Welcome and thank you for being here.
If this is your first time doing the meditation,
Before you proceed,
I encourage you to find my free talk on Insight Timer.
It's less than three minutes,
Entitled Stop the Fear Cycle,
Somatic Tracking for Anxiety Relief.
This is a talk that will explain why somatic tracking is so helpful for anxiety.
It's a talk you'll listen to once to understand the methodology behind the practice,
And then you'll be free to come back to this meditation to repeat it whenever you wish.
It can be advantageous to do this practice when your anxiety is mild to moderate,
Especially if you're new at the practice,
Engaging with sensation of anxiety when things feel really loud is pretty challenging.
So keep this in mind as you continue the practice.
As always,
Listen to your body.
You always have the option of stopping the exercise,
Turning to your breath as a way to anchor you in the sensation,
Or using an internal resource,
Meaning a place in the body that feels good or neutral where you can rest your attention.
So allow yourself to get comfortable,
To arrive in your body.
Let's take two deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth,
In through the nose and out through the mouth.
Drop your shoulders,
Soften your jaw,
And if it feels comfortable,
Softly close the eyelids.
Now bring your awareness to the sensation of anxiety,
And if you're not feeling anxious right now,
Think of a time recently when you were feeling anxious,
And recall how that felt in your body.
And if you don't notice anything at first,
That's really okay.
Just notice that too.
The absence of sensation is still a sensation.
As you connect with the sensation of anxiety,
Know that you have the option of giving yourself some space,
Meaning if you're feeling this in your chest,
You don't have to be right up against it.
You can observe and connect with the sensation from two inches away or six inches away,
Or even hover above your body.
And through this meditation,
You can oscillate your focus to be either closer or further away,
Depending on what is feeling good for you.
Sometimes when we connect with the sensation,
When we move towards it,
It can temporarily get a little bit louder.
That's not danger,
That's just our body's way of saying,
Oh,
You're here with me now.
You are listening.
So first,
I want you to simply notice where in the body you feel the sensation.
And then from here,
Notice the quality of the sensation,
Meaning how would you describe it?
Pressure?
Prickly?
There might even be a few different sensations happening simultaneously.
Other phrases that might help support what you're feeling could be heat,
Pins and needles.
Allow my words to permeate,
To sink in.
You are not in any danger.
You are simply allowing yourself to feel sensation.
You are not in any danger.
You're simply allowing yourself to feel a sensation.
This is all we're doing here.
We're simply paying attention,
Naming the location and the sensation.
We're just connecting with it purely from a place of curiosity.
And instead of connecting with the sensation like we would a really challenging test or a really intense problem,
Instead we're going to engage with spaciousness and with softness.
Like we would notice clouds floating by in the sky.
Soft,
Spacious attention.
You are not in any danger.
You are simply experiencing sensation in your body.
There is nothing to solve here.
You're simply witnessing.
We're not trying to get rid of the sensation.
We're simply just here to be with it,
To accompany it so it doesn't have to be alone.
We're tending to it,
We're listening to it,
Just like the baby crying in the crib.
Get a little curious about what are you needing from me in this moment?
What prompted you to be here right now and how can I help support you?
Now that we understand where it is,
The quality of the sensation,
I want you to notice the boundary.
Meaning,
How far does it extend?
And simply witnessing if anything shifts or changes as you rest your focus and attention here.
Does it move?
Does it increase or decrease in intensity?
Does the quality of the sensation change?
And if the answer is no,
That is perfectly fine.
Again,
We're just here to provide companionship and to notice.
There's nothing we have to change or fix.
And in fact,
Trying to do so would be counterproductive.
If we tell ourselves we need to change what's here,
That tells the brain that this sensation isn't safe.
Now that we understand where in the body we're feeling this,
The quality of the sensation,
The size and boundary,
Keeping all of this in mind,
Let's bring our breath to this space,
To this sensation.
And if many sensations are calling,
Pick whatever feels like it needs to be heard the most,
Whichever is loudest or most resonant.
And offer your breath here.
Not because we are hoping that the breath will make the sensation change or shift or become less intense,
But simply to notice how bringing our breath here affects the sensation.
Just noticing and witnessing.
No need to fix or change anything.
And remember,
You are always in charge.
You can zoom out and create more distance.
You can take breaks.
You can use your breath.
Trust yourself to know what you need.
And allow the sensation to communicate anything that it needs to.
This could be a memory,
An image,
A word,
Another sensation.
Notice if there's anything that you feel like you need to ask this sensation.
And if nothing is coming up for you,
That's completely fine.
But if it is,
Feel free to ask.
And if it feels accessible,
Extend gratitude to the sensation for allowing you to spend time with it today and for doing its best to keep you safe.
Even though it's really challenging to experience the sensation,
It has your best interests in mind.
Its only job is to protect you.
And again,
Only if it feels reasonable or accessible,
You can let this part of you know that you'll be back to return to it.
And in the future,
When it gets really loud and is asking for you to tend to it,
That you will do your best to do just that.
And knowing that this is a really challenging process and that we're not going to be able to turn towards it every time,
That we'll keep showing up to accompany the sensation,
To soothe it so it doesn't feel so scared.
And in showing up for it,
We show up for ourselves.
If there's anything else that you need to do,
Take your time to do so.
But if you feel ready,
Start to come on back by noticing the sounds in the room you're in,
Maybe even the sounds outside the room,
Making some micro-movements with the fingers,
The wrists,
And opening your eyes as you're ready.
This meditation is most effective if practiced consistently over time.
The more comfortable you become with turning towards the sensation of anxiety,
The easier it will be to implement this practice in times of high anxiety and panic.
Thank you so much for being here.
I'll see you soon.
