There are many factors in our daily lives that can cause us stress and anxiety,
Which we may then feel within our bodies.
This is a great meditation if you are feeling overwhelmed.
In this practice,
We will focus on identifying these overwhelming sensations and sitting with them.
This may not be easy for everyone as it does require simply being with the uncomfortable feelings.
Start by either sitting on a chair with your feet planted firmly on the ground and your hands on your thighs or on the ground with your feet crossed,
Palms facing up on your thighs.
Gently close your eyes and take three deep breaths in and out.
Now begin to scan your body,
Making a note of the areas where you feel the most stress.
Begin at the top of your head,
Slowly moving down over your forehead and gently over your eyes.
Start to come down your nose,
Over your ears,
And over your cheeks.
Gently you come over your mouth,
Onto your jaw,
And down onto your neck.
Start to feel any sensations in your shoulders,
In your upper back,
Going down your arms and all the way through your hands and fingertips.
Start to come down your chest now,
Your lower back,
And over your belly,
Down your hips,
And over your thighs,
Over your knees,
Down your shins,
Down your calves,
Over your ankles,
And all the way through your feet,
All the way to the soles of your feet.
Having scanned your entire body,
Focus now on the region where you felt the most stress and anxiety.
Take the time to really feel the sensation and all that it may bring up for you.
There's no need to try and push away any thoughts or emotions that may arise.
As you continue to focus on the sensations,
Think about if you can feel a color associated with it.
Is it red,
Black,
Green,
Or some other color?
Now imagine the shape of this sensation.
Is it a square,
Triangle,
A circle,
Or maybe it's oddly shaped?
What is the size of this sensation?
Does it feel small and within one region,
Or does it feel so large that it's completely taking over?
Finally,
Does the sensation spin in any particular direction?
If so,
Focusing on the sensation,
Imagine that you are changing the direction of the spin.
Slowly start to notice how you feel with the changing direction of the spin.
Does the sensation decrease?
Do you feel any lighter?
You can continue to sit with this sensation for as long as you would like,
Or you can take three deep breaths,
Release,
And come back to the room.
