I'm going to take a moment to welcome and congratulate yourself for really taking out that time for you today.
Just the time for yourself and the time to help yourself with your anxiety.
Mindfulness meditation stays in the here and now and it's very normal if your thoughts are trying to distract you and your thoughts are going off in any directions and that's okay and you just say,
Well in meditation we call it draining the puppy.
So you wouldn't be mean to a little puppy that doesn't know how to be calm yet and how to sit down and how to stay in the here and now.
You'd be like loving and it's so cute and you'd be kind and compassionate and that's the attitude that I would encourage you to have when you meditate.
So when your thoughts are drifting off all you need to say is come here and now and take in the breath and then you come back to the here and now.
So we're going to mindfully check in for now feeling any sensation,
Any tightness in the body as well as feeling into your mood,
Feeling into the day,
Feeling into your emotions and just acknowledge whatever is being felt and just let it be.
So maybe you had a really stressful day today and then you might just say feeling really stressed,
Feeling tense.
So just naming the feeling,
The emotion without having to change it.
Just acknowledging that this is how you feel right now and then very gently withdraw the awareness from the mindful check in,
Bringing our attention to our breath and bringing our attention to the breath in the abdomen,
Expanding when we breathe in and as we exhale just letting go.
Breathing in and out with awareness,
Breathing normally and naturally,
Feeling the rise and fall of the abdomen.
This kind of breath can really help us to calm ourselves when we're anxious and fearful.
So just observing the breath,
The coming and going of the breath.
And gently making that note if your mind is wondering,
Just say,
Oh,
Wandering or come back here and now,
Finding your word that works for you.
Mind is here and now.
And then I take a deep breath in and bring my awareness back into the body.
Now we're going to do a little body scan.
So let's bring the focus of our awareness to the soles of our feet,
To the heels,
To the bottom of the feet,
The toes,
Top of the feet,
The ankle joints.
Now acknowledge whatever you feel in your body,
Feeling into your feet,
Lower legs,
Calves,
The shins,
Coming up to the knees,
Feeling into the body with awareness.
Letting our awareness rise into the thighs,
Upper body into the hips.
And just letting go and letting be into the pelvis and to the center of the body.
Feeling our lower body.
Whatever comes up,
Just let it come up.
Any thoughts and feelings,
I'm just naming them.
Just bringing the awareness up through the digestive system.
Genitals,
Lower abdomen,
Lower back,
Up,
Up.
Awareness into your stomach,
Into the lungs,
The heart,
The liver,
The spleen,
Inner and outer body.
Awareness up to the spine,
The chest.
And then bringing the awareness into your shoulders.
And as you bring your awareness into your shoulders,
Just breathing into there,
Some relaxation and awareness if there's any tension that you hold in your shoulders.
Just letting go.
Bringing the awareness down the right arm,
Forearm into the right hand,
Each finger and then the left arm,
Forearm,
Hand,
Each finger,
Palms of the hands.
Awareness up into your spine and into your neck,
Front of your neck,
The throat,
Back of your head.
And the thought of gratitude into your face,
Into your seeing,
Your hearing,
Your tasting.
Breathing in,
Smelling the moment,
Tasting the moment,
Hearing,
Engaging the senses,
The touch of the clothes on your body.
And just letting the awareness of your body senses from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head.
And with every breath that you take,
Just relaxing more,
Inhaling more calm,
More certainty,
Letting go of tension.
Every time you inhale,
Exhaling this calmness,
Calm,
Certain and exhaling anything that doesn't serve you.
Just learning to be with things as they are.
May discover the underlying causes of all of our fears as we allow ourselves just to be and to name what comes up as we allow ourselves to be in the here and now.
Just listen with compassion.
Maybe your body is telling you something.
Just listening.
There's no need to push ourselves.
Just working with the edge.
If you're feeling very anxious right now.
A little mantra,
I'm safe.
I'm safe.
I'm safe.
When you breathe in and then just exhale any tension.
Coming back to the breath.
Just feeling and naming any sensations.
Watching the breath coming and going.
Watching the body,
Observing the body as a part of you that's okay.
There's a part of you that's always okay.
It's a part of you that's observing you.
Just accessing that wise soulful part of you that's been here for an eternity and will be here forever as the soul is forever and you're safe.
You're more than your body.
You're not your body.
You're not even your sensations.
You're an infinite soul that is safe always.
No matter what happens on the outside.
Safe and sound and certain.
As you continue with your breath,
Just sending a thought of gratitude to yourself for taking care of your needs.
For allowing yourself the time and space.
Safe and sound.
And then slowly,
Slowly wiggling your fingers and wiggling your toes.
Coming back to the here and now.
Becoming more aware of the noises all around you.
Maybe in the room.
Maybe outside of the room.
Taste in your mouth and smelling the moment.
Becoming aware of the clothes on your body.
The way you're sitting or lying down.
And then when you're ready,
Open your eyes and just look around the room or wherever you are.
Just noticing something.
Noticing colours and naming them.
And then giving yourself a little smile.
