This meditation is mindfulness of breathing for anxiety.
All of us experience anxiety and this short meditation is designed to reground ourselves in the present moment and in our bodies.
Begin by noticing that your body is already breathing.
Maybe it's short breaths,
Maybe it's long,
Maybe there's a difference between your in-breath and your out-breath.
Just take a few moments to pay attention to the breath as it moves in and out of the body.
Now try paying attention to all the places that your breath touches.
First your nostrils and the movement of air on your upper lips,
Then the movement of your chest,
The movement of your belly.
Maybe you can feel the muscles on the side body move as your ribs expand.
Just paying attention to where in your body you feel your breath.
Next notice where in your body you may be feeling the sensations of tension.
Maybe your jaw is tense,
Maybe there's a tightness in your chest or your throat,
Maybe you can feel it in your shoulders.
See if you can bring the kind awareness of your breath to any place where there is tension.
And as you pay attention to your body you might notice some sensations which are unpleasant,
Like tension.
Maybe there's some sensations which are pleasant,
Like a cool breeze on your skin.
And other sensations that are neutral,
Neither pleasant nor unpleasant.
Whatever comes up,
See if you can just be with them and you can take time to label them pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral.
See if you can find a pleasant sensation in your body and imagine it spreading from where you first found it through your whole body.
It helps if you have a little internal smile.
See if you can breathe in pleasant and breathe out pleasant.
As your body begins to relax and let go of its tension,
Try bringing your attention to your mind.
Your mind is the container for all your thoughts.
We don't seek to get rid of our thoughts.
Thinking is what the brain does,
The same way that lungs breathe.
But we can notice we have thoughts and emotions and physical perceptions that just come to our awareness.
Just let them pass along,
Whatever they are,
Whatever thought you're having.
Just notice thinking.
You can also label it planning,
Remembering.
The goal is to just watch them go by like cars on the street or leaves floating by on a stream or clouds passing in the sky above.
We're not really interested in their stories.
We're just watching them go.
We're not judging.
We're just letting things pass by.
Whatever's in our mind is there and we're just letting it be,
Noticing without judgment.
Now check back in with your body and your mind.
Maybe you can notice that you're breathing has helped you ground and let go,
Letting the anxiety drain away.
As we close this practice,
You can think of how you could bring this into your day when you're not listening to a meditation.
Where in your day could you find a moment of stillness?
Maybe you can bring a few breaths to the center of your focus when you're out for a walk,
When you're at a stoplight.
Maybe you can notice how your body feels when you're carrying groceries or sitting on your couch.
The key is to practice small moments many times.
And now we'll close the practice by taking three deep breaths in and out and out and out.
Thank you for your practice.
