Welcome to this meditation for releasing anxiety and worry.
Beginning this practice by finding a comfortable position,
You may be seated on a chair or lying down on your bed.
Allowing yourself to make any adjustments you need to be as comfortable as possible.
Beginning by taking a few deep breaths in through the nose and a slow deep exhale through the mouth.
Again in through the nose and exhale through the mouth,
Bringing awareness to your body.
Allowing yourself to bring awareness to the entire body.
Your back resting on the support and your neck resting against your pillow or headrest.
Inviting you now to go through a yoga nidra body scan from head to toe.
And during this body scan inviting you to bring a sense of relaxation to any tense areas and letting any worries drain away.
So for each part of the body bringing a sense of softness,
A sense of calm and a sense of peace.
Starting off with the top of your head,
Your forehead,
Your eyes,
Nose,
Chin,
Left shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
The right shoulder,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
The wrist,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Left side of the chest,
Right side of the chest,
Your abdomen,
Pelvic region,
Your left leg,
Your left thigh,
Shin,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Pinky toe,
The right leg,
Ankle,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
The pinky toe.
So observing now where any worry or anxiety in your body may sit.
You may have observed that there's a part or parts of your body that have tension inside them.
So inviting you now to bring your hand to this part of your body and notice the gentle warmth of your hand pressing against your skin and allowing this warmth to provide a soothing sensation for you.
And with your hand on this part of your body,
You may like to visualize the sense of tension or worry as clouds in the sky and as you rest your hand watching the clouds float away.
And as you watch the clouds float away,
You may like to repeat to yourself the following mantra,
I release what I cannot control.
I release what I cannot control.
And as the clouds float away,
Noticing whether this part of your body feels a little more peaceful,
Quiet,
Less tense and more at ease.
Bringing awareness now back to your breathing,
Noticing the gentle inhale and exhale,
Noticing whether your whole body feels a little more peaceful and heavy on the chair or on your bed.
You are just a little safer now.
Inviting you now to return to the room around you by slowly opening your eyes,
Allowing you to carry this sense of calm throughout your day and noting that you can always come back to this simple visualization and allowing yourself to rest your hand on any part of your body that causes tension anytime that you need to.
You are safe.
You are calm.
You are free.
