Welcome,
Dear soul,
To Nervous System Regulation number 30,
Specifically for anxiety,
Looping and overthinking.
Today we are letting the river carry this away.
Anxiety often loops when the nervous system is trying to protect you by staying alert.
This practice invites you to step out of the loop and let the current of breath,
Body and awareness carry what you no longer need,
Bringing you back into calm and flow,
Letting the river take it away.
Now let yourself arrive in this moment.
If or when your mind loops,
Worries repeat,
If thoughts race into imagined futures,
Know this one fact,
There is nothing wrong with you.
This is not a thinking problem,
It's a nervous system response.
When the body is activated,
The mind scans for danger.
When the body softens,
However,
The mind naturally quietens.
Today we do not fight thoughts,
We calm the river beneath them.
Find a comfortable position,
Let your body be supported,
Seated or lying down.
Take a slow breath in through the nose,
And release it slowly through the mouth.
Great,
The body has begun to listen.
Imagine now you are walking towards a river,
A wide,
Gentle river,
Steady,
Patient,
Alive.
The air is cool,
The light is soft,
The ground beneath you is stable.
As you walk,
Your breath begins to slow,
Inhaling through the nose,
4,
3,
2,
1,
Exhale through the mouth,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1,
Again inhaling through the nose,
4,
3,
2,
1,
Exhale through the mouth,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1,
Keep breathing these breaths,
Longer exhales tell the body it's safe,
And quietly allow this to land,
I am safe to slow down now,
That's right,
You are safe to slow down now.
You sit now beside the river,
You do not need to enter it,
You simply watch,
See how the water moves,
Changing shape,
Flowing around stones,
The water adapting without any effort.
This is how your thoughts are meant to move.
When you try to control the river,
It surges,
When you let the river flow,
It softens.
Imagine each worry becoming a leaf,
And the leaf is gently flowing downstream,
No need to push,
No need to judge,
Just watching it pass,
And quietly allow this truth to land,
I am not my thoughts,
That's right,
You are not your thoughts,
Feel the body loosening as the river moves,
Now place one hand on your chest,
And one on your belly,
Feel the rhythm of the river,
Matching the rhythm of your breath,
As you inhale gently through the nose,
Let your chest expand,
As you exhale longer and slower,
Let your belly contract.
Keep with these breaths,
No need for counting,
Just slowing the breath,
Inhaling through the nose,
And longer exhale through the mouth,
That's right,
With every exhale the nervous system settles,
The waters slow,
The current becomes smooth,
The surface becomes clear,
And gently let these words echo inside your body,
I am calm in my body,
And my mind follows,
That's right,
You are becoming more and more calm in your body,
And your mind follows,
Notice you are not stopping the river,
You are regulating its flow,
Ahead the river widens now,
It deepens,
It becomes more spacious,
It moves freely around obstacles,
Never forcing,
Never fighting,
Just adapting,
And the body learns,
I am able to adapt without panic,
That's right,
More and more you are becoming able to adapt without panic,
Now feel how the breath stays steady and even as the river changes,
This is regulation in motion,
This is flexibility instead of fear,
You are learning to breathe,
To release,
And the nervous system is listening to your breath,
The nervous system is learning a new response,
As the river slows into a calm wide pool,
The water is almost still,
Clear,
Peaceful,
And your body mirrors this now,
And the quiet allows these final affirmations to settle within you,
And you can say them in a I am safe in this moment,
I am letting go of looping thoughts,
I am present,
Calm,
And steady,
Let the body rest here,
You are safe in this moment,
Every day more and more you are letting go of looping thoughts,
Every day becoming more present,
More calm,
And steady,
Let the body simply rest here,
Listening,
Regulating itself without effort,
As we come to the end of this meditation,
Begin to notice the room again,
The sounds,
The space,
The support beneath you,
Gently wiggle your fingers,
Wiggle your toes,
Releasing the hands,
And know this,
Whenever your mind loops,
You can return to the river,
And let the body guide you back into calm,
One breath at a time,
Remembering that you can breathe in 2,
3,
4,
And exhale 6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1,
Blessings on your journey,
Dear soul,
Namaste.
