Good morning.
Thank you for joining me for today's morning meditation.
Today's topic is a difficult one.
It is on facing fear.
Fear of the unknown.
All of us go through this sometimes.
And instead of running from it,
Pushing it away,
I encourage you to sit with it for just a few moments as we will today.
To help you move through it.
There's no way around it.
We must move through it if we are brave enough.
So when you're ready,
Find yourself in a comfortable position,
Whether lying down or sitting upright in your chair.
Spend a moment situating yourself,
Rolling your shoulders back up and down,
Uncurling your fingers and your toes,
And maybe gently closing your eyelids.
You may already be uncomfortable in your body because of the fear that has crept up.
I promise we won't be here long.
The idea is to allow distractions to be on the side.
Just to sit and feel our body and work through the emotions.
Exhaling all your breath out.
Inhaling deeply for the count of four.
Inhaling two,
Three,
Four.
And exhaling for five,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Two more times.
Inhaling deeply,
Feeling your chest rise,
Your stomach expand.
Feeling the cool air come into the nose.
And then exhaling just a little bit longer than the inhale.
Allowing your body to be cued that we are in a safe environment.
One more time together.
Inhale deeply.
Maybe a positive word as you inhale.
Bravery,
Courage,
Strength.
And then exhaling discomfort,
Fear.
Breathing naturally and normally for yourself.
Inviting your face to soften with each inhale and exhale.
Noticing if you slept well the night before or if fear crept into your dreams.
So notice if you were clenching your jaw.
Maybe there's tension in the back of the head,
The neck,
Shoulders and back.
And just invite a wave of relaxation to wash over you and help you let go just a little.
Creating the space to be brave enough to face the situation you're in.
Let your stomach muscles be heavy and loose.
Deactivate the muscles in your hips,
Your legs and your feet.
And just sit knowing you are okay right here,
Right now.
Breathing,
Settling.
Wherever the fear is coming from.
Take a moment to address it.
Maybe it's a change of careers,
An end of a relationship.
An upcoming procedure or surgery.
Whatever it is,
We all share the same fear,
Not knowing the outcome.
What will happen?
The unknown.
Standing on a cliff feeling as if there is no parachute when we jump.
But historically,
Up until this very,
Very moment,
We have overcome.
And everything has worked out.
Maybe not how we wanted it to,
But how it should have.
So sitting here for a moment and just honoring the emotions you feel.
Take a moment to name them.
What are your emotions?
It is okay to be scared.
To feel unsure.
To have anxiety.
Try not to push these feelings away because they will simmer up at a different time.
Maybe while you are having dinner with family or driving or at work.
We are trying to prevent explosions.
Sitting with these uncomfortable feelings now.
Working through them.
Being brave.
So if your mind has wandered,
Come back to the breath.
And now that you have named your feelings,
Notice where you feel sensation in your body.
Maybe tension or a headache behind the eyes.
Maybe your throat feels closed off,
Swollen.
Maybe your chest feels heavy,
Achy.
Palms may be sweaty.
Feet may be tense.
Our bodies are preparing for fight,
Flight,
Or freeze.
Maybe you are already in one of these situations.
And just breathe deeply.
Sometimes we tend to breathe in our upper lungs,
Our chest.
Take deep,
Deep belly breaths right now.
Use all the muscles around your stomach and your spine to slowly sip in oxygen.
Each breath will get you through.
Try to stay in the here and the now as much as you can.
For our thoughts that linger in the past or the future can tend to make our fear even worse.
How do you feel right now?
And just honor it.
Give yourself the love and compassion you would a friend or a loved one who is going through the same situation.
Offer words of encouragement.
Self-soothing talk.
Maybe even put your arms around yourself.
Invite tears,
Unspoken words that can release tension throughout the body.
And now let us end our time together in this space we've created to support each other.
Knowing that you are not alone.
We are not alone.
We all share the same experience.
Fear of the unknown.
What will happen?
But again coming back to the idea and the truth,
The reality that we have overcome.
We will be okay.
Commend yourself for your bravery and your courage.
Most folks don't want to start the morning with an exercise like this.
But feeling it,
Honoring it will help it not bubble up in situations as much.
Thank yourself for allowing yourself time to process.
Let's end our time together with three breaths.
Exhaling everything out.
Inhaling deeply for the count of five,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
And exhaling for six,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Two more times inhaling,
Feeling your chest rise,
Stomach expand.
Using all the muscles to take deep belly breaths.
And exhale letting it all go.
Last time together inhale the words strength,
Resilience,
Courage.
And exhale fear,
Anxiety,
Worry,
Thoughts of the future.
Breathing naturally and deeply for yourself.
Remembering you are not alone.
You will get through this.
Trying not to think about getting through the week or the month.
But maybe just today or this breath and this next breath.
When you're ready open your eyes,
Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
I encourage you to drink some water,
Eat a healthy meal,
Get some movement.
And maybe journal to process.
Thank you so much for allowing me the precious gift of your time.
