomach with air.
Open your mouth and let it all go.
One more deep breath here.
Deepest breath you've taken today.
Open your mouth and let all the air out.
And start to breathe at whatever rhythm feels good to you.
In through your nose and out through your nose.
And as much as you can,
Start to relax your body.
Maybe you unfurl your brow and your eyelids can be heavy.
Relax your cheeks and clench your jaw.
Release your shoulders down away from your ears.
Arms are heavy.
And you can release any tension you may be holding in your stomach,
Your sitting bones,
Your legs,
And your feet.
And as you start to settle in even more,
Recognize that it's okay if your thoughts feel overwhelming.
If you've been bombarded with fear or anxieties,
That's okay.
And that's normal.
Find a little comfort in knowing that all of those thoughts and all of those feelings,
They can't overcome you.
They're just thoughts and they're just feelings.
But they're not bigger than you.
So take a moment to thank your fear and thank your worry for trying to protect you.
Those parts of you are working really hard trying to keep you safe.
But maybe it's not helping that much.
So well intentioned parts of you,
Fear of the future,
Overwhelmed by to-do lists,
Ask them to sit by your side for this meditation.
They can take a little break just for a few moments.
There's nothing they have to do right now.
There's nothing that has to be fixed.
Everything in this very moment is just as it's supposed to be.
Take one more long deep breath in through your nose.
Part your lips.
Let it all go.
Then return to that steady breath in through the nose and out through the nose.
Take a few moments to connect to your breath.
Maybe you focus on where the air comes in and out of your nostrils.
Or the rise and fall of your chest or the in and out of your belly button with each breath.
Your breath is your connection to come.
No matter where you are,
No matter what you're doing,
No matter what parts of you are overwhelmed,
You always have the capacity to close your eyes,
Connect with your breath,
Feel that calm and that steadiness.
Your breath always has your back.
When you're ready in your mind's eye,
Start to imagine yourself on the edge of water.
This can be a lake surrounded by green forest.
You're on the edge of the ocean and you're standing on sandy white beaches.
Let's find a place that speaks to you.
Maybe you can hear the water as it laps against the shore.
Maybe you can feel air or breeze against your skin or sun that kisses your face.
You might be able to feel the earth under your feet.
And right in front of you on the edge of the water is a container.
This container can be made of anything that you want.
Wood,
Styrofoam,
Could be any color,
Any size.
And once you have your container in mind,
You're going to start to fill it with anything that does not serve you right now.
Fears,
Worries,
Thoughts,
Images,
Physical sensations that do not serve your higher being.
And take your time.
Maybe you unload beliefs passed down from generations that were never meant for you.
Or maybe societal pressures or fears get placed in your container.
Unburden your mind and your body until you feel light.
Close the lid on that container when you're ready.
And you're going to push it so that it goes out into the water away from you.
And now with every exhale,
That container floats farther and farther away.
Every exhale creates wind that pushes that container full of things that do not serve you even farther.
