Hi and welcome to the three golden circles meditation which focuses on anxiety management.
To begin the practice I invite you to take a comfortable position.
This might be sitting down on a chair or on the ground or you may like to lie down and gently closing down the eyes.
Throughout the practice we'll be focusing on our breath and a body awareness exercise.
For the first part of the practice I'll be doing some talking.
So while you're listening to my voice you may like to just focus on your breath and the natural rhythm of the breath or just simply focusing on my voice.
Anxiety can arise for many different reasons.
Anxiety as an emotion usually arises because we're focused on a past or present scenario or when we're procrastinating about a task.
For some people anxiety can be persistent and long-term and we all experience it very differently in our minds and our bodies.
Some people experience a racy heart,
Sweaty palms,
Shortness of breath,
Rapid breathing or a racy mind.
That rumination which may lead to some irrational thinking or sometimes even panic.
Anxiety as an emotion comes up to prompt us that something needs to be done,
Dealt with or planned for and once that thing is completed or organized the anxiety usually dissipates.
If we can link our anxiety to a stimulus or trigger we can often find a way to resolve the anxiety and sometimes this isn't always possible and that's where we may need some additional support and tools to manage our anxiety.
Practicing mindfulness and having a meditation practice can help to reduce the effects of anxiety.
The practice of mindfulness is creating a state of non-judgmental awareness of the present moment and the future.
The practice of mindfulness is creating a state of non-judgmental awareness of the present moment and different mindfulness techniques can help counteract rumination and worry which can often lead to anxiety.
So now we'll practice a couple of methods we can use in times when we need a little bit more support or maybe when we've just had a very stressful day and we feel overstimulated which can also bring about anxiety.
One of the tools we'll focus on in this practice is our breath,
Something that's always accessible to us.
It's a tool we can use to come back into the present moment and also to help us to be more aware of the present moment.
It's a tool we can use to come back into the present moment and also a mechanism we can use to calm the body and the mind.
So now I invite you to take some time to practice a breathing exercise with me.
It can be quite comforting and useful to notice your breath by placing one hand on your chest and the other hand on your lower belly.
If this doesn't feel right for you gently placing your hands in your lap or beside you and for the next few minutes we'll be focusing just on our breath.
So actively bringing your attention to your breath now,
The natural rhythm of your breath.
So now we're going to focus on our breath.
Noticing the inhale and the exhale.
Noting the belly expanding,
The chest expanding and breathing with each inhale.
Noticing if your breath is short and sharp.
Or noticing if the breath is nice and elongated already in a relaxed state.
Just paying attention to the air going in and out of your nostrils.
Maybe taking some time for deep exhalation.
Making your exhale audible through the mouth.
So keep the focus on the breath.
The inhale and the exhale.
While your body becomes relaxed.
So deep breathing is also an excellent way to let our mind and body know that we're safe and to switch off that stress or anxiety response.
So let's practice two deep breaths together.
I will cut you in for the inhale.
So making sure you're inhaling through the nose and then exhaling through the mouth.
So let's take our first breath and on the exhalation.
Allowing the exhale to be audible.
So begin the first breath inhaling for a count of one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Holding your breath and an audible exhale.
And one more time.
Inhaling through the nose for a count of one,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Holding the breath and an audible exhale.
The mindfulness practice of focusing on the breath is something you can do anywhere and anytime.
And it can be a really powerful and easy way to just break the rumination and the thought cycle in your mind and just feel into the now.
Particularly deep breathing.
So make a conscious effort throughout the day to take some deep breaths.
Another tool that we can use to help us ground into the present moment and ease that anxiety and that stress response in our body is our physical body.
Our body is something that's always available to us.
And body sensations are something that we can always focus on anytime and anywhere.
So in this practice we'll be focusing on the mid-breath.
And the sensations in the mid-body.
And you can use this technique for any area.
For example like the shoulders or the neck.
So if your hands are on your belly and your chest just gently placing them beside you or in your lap now.
And now we're going to move onto the next step.
So we're going to start with the chest.
Just gently placing them beside you or in your lap now.
And we'll focus on the sensations of the mid-body.
By starting to notice the belly and the belly muscles.
Noticing if the belly is clenched and tight.
And just easing any tension away from the belly.
Allowing the belly to relax.
As you notice how it rises and falls.
And you can relax with your breath.
Like a wave coming to the shore.
And now noticing your lower back and the mid-back.
And any sensations or tensions.
And just breathing into the back.
Sending your conscious breath into your back.
And now noticing the chest.
Noticing if there's any tightness in the chest.
And taking a note of how it rises and falls with your breath.
And now taking a note and bringing your awareness to your upper back.
And noting any tension.
And releasing all the tension in the upper back.
And just taking a few moments here to incorporate the breath and the body awareness.
So making a conscious effort to direct your breath into the mid-body which we were focusing on.
So I won't talk for a few moments.
To give you some time to practice this.
So as we come to the end of our practice.
A message to take away.
To help us alleviate and help to manage our anxiety.
We can bring our focus to our breath.
Or any body sensation.
To help bring us back into the present moment and away from rumination and a racing mind.
Because in the present moment nothing else exists.
So now bringing gentle movements back into your toes and your fingers.
And gently opening up the eyes when you're ready.
Thank you for taking the time out to practice with me.
