Dropping Anchor A guided meditation,
Especially useful for those who don't have time to meditate or people that experience a lot of restlessness,
Such as people with ADHD.
This is a short practice and it's designed to help you ground yourself in the present moment and it's using the ACE method and that stands for Acknowledge,
Connect and Engage.
It's helpful for everyone but especially helpful for those who struggle to meditate in the classic way.
It's also a great add-on practice to help you keep coming back to the present moment.
Let's begin.
Step 1.
Acknowledge Take a moment to pause and notice what's happening inside you and around you.
Step 2.
Acknowledge Gently bring your attention to your thoughts,
Your feelings and any physical sensations.
You don't need to change them or fight them.
Just notice.
Are your thoughts racing?
Are there feelings of overwhelm or distraction?
Silently name whatever you find.
There is a worry.
Or,
There is a thought about.
Or you can use the words,
Here is a worry.
Or,
I am noticing that there is a worry.
Find whichever you feel suits you.
And notice how you feel and name that too.
Let these experiences build up and be like waves in the ocean,
Rising and falling.
And now Step 2.
Connect Connect with your body.
Feel your feet on the ground.
The connection that the soles of your feet are making with the earth.
Notice the weight of your body on the chair or wherever you are standing.
If it helps,
Press your feet firmly into the floor and feel the strength in the muscles in your legs.
Stretch out the body in an area where you can feel where there might be tension.
And do it slowly and fully connect.
Connect to how it feels as you stretch.
So we are connecting right now.
Connect to your breath.
Don't force it,
Just let it flow naturally,
But feel it rise and fall in the body.
Imagine roots growing from your feet deep into the earth,
Anchoring you firmly.
And now Step 3.
Engage Shift your attention outwards and engage with the world around you.
Look around.
Notice 5 things you can see,
Big or small.
Now listen for 3 sounds.
They can be near,
In the room,
Or far away.
And pick something up with your hands.
Or if there's nothing available,
Maybe brush your hand across the part of your clothing,
Feeling its texture.
So we're stepping out of thoughts and into the present moment.
Take in one last deep breath.
In through your nose.
And out through your nose.
And just looking and connecting again.
How do you feel right now?
This is not an exercise in getting rid of difficult feelings,
But rather connecting,
Engaging,
Waking up into the present moment so that we have a choice on how to respond to the stimulus that surrounds us.
So how do you feel?
Do you feel more alive?
As if you've snapped out of a dream maybe?
So try to carry this sense of grounded presence with you as you move forward into your day.
And try to practice several times,
Many times a day to really build its transformative power into your life.
You can also link it to something that you already do so it becomes a habit,
Such as getting in your car or sitting at your work desk.
Just run through A,
Acknowledge,
C,
Connect and D,
Engage.
Have a great day.
