Welcome to this practice on letting go of your worries.
Now before we get going,
I'd like to point out that we're not going to let go of the actual concept or thought in your mind about what's bothering you.
We're letting go of your reaction to it.
So your entanglement with it.
Because thoughts coming through the mind are not the problem.
They're just thoughts.
It's our reaction to them that causes disturbance,
Is uncomfortable and turns it into a worry.
For example,
It's not the thoughts in my mind of,
Did I handle that situation right?
That's just a literal thought.
It's my reaction to it,
My feelings and emotions around it and the somatic symptoms in the body that are uncomfortable and cause inner disturbance.
So what we're going to do in the meditation is we'll take some time to rest and settle.
And when a worry arises,
You're going to take a deep breath in.
And as you breathe out through the mouth,
You're going to kind of blow away or let go of your reaction to that thought.
We're not blowing away the thought itself or the worry.
Just let that be there and let go of your reaction.
I'll quickly explain the breath that we'll do,
Called a straw breath.
You're welcome to practice it now as I explain if you like.
You take a deep but relaxed breath in through your nose.
Hold for a second while you prepare your body to breathe out through the mouth.
Gently purse your lips like you're breathing out through a fine straw.
And breathe a long,
Slow breath out through the mouth through a fine straw.
Now what's important here is noticing the feeling of how your body relaxes bit by bit as you breathe out.
And as you breathe out,
As your body relaxes,
You let go of your reaction to the thought process or worry.
If it sounds a bit confusing for now,
Don't worry.
I'll guide you through it.
Just let go into the experience and enjoy it.
As we begin the meditation,
Take a little while to get comfortable,
However that is for you.
I don't want you to try and hold yourself straight or be too rigid.
It's not helpful.
So be relaxed and natural.
Gently close your eyes and breathe naturally.
In the practice,
I'll give you some guidance and then I'll leave a space of silence for you to really be in your own space and feel what is happening for you.
In these spaces,
Don't worry.
I haven't left you.
You can use this time to rest and notice how it is for you.
To help you gradually settle,
Slowly bring your awareness away from the outside world towards yourself.
Taking your awareness down from the head and into the body.
Feeling the sensations of the breath in the body.
Maybe the feelings and sensations of your belly,
Ribs and lungs expanding and contracting as you breathe.
Noticing all the subtleties and sensations in the body with the whole length of the in-breath and the whole length of the out-breath.
Allowing you to gradually relax and settle.
Pay particular attention now to your out-breath and you can extend it out a little if you like.
And as you follow the whole length of the out-breath down,
Feel your body relax deeper into the ground bit by bit.
Letting go and relaxing.
Let the out-breath soothe you and comfort you.
If you drift off in thought,
There's no need to judge yourself or do anything with the thought,
Like stop it or change it.
Just let it be there.
Let go.
And gently bring your awareness back to the support of the breath.
Back into the body.
Back into what's happening in the present moment.
At the bottom of the out-breath you can take your awareness down to the ground.
It might be a chair or a cushion or a bed,
It doesn't matter.
And notice your connection to that ground.
The sensations of where your body meets the ground.
Notice how that ground really supports the entire weight of your body with a kind of steadiness and stability.
And see if you're allowing yourself to really trust that ground and let your whole body deeply relax into it as you breathe.
Allowing yourself to feel centered,
Relaxed in the body and open.
Allowing whatever is there to be there as it is.
No problem.
When you notice you're pulled out by a worry about something,
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Hold for a second and as you breathe a long,
Slow breath out through your mouth,
Through a fine straw,
Blow away any reaction to the thought.
Letting go of the worry.
And as you do that,
Feel your body coming back to center and relaxing back down into the ground again.
Free.
Just rest in that clear space of awareness.
You don't need to try and hold yourself there or you don't need to create a certain state of mind.
Just rest in the natural,
Open,
Spacious quiet that's there.
If you feel your body lifting up out of the ground or you feel tension or holding anywhere in the body,
Take another deep breath in through the nose.
Hold for a second and a long,
Slow breath out through the mouth,
Through the fine straw.
Feeling your body deeply relax and kind of melt down towards the ground again.
And allow yourself to rest in the quiet,
Open space that remains.
You might notice yourself worrying about whether you're doing the meditation right or worrying about something else.
Remember,
Those are just thoughts.
They can't harm you.
If we can let go of the reaction to them,
They can just be thoughts and pass through.
So take another deep breath in through the nose.
And as you do that,
You might even notice your body subtly lifting out of the ground.
And with a long,
Slow breath out,
Feel your body re-center,
Relax into the ground.
Blowing away any reaction to the thought and letting go of the worry.
Really feel your body unwind and relax.
Quiet,
Present,
Open awareness.
You might rest in the spacious quiet for some time,
Free of worries or entanglement with thoughts.
If that's the case,
Enjoy it.
Or you might rest in the spacious calm for just a moment before you notice yourself pulled out again by thoughts or worries for whatever reason.
And you might notice the tension or holding in your body that goes along with it.
And that's totally okay.
That's a very common habitual pattern that we humans have to all of our experiences.
You don't need to try and stop it or change it or judge yourself for it.
Take a deep breath in and a long,
Slow breath out.
Coming back to center.
Relaxing.
Grounding.
Opening.
And just let go.
And enjoy the natural space that's there.
In the beginning,
This process might take a little effort to keep coming back to.
But gradually,
With practice,
This can become a very natural and automatic response to anything that's worrying you.
It can really support you when you need it,
Leading to much more inner peace and calm.
I hope you enjoy the practice with me and found it comforting.
As you slowly open your eyes,
Stretch your body and go out into your day,
I wish you a worry-free,
Peaceful day.
