Hello my friend.
Welcome to your meditation.
My name is Stephen Dalton and it's my great privilege to meditate with you today.
You find me today in a peace-filled forest in Transylvania.
So if you're ready,
You can close your eyes now or you can keep watching the screen and enjoy the peaceful scene surrounding me.
It's up to you.
And as we begin,
Become aware of how you're sitting.
I always like to imagine a thread just gently lifting the top of my head so I can bring some elongation to my spine.
And become aware of your breath.
Just notice it as it enters and leaves your body.
Today we're going to talk and meditate on anxiety.
Anxiety doesn't wait for permission.
It just arrives.
Sometimes it's loud.
Sometimes it's quiet and you don't even notice it's there.
So what we're doing today,
From a very calm and centered place,
Is becoming aware.
Maybe anxiety is there.
We don't fight it.
We don't chase it away.
We accept it as part of the human condition.
I've suffered a lot with anxiety in my life.
Too much of it,
In fact.
So I can identify with you if it's there.
And I can tell you one thing.
Meditation has been my medicine.
We're becoming aware,
Not just of anxiety,
But of myself and my inner life.
And they're all wrapped up together,
Really.
So we're not trying to fix anything here today.
Anxiety is a part of life.
We're just empowering ourselves by noticing it.
So continue to be aware of your breath now.
Your beautiful human breath.
The simplest and most fascinating of things.
And I'll leave you for a moment.
Know that thoughts will come and go.
And that's okay.
But when you notice the thoughts,
Simply,
Gently,
Bring your attention back to your breath.
Let's become aware of our body now.
Feel how the earth supports you.
Our home.
Giving us this constant support.
To feel how you're sitting.
Feel your spine.
And whatever way you are today.
Whatever way you're sitting.
It's all okay.
There's no judgment here.
Now bring your attention to the back of the neck.
Notice if you're holding anything there.
No need to loosen.
Just see.
Now the shoulders.
Let them drop a little if they want.
If not,
Let them stay as they are.
We're not judging.
Now breathe into your chest.
Into your ribs.
And belly.
Continuing to notice thoughts if they come.
Then just watching them float away.
Like clouds passing.
Through a blue sky.
You can notice the sounds around you as well.
Or the sounds around me.
I often find tuning into sound really roots me in the present.
We hear sounds all the time.
But do we really notice them?
And I'm not talking about labeling them.
You don't need to hear a dog bark and say,
Dog.
You can just hear it and hear it as a sound.
Notice you have no control over the sounds.
They are random.
You are just a conscious being.
A part of a beautiful collective of consciousness that surrounds you.
You are part of it.
And it is part of you.
The Stoic philosophers used to say,
You have power over your mind.
Not out of your mind.
But outside events.
Realize this.
And you will find strength.
So much of anxiety comes from imagining we should be in control.
What if we didn't need to be?
Just like those sounds you've been hearing.
As I mentioned earlier.
We can't control them.
But we can do the work on how we react to the world around us.
Or not react as the case may be.
So just continue to notice the breath now.
Return to the body now.
Feel the contact with the floor.
The back.
The hands.
Breathe again.
Not deeper.
Just present.
There is strength in you.
Even if you can't feel it right now.
It shows itself in how you keep going.
In how you keep returning.
And now.
Gently begin to move your fingers.
Your toes.
Let the body know we're coming back.
No rush.
No pressure.
You've done really well today.
Until next time my friend.
I wish you peace.
If you have enjoyed this meditation.
Please don't forget to share it.
Hit the like button.
And I love to hear from you.
If you could.
Write one kind word in the comments.
Or a few if you like.
For whoever might read them.
So you can pass on a message of hope.
A message of kindness to someone else.
Thank you.
