This meditation is for anyone who might be struggling with anxiety or experiencing anxiety on any level.
When we're having feelings of anxiety,
It's usually because we're worrying about the future or ruminating on the past.
This causes us to have difficulty being in the present moment and it keeps us from enjoying what's in front of us.
By focusing on the breath,
This can help bring us back into the present moment.
When we focus on the breath,
We're able to be present in the here and now.
When anxiety has taken over and we're in an anxious state,
Our body becomes disconnected from our mind.
We go into a state of fight,
Flight,
Or freeze and the breath can become short and erratic.
The deep breathing will help to regulate our nervous system and brings us back into rest and relaxation.
So I invite you to find a comfortable seat.
You can sit in a chair or on a couch or on the floor,
On a yoga mat,
Or you can lie down,
Whatever makes you feel most comfortable and safe.
And close your eyes.
Place your hands on the tops of your thighs and just give your thighs a gentle squeeze.
Connecting to the body,
Letting the body know you are here.
Feel the surface beneath you.
Notice the parts of the body that are making contact with the surface beneath you.
And begin to notice your breath.
Breathing in and out of the nose.
And as you inhale,
Notice that the breath is slightly cool.
And when you exhale,
Notice that the breath is slightly warmer.
Now place your hands on your belly.
Feel the belly rise and expand with every inhale and fall with every exhale.
Take a nice deep breath.
Inhale through the nose and open the mouth and exhale.
Again deep breath,
Inhale.
This time sigh it out as you exhale.
One more time,
Deep breath,
Inhale.
Open the mouth and exhale.
Let it go.
Now let the breath be easy.
Take a few breaths,
Inhaling and exhaling through the nose.
And now we'll go into some box breathing.
So our in breath will be the same amount of time as our out breath.
We'll inhale for a count of four and exhale for a count of four.
Let's begin.
Inhale for four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Inhale for three,
Two,
One.
Four three two one exhale four three two one inhale four three two one exhale 4,
3,
2,
1.
Inhale 4,
3,
2,
1.
Exhale 4,
3,
2,
1.
And just continue like that for a few moments.
And continuing our box breathing,
We're going to add a pause in between the inhale and the exhale.
So there will be four parts to the breath.
It will look like inhale,
Pause,
Exhale,
Pause.
So let's begin.
Inhale for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Hold the breath.
4,
3,
2,
1.
Exhale 4,
3,
2,
1.
Hold the breath.
4,
3,
2,
1.
Inhale 4,
3,
2,
1.
Pause 4,
3,
2,
1.
Exhale for 4,
3,
2,
1.
Hold the breath for 4,
3,
2,
1.
And now do that a few times on your own.
Counting and breathing.
And we can see that just after a few minutes of breathing,
How the mind is a bit quieter and that we feel a little more relaxed.
We'll do one more round of box breathing.
And this time we'll inhale for a count of 5 and exhale for a count of 5.
So let's begin.
Inhale for 5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Hold the breath.
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Exhale 5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Hold for 5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Inhale 5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Pause 5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Exhale for 5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Hold 5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Now take a nice deep breath and inhale.
Open the mouth and exhale.
One more time,
Inhale through the nose.
Open the mouth and exhale.
It's okay to feel anxious every now and again.
You are a divine being having a human experience.
Remind yourself that everything is okay and that you are safe.
Everything is going to be okay and you are safe.
You are not alone.
When you start to feel anxious or panic starting to set in,
Just remember that you can come back to the breath.
You can turn in towards center and know that this feeling is temporary.
Hopefully now you might be feeling a little more relaxed,
Maybe a little lighter and a little less anxious.
Feel free to come back to this meditation as often as you need.
Have a beautiful rest of your day.
Namaste.
