And so as we begin to practice mindfulness with fear,
With an inner part that feels scared or panicky,
First see if you can sense your body,
Feeling your feet on the ground can be most helpful.
But if you're sitting,
Just bring awareness to your bottom in the chair,
That sense of earth beneath your buttocks,
And it might serve you best to keep your eyes open,
Gazing at the environment around you.
Unless you wish and you feel able to close your eyes and go inward,
One is not better than the other.
Just find what fits best for you.
And sensing into right now,
Whatever window of awareness you have access to.
So noticing your body posture is one way,
But also listening to the sound of my voice might help you feel a little bit more grounded and outside of the sensations that you're experiencing right now.
If your eyes are open,
You might have the benefit of visual aids to look around the room.
Maybe you're outside and you might be able to be in nature and gaze upon a tree.
Using the senses of the body as an anchor right now.
If your eyes are closed,
Or even if they're open,
You might use the breath if that fits,
Observing the natural rising and falling of the breath.
But for some people who are experiencing anxiety,
The breath isn't a useful anchor.
So inviting and experimenting with the many different elements with seeing,
Hearing,
Touching.
Perhaps you have a stone or even a stuffy that you can touch right now,
Just to help root yourself in some degree of presence.
Noticing the part of you that's scared and panicky and the part of you that isn't.
The part of your self that feels more grounded,
More stable.
Connecting with this groundedness,
Even just a little can be enough to get a little distance from the part of you that's feeling terror and panic.
Just even noticing,
As you listen to my guidance in this practice,
Might be enough for two degrees of separation.
And now you might even ask this part of you that's feeling the fear,
The nervousness,
The worry,
Can you give me a little space right now?
You might even see if you have an image of this part of you that's experiencing this anxiousness.
And if you have an image,
You might,
In your mind's eye,
Put that part in a room of your own choosing with glass windows so that you can see it and have contact,
But not feel too overwhelmed by it.
And all the while breathing and all the while using vision or sounds,
The sensation of your buttocks on the ground or your feet on the floor,
Continuing to help you access self energy.
And see if you can get curious about this part that feels scared.
And that might be difficult,
Because there might be reactions within that just want this scared part to go away,
Make this unpleasant sensation just stop.
And that's fine.
But see if you can ask that part that judges it and tries to push it away.
See if that part might be willing to step aside for now.
You might even imagine a bench in a baseball field,
Just ask it to take a seat at the bench for a time.
And in this next breath,
Check in again and see if you can bring an attitude of curiosity,
Interest or maybe even care,
Sensing this scared part of you,
Like a small child who doesn't feel supported,
Who feels all alone,
Maybe with something really scary that feels overwhelming.
And if it were a child,
We're more likely to have that opening of the heart and that natural capacity to have compassion and care.
And you might ask this part now,
What feels so scary for it?
And see if you can truly listen in with an open heart without any judgment.
And if you feel naturally inclined to offer a gesture of care or kindness to this part of you,
To this little scared child,
You might offer that up now.
Even I'm sorry that you're scared right now.
This is hard.
I'm here.
You're not alone.
And see how that scared part of you receives this gesture,
This comment,
This assurance that you're giving it,
Not expecting it to make the pain go away,
But just see if it can sense any softening,
Any shift in energy,
Knowing that it's not alone and that you are here and you care.
And if you find during this practice that the unpleasantness of any sensations in your body,
Any emotions or any thoughts tend to hijack your attention and trigger that inner judgment that just wants the pain to go away,
Not making that a problem,
But sending that part of you,
That resistant part,
Some love and kindness as well.
Because of course it's human's natural tendency to want to avoid what feels unpleasant.
And we're also cultivating a strength and an inner resilience to be with what's painful,
To turn towards what feels scary.
Because when we turn towards what feels scary with grace and courage and calm and curiosity,
Well,
It just has less power over us and we can see it through the eyes of love and we can see it as a small scared child and give it the love and the attention that it always needed,
But that maybe it didn't always get.
So tuning back into that child who feels nervous and scared and overwhelmed,
You might embrace that child now if that fits.
If it's in a room,
You might feel more comfortable to open to it now,
Opening that door,
Embracing that child if that feels okay.
You might let that child know there's nothing to be scared of right now.
Or perhaps if there is something scary now,
It's not quite as overwhelming because of course you are an adult.
You're the grownup now and you have resources and you have choices that that little child didn't have.
So let them know that and let them know they don't have to take on the world all by themselves,
That you're here now and you got it.
And see how this scared part feels now,
Having received your comfort and your care.
And before you say goodbye for now to this scared part,
You let them know you'll visit them again.
But perhaps for now there's someplace safe they'd like to go and using your imagination and there's no right or wrong,
Perhaps even asking this part where it would like to go that feels safe and comfortable.
And you can bring that part to this place that you've envisioned in your mind and allow this little child to be settled there.
And maybe they're not alone.
Maybe they have a pet,
Other people,
Maybe it's a spiritual being that is there to look after them.
And before you leave,
Letting that part know you'll be back and having integrity as you make this commitment,
Knowing that you will check back in with this part later.
And maybe even thank it for giving you the space,
Giving you more access to presence and to the capacities and the strength that you do have as an adult in your life right now.
And saying goodbye to this part in your mind's eye,
Perhaps taking a couple cleansing breaths to sense yourself back fully in your body,
Checking back in to not make any experience wrong.
There's no evaluation,
No report card,
Just seeing what you noticed in this guided practice,
Perhaps tuning into any subtle shifts that you might have experienced.
And finally,
Acknowledging yourself with a pat on the back,
If you will,
For carving out this time to care for yourself,
For your heart,
And moving on with the rest of your day,
Carrying this sense of self-compassion with you as you deserve it.
