This meditation practice is best done lying back down on your bed,
On a mat,
Or on a rug in a place that you'll be undisturbed and gently close your eyes and notice if there are any adjustments or distractions that you could eliminate before you begin your practice and welcome this refuge from your day.
A moment that you can have just to yourself,
Nowhere to be,
Nothing to do.
What can you do now to bring yourself fully in to the present moment,
Making yourself more comfortable?
And what are you letting go of as you arrive here?
Letting go of the external distractions of the world.
You've chosen to be here in this moment.
How do you want to use this time?
Feel into your response.
I'll give you a few moments to set your intention now.
And begin to open yourself to the space around you.
All five senses opening to the space around you.
Feel the touch of air on your skin and the surface the body is resting upon.
Any lingering smells or fragrances in the air.
And now sound.
The sounds close by and further away.
And all the sounds travelling through space.
The sound of your breath.
And even your internal sounds,
Your inner voice or mental chatter.
Notice any colours or images behind your closed eyelids.
And any tastes in the mouth.
And welcome the space all around you.
The space in front of you.
Behind you.
To the left.
To the right.
Allow everything that you hear,
Think,
See or feel be just as it is.
This simple feeling of being open.
Body.
Heart.
And now invite the sensations of ease.
Peacefulness.
Safety.
Into the body.
Fully relaxing here into a meditative state.
Let's bring the awareness to the breath and the body.
Take nice slow deep breath.
Take a deep inhale and feel your belly rise.
Exhale and let your belly sink.
Continue to breathe and relax as I count down from 10 to 1.
10.
Feel your head and neck sink into the mat.
9.
Relax the muscles in your face.
8.
Feel your shoulders and shoulder blades melt into the mat.
7.
Relax your arms and hands releasing any tension.
6.
Feel the back of your ribs touch the mat.
5.
Let your lower back relax.
4.
Feel your buttocks sink into the mat.
3.
Relax your pelvis,
Legs and thighs.
2.
Feel your calf muscles on the mat.
1.
And let your feet fall out to the side.
Continue to breathe.
Take a deep inhale.
And as you exhale,
Let your entire body fall completely heavy onto the mat.
And again.
Deep inhale.
And exhale.
Completely letting go.
Let your body fall heavy.
Sinking deeper and deeper.
Just letting go.
From the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
Feel the body become heavier and heavier.
The legs.
The arms.
The head.
The back.
The whole body melts.
Letting go.
And draw your attention to the sensations in your mouth.
The tongue.
The jaws.
The teeth.
The lips.
And the space inside the mouth.
Draw your attention to the left ear.
Right ear.
And feel into the space around the ears.
Sense the space in front of the nose.
Left nostril.
Right nostril.
And the air flowing in and out of both nostrils.
Soften the eyes.
Left eye.
Right eye.
Sense the eyelids covering the eyes in soothing darkness.
And allow the eyes to drop back and relax.
Now the left cheek.
Right cheek.
Left temple.
Right temple.
Soften the forehead.
Skull.
Back of the neck.
Throat.
And feel into the left shoulder.
Left elbow.
Left wrist.
Left palm.
And each of the left fingers one by one.
And now the right shoulder.
Right elbow.
Right wrist.
Right palm.
And each of the right fingers one by one.
And now both arms at the same time.
Draw attention to the chest.
Ribs.
Upper back.
Spine.
Abdomen.
Feel into your abdomen and chest as you breathe.
Allowing everything to rise and fall just as it is.
Draw your attention to your left hip.
Left thigh.
Left knee.
Back of the knee.
Left ankle.
Left heel.
Left top of the foot.
Sole of the foot.
And each of the left toes one by one.
And now the entire left leg.
And now the right hip.
Right thigh.
Right knee.
Right ankle.
Right heel.
Right top of the foot.
Sole of the foot.
And each of the right toes one by one.
And now the entire right leg.
And allow your attention to wander throughout your entire body.
Front of the body.
Back of the body.
Left side.
Right side.
Inside.
And outside.
And notice the spaciousness of the body.
The body calm.
Relaxed.
Spacious.
And notice your breath.
The gentle rise and fall of your breath as you breathe.
Like the ebb and flow of the tide.
The breath rises.
The breath falls.
The body functions by itself.
Draw your attention to your navel centre.
And feel the rise and fall of the abdomen as you breathe.
And begin to shape your breath.
Inhale for four.
And exhale for eight.
The chest stays still.
Belly rising for four.
Falling for eight.
Continue to do this for the next few minutes.
And let go of this counting of the breath.
And come back to breathing normally.
Notice what's present now.
This spaciousness.
The body dissolving into space.
No boundary.
Now bring to mind something that's causing you anxiety.
An event.
A meeting.
A conversation.
A presentation.
Something that you would like to work with.
Visualise it as if it's on a movie screen.
A blank screen a few feet in front of your closed eyes.
You're here and relaxed.
Detached from the actual event.
This is a time you can use to support yourself through anything.
Just like athletes visualise their best performance.
You can begin to desensitise yourself from your anxiety.
And develop more positive associations with this event.
You're deeply relaxed here.
Use the power of your mind to support your performance.
Your life.
Begin to visualise the unfolding of this event on the movie screen.
And note how your body reacts.
Perhaps there's some fear.
Your heart beats a bit faster.
Your breath quickens.
You feel anxious.
As you think about this event.
Notice all the body sensations that arise as you imagine it.
And visualise all the situations running up to this event.
Emails,
Messages,
Bookings.
Maybe even the writing of a presentation.
And notice how each one comes with a different emotion.
Is there a specific word?
A word with a precise meaning that could be used to describe each of these emotions.
Be as exact and precise as you can with your choice of words.
And begin to welcome an opposite of anxiety.
Maybe confidence.
A sense of ease or peace.
Or courage.
Welcome this emotion fully into your experience.
You can use a memory of a time you felt this opposite emotion to help you.
What does confidence,
Ease,
Peace or courage feel like in the body?
Now imagine a continuum of emotions between both opposites.
Starting with anxiety about this event at 1.
And its opposite at 10.
Feeling at peace,
Ease,
Courageous.
Think of this as an upward spiral.
With 1 at the bottom and 10 at the top.
As you move up the emotional scale you begin to feel better.
And use your breath as an anchor.
Think about the event.
And all the emotions associated with this event.
Anxiety.
Worry.
Fear.
Breathe in.
Breathe them out.
2.
Moving up the spiral,
Reducing in intensity.
Breathe in.
3.
You feel like a weight is being released from the body and mind.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
4.
Your body is becoming lighter.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
5.
You're halfway up the spiral.
You feel a sense of relaxation and ease in the body.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
6.
You feel more positive.
There's spaciousness in the body.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
7.
You feel a sense of well-being permeate all of your cells.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
8.
You feel confident,
Secure,
Able.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
9.
You find internal strength,
Courage.
Breathe out.
You're at the top of this emotional spiral.
10.
You feel empowered,
Energized.
The ability to meet life's challenges with openness.
Breathe in.
And notice how this upward spiral gives us a different perspective.
Pulls us away from our current emotion.
And gives us the opportunity to choose a new experience.
Welcome this felt sense of empowerment.
This conscious choice not to be overwhelmed by your emotions.
To know that it's okay to feel anxious.
That you can choose to cultivate a different experience.
This is what makes us human.
This self-awareness.
Consciousness.
This choosing to recognize the way we feel and create positive change.
To self-regulate and move ourselves in a direction that supports our mental health and well-being.
Now give yourself time to be here.
Just resting here.
Allowing the body to soothe itself.
Find quiet.
Peaceful.
Welcoming everything just as it is.
Breath coming and going.
Now take a moment to review the journey you have just taken.
And begin to sense the room around you.
And the feeling of beginning to move back into the world.
Take several deeper breaths.
And begin to wriggle your fingers and toes.
Take a full body stretch.
Bend your knees.
And take a moment now to rest on your right side.
And push yourself up into a seated position.
Notice what's present now.
And remember to take this experience with you.
This ability to slow down and respond to life rather than react.
Using this meditation as often as you need to support your experiences in life.
Making a conscious choice to choose your emotions.
Taking your time.
When you're ready,
Slowly begin to blink your eyes open and closed.
Coming back to your wide awake and alert.
