Music Hello and welcome to this meditation.
We are going to be exploring our anxiety on a deeper level and come to an understanding of what is actually happening within our bodies.
I would just like to mention that if sitting in stillness is too much for you right now,
That is okay.
You can be running,
Walking,
Dancing,
Lying down,
Anything that will help you feel comfortable,
Safe and grounded throughout this entire practice.
We'll start by taking a few cleansing breaths together,
But before we do,
Just remember you are not alone in what you are feeling.
I have been there,
I continuously be there,
And we are in this together.
Inhale through the nose.
Exhale through the mouth,
Let it go.
Inhale.
And exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale,
Let it go.
Good.
Inhale.
And exhale.
Good.
Keep breathing at your own pace.
It doesn't matter how deep your breaths are here or how long.
Just breathe.
There's no right way to be.
Your lungs know what to do.
Good.
Anxiety helps keep us safe.
It is helpful and adaptive,
And it is necessary for our survival as humans.
It protects us from dangerous situations.
The thing with anxiety is that our body doesn't know the difference between a perceived threat and a life-threatening one.
Our stress from our day-to-day lives can impact our body in a way that triggers that stress response,
As if a bear was chasing us.
And this leads to the symptoms of anxiety and why they happen.
The numbness and tingling in your toes or fingers is for your blood flowing to the major muscle groups such as your arms or your legs so you can run faster.
Your pupils grow in size to aid in seeing your environment better,
Which results in that disconnection from reality feeling that anxiety gives us sometimes.
Increased heart rate.
Everything is meant for your body to gear up in action and protect yourself.
We will always have this response in our bodies as humans.
It's there to protect us.
We just need to communicate with our body and remind it that it is safe.
Human nature is a glorious thing.
We are capable of so much.
So what we're going to do now is we're going to hold our bodies in whichever way is comfortable for you.
Perhaps your hand is on your heart or it can be holding your hands together on your lap.
Anything you need to just feel it right now of how grateful you are for your body and what it does for you.
Remind it now that you are safe.
You are out of harm's way.
And that all of this will pass.
Our body's natural mechanisms to protect us need help sometimes.
They can be an overdrive from the stresses in our lives.
And we can help this by meditation like you are doing right now.
Or perhaps painting or baking or anything that you love to do.
You are already taking the right steps by sitting here right now listening to this meditation.
Your body is slowly understanding that you are safe and that it can rest.
The energy we put towards sometimes not wanting our anxiety is actually not benefiting us at all.
If we just let it pass and understand the impermanence of it,
It will slowly fade.
And you will remember that you are in control of your life.
So when you go about your days and you feel anxious,
You feel the symptoms coming and going,
Which they will.
You are better suited now to understand what's happening and you can softly remind yourself that your body is trying to protect you.
And these moments in our lives help reflect on what is stressing us out.
Is it our job?
Is it our relationships?
Is there something we are not noticing?
Our bodies have a way of reminding us of trauma as well.
There are days when you can be happy and joyful and then all of a sudden you will start feeling a little anxious and you don't understand why.
It's your body communicating with you that perhaps there is some emotional trauma that is embedded within that you haven't dealt with yet.
And if this happens,
Just calmly remind yourself that you are becoming more aware of your life and what you need to focus on.
In this journey,
If we learn to appreciate our anxiety and understand that it is not dangerous,
It is helping us,
We will be able to live with a lot more peace.
And it will always be a challenge,
But I'm here to remind you that you are capable.
It will pass and you will have moments when you look back and remember when you felt so helpless.
But now you know,
You know of your strength,
You know what you can overcome.
And find your breath again.
Let's do some more inhales and exhales.
Good.
Your body always knows what to do as you breathe so effortlessly.
Another way we can learn from anxiety is taking a look into what we give ourselves throughout our day.
What do we feed our bodies?
What do we take in?
For me personally,
Caffeine gives me tightness in chest.
I've noticed a difference when I have less of it.
I tune into my body and feel it be more at ease.
This is one way how we can learn more about ourselves through our anxiety.
Knowing it's there to communicate with us and to keep us safe.
Let's take a moment to thank our bodies by repeating this mantra.
Feel free to sit in silence.
You can repeat after me if you would like.
Thank you for protecting me.
I am safe.
Thank you for protecting me.
I am safe.
We'll take a few more breaths together.
Inhale through the nose.
Exhale through the mouth.
Remind your body that you are okay.
I am okay.
I am safe.
Always remember you are not alone.
Always remember you are strong.
And always remember that you are okay.
As you begin to develop this relationship with your anxiety,
You'll start to feel inner peace and you'll remember that you are in control.
You will appreciate your body and you'll be content with the present moment more often,
Knowing that everything you are feeling and experiencing is okay.
Thank you for joining me.
Namaste.
Thank you.
