Music We have the tendency to decide to cling to thoughts rather than let them go.
And we decide to turn them into actions which can harm ourselves or others.
Without really understanding what we're doing,
We decide to be full of hate instead of patient and loving.
To be lazy instead of exerting ourselves.
To receive rather than to give.
We decide to seek entertainment instead of engaging in our lives.
This backward approach creates stress and imbalance.
So challenges,
Unnecessary challenges can arise.
We can't achieve our wishes which are always rooted in a deep longing to connect with basic goodness.
No matter how much resistance we're receiving or experiencing,
There is something in us that still knows the basic goodness that surrounds us in everything and everyone.
That piece of ourselves,
That voice,
Is wisdom trying to peek through.
Through this meditation,
We will relax our nervous system and body and mind.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable place to sit.
Try to maintain a straight back with its natural curves,
Supporting your spine with your abdomen.
Place your hands on your knees or in a mudra of your choosing.
And now gently close your eyes and mouth.
Let's start by taking in a few deep breaths.
Breathing in through the nose.
Breathing out through the nose.
Repeat this four more times.
Breathing in through the nose.
Breathing out through the nose.
Breathing in through the nose.
Breathing out through the nose.
Every time you are under pressure,
You can remember to do these three relaxation techniques you have just practiced.
One,
Breathing calmly.
Two,
Relaxing your muscles.
And three,
Calming your thoughts.
You can relax any time you need to,
And the relaxation will help you to concentrate and keep your brain functioning at its best.
And relax every day in every situation.
Go through the relaxation exercises as many times as you need in preparation for high pressure situations.
Basically priming yourself for the situations that are bound to come your way.
And when you relax in the moment,
These situations can feel much less stressful and much more manageable.
Breathe deeply.
Relax your muscles.
Calm your thoughts.
Breathe deeply.
Relax your muscles.
Calm your thoughts.
Now you have completed this relaxation exercise.
You can relax again any time you need to.
And you will experience the most beneficial part of practicing this every day as you relax every day.
The side effects and ways that this plays out with the rest of your life is up to you.
But you are priming yourself to be stress free,
Relaxed,
Able to manage what you are going through.
And you are using your heart and you are using your body's wisdom.
And you are creating a calm mind to be able to deal with any situation.
And start by concentrating on your breathing.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathing deeply and slowly and happily.
In and out.
In and out.
Keep breathing slowly like this.
You can slow your breathing even further by counting.
Breathe in to the count of four.
Hold to the count of three.
And breathe out to the count of five.
Breathe in to three,
Four,
Hold to three.
Exhale to three,
Four,
Five.
And you can do this at your own pace.
Breathing in.
Holding.
And breathing out.
Continue breathing.
This takes practice.
And so you are learning the relaxation system.
And so you are learning the relaxation skill of slowing your breath.
And you can notice you're actually feeling yourself calming down as you breathe slowly and calmly.
This calm breathing helps you focus and be alert and relaxed.
You are learning how to relax under a certain pressure.
This new you continues to breathe slowly and every so often you're noticing your breathing.
And you focus on allowing your breath to slow down.
It's natural.
When you observe your own body operating,
It brings a great peace.
You are healthy enough to breathe.
You are happy in this body being able to breathe.
Now continue to concentrate.
Place your concentration on your muscles.
You may find that you are holding tension in your muscles.
Pay particular attention to your shoulders,
Hands,
And jaw.
Consciously lower your shoulders.
Let your shoulders relax and allow the muscles to loosen.
This act of relaxing your shoulders allows you to become calm because it places your body in a relaxed position of ease instead of a tense one.
Our bodies gather energy throughout the day,
Throughout the years,
Throughout your life.
And these experiences can be stored in your muscles.
So we like to have them relaxed because that shows we are adaptable.
We are comfortable.
And we are flexible.
We do not want the process of time to destroy our bodies in an ungraceful way.
Relax.
Loosen.
Be calm.
Notice your hands and let your hands be open,
Loose,
And relaxed.
Feel the fingertips touching the air and the surrounding space.
Feel the energy in your hands and relax.
Let your arms rest by your sides,
Letting go of all tension and feeling your back start to relax as well.
Focus on your jaw.
Allow your jaw to drop and rest.
Your teeth don't need to be touching.
Let your mouth be loose and relaxed.
Mentally scan your body now,
Noticing any areas that are tense.
When you notice tension,
Concentrate on relaxing that area.
Breathe through this area,
Allowing your muscles to give up the tension that they have been holding.
Simply allow your body to relax.
Breathing in through the body.
Breathing out.
Breathing in through the muscles.
Breathing out.
Breathing in through the tension.
And breathing out the tension.
Further and further into this space.
You have created this space for yourself.
And through yourself and losing the identity and the mind,
We are able to come through clearly.
We are able to see clearly.
And this relaxation brings about a wonderful feeling in your life.
And it's good to be this way.
So I'd like you to focus on your breathing again.
Just noticing.
Just relaxing.
Count each breath again if you like.
Breathing in to the count of four.
Holding for the count of three and breathing out to the count of five.
And let's do this for a short while.
I hope that this practice has given you some peace.
And allowed you to be able to feel more capable to manage the next time stress presents itself.
By continuing this meditation,
You will build your natural response to be loving,
Calm.
Confident and graceful when stress rears its ugly head.
We are not prisoners of the mind and body.
Here we learn to master the art of simply being.
And allow that to play out through the rest of our life.
This is our natural state where anxiety has no place.
This is our natural state where anxiety has no place.
This is our natural state where anxiety has no place.
This is our natural state where anxiety has no place.
