Welcome to this meditation focused on anxiety.
Today we'll be performing a mindful self-inquiry.
We'll tune in to what's happening right now instead of spending energy fighting it or wishing it were any different.
So let's begin.
Find a comfortable seated position.
Closing your eyes.
Sitting up tall.
And start with a mindful check-in.
Ask yourself,
How am I feeling right now?
How am I feeling right in this moment?
And as the answer arises,
Allow it to be okay.
There's no need to try to analyze or figure anything out.
In this moment,
It's about leaning into the experience of however you're feeling right now.
Offer yourself some softness,
Some compassion for however you feel right in this moment.
And now let's come into the breath.
Starting with a few deeper than normal breaths.
Take a long inhale through the nose,
Filling all the way up down into the belly.
Open the mouth and let it go with a big sigh.
And again,
Inhale,
Filling all the way up.
And exhale,
Fully releasing it out the mouth.
And one more time,
Expanding as you inhale.
And relaxing as you exhale.
And now let the breath settle.
Breathing in and out through the nose,
If that's available to you right now.
And as the breath begins to settle,
You might find that the mind has many thoughts.
Maybe start thinking about items on your to-do list.
Maybe you get distracted by sounds around you.
That's totally fine.
See if you can just come back into the breath.
Choosing to focus on the breath in the belly.
It might be subtle,
But can you find sensations there?
As you bring the breath down into the belly,
Notice if you feel more relaxed.
Breathing in and out with awareness.
And in the silences,
If your mind wanders,
Know that it's part of the process of training the brain to be more present.
Gently bring your awareness back right now to the breath,
Your anchor.
And now coming into the body.
Take a moment to notice any immediate areas of discomfort,
Anything that you're holding on to.
You can unclench your jaw.
You can let your shoulders drop.
The mind will mimic the body here.
If the tension wants to settle,
Let it.
Otherwise,
Just allow it to be.
You don't need to force anything to happen here in the body.
And as you scan around the body,
Notice any sensations of anxiety or stress and where you feel them.
Maybe there's a tightness in your chest.
Maybe there's a knot in your stomach.
And if you do find any of these sensations,
Notice if they're persistent or if they flow or change.
Can you find any sensations of tension?
Where do you feel it?
Maybe stick with it for a bit and notice how it changes.
Playing the role of curious scientist and just see whatever comes up.
Like dipping a toe into cool water.
At first,
It might seem frigid and cold,
But then your body gets used to it and you can wade in further.
It's the same with sensations of anxiety.
We stick with it.
We notice the sensations change and evolve and maybe even dissipate and lessen.
And if it becomes too much to notice the sensations and explore them,
Then you can always come back to the steadiness of your breath.
Often the sensations of anxiety lessen when we come out of the what ifs of the mind and get into the what is of the present moment.
And if not,
If sensations still feel very strong,
That's okay.
You have the power to ride it out,
Knowing that no emotion is permanent.
Noticing what's changed in the body,
In the mind.
How are you feeling right now in this moment?
Have sensations changed?
Have emotions evolved?
We'll begin to transition out.
Before we do,
Take a moment to offer yourself some gratitude for taking time to go through this meditation,
To challenge anxiety,
Fear,
Worry.
To sit with it and let it pass over like clouds in the sky.
Take a long breath in through the nose.
Open the mouth,
A full breath sigh it out.
Expanding your awareness to the sounds around you and the space around you.
And with a few soft blinks,
Opening up your eyes.
And when you feel ready,
Continuing on with your day.
Thank you so much for joining me.
I'll see you next time.
