Find Calm: Breathing Meditation For Stress And Anxiety

This meditation is a simple mindfulness exercise that has helped me understand the nature of my continuous thinking and practice letting go of those thoughts.

You can modify it to suit your comfort.

It's a basic exercise that can be returned to over and over in times of high anxiety or nervous system dysregulation.

After getting comfortably seated with good posture,

But not rigid,

Either on the ground with your legs crossed or in a chair with your hands comfortably in your lap,

Begin with deep,

Slow breaths,

Breathing deeply from your belly through your nose,

Holding it for a few seconds and exhaling through your mouth.

Exhaling just a little longer in the in-breath.

Continue doing this for a few minutes.

Now think of the many things to be grateful for today.

Perhaps it's your family,

Your children,

The very experience of being alive,

The little things like the smell of a flower,

The sound of someone laughing,

The way someone smiled at you,

Your existence and place in this universe and the miracle that is.

Place yourself in this thankful state of mind for a few minutes.

And now,

Beginning at the top of your head,

Slowly scan down through each part of the body,

Making yourself aware of how it feels.

Are you carrying or feeling tension somewhere in particular?

Notice this as you go,

But allow yourself to feel as you do,

Remembering there's not a right or wrong way to feel.

Continue scanning down through each part of your body,

Noticing and accepting.

As you finish with this scan of your body,

Notice again your breath,

Counting as you go,

Breathing in 1,

Breathing out 2,

Breathing in 3,

Breathing out 4,

And so on.

When you become aware of the distraction of thought,

Simply notice and give yourself permission to nudge it aside,

To perhaps be considered later and return to the breath,

Beginning again and counting each breath.

Breathing in 1,

Breathing out 2,

Breathing in 3,

And so on,

Continuing perhaps to the count of 10,

And then beginning again.

Do this for a few minutes.

And now,

Begin returning to the awareness of your body,

Hearing sounds in the room,

Feeling the weight where you sit,

Any movement of air across your skin.

And when you're ready,

Open your eyes,

Allowing yourself to remain in this calm,

Relaxed state for a few minutes before you finish this session.