Hello and welcome to this meditation on helping you manage and heal your addictions.
My name is Juana and I am honored to guide you today.
If you aren't already settled in,
Please do so now.
We will begin with a powerful breathing exercise to let go of anything that came before this,
So that you may fully arrive into the here and now,
Where all your power is.
I'll explain first.
To start,
You will exhale all the air out from your body,
Making a whooshing sound as you do so.
Then you will close your lips and begin inhaling silently through your nose for 4 counts.
You will then hold that breath in for 7 counts,
And exhale forcefully through the mouth,
Pursing the lips,
And making a whoosh sound for 8 seconds.
Yes,
It can sound complicated,
But don't worry,
We'll do it together first,
And then I'll leave you to it on your own.
Don't fret if you can't keep up with the long breath counts and have to shorten them.
Just do the best you can,
That's all I ask.
Let's start by exhaling all the air out from your body with a nice whoosh,
Whoosh.
So inhale through your nose,
1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Exhale,
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Together again,
In,
2,
3,
4,
Hold,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Out,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Repeat this cycle on your own 4 more times.
Feel yourself getting calmer and more relaxed with every breath cycle.
And when you're done your 4 breath cycles,
Return to a calm and slow breathing pattern.
Notice how you feel,
Really tune into yourself.
When you breathe deeply and mindfully,
Your body is better able to regulate fear,
Anxiety and stress,
All culprits that push us towards actions that don't serve us,
Our addictions.
Bring to mind whatever addiction you are grappling with and think about the ways in which it gets triggered.
What normally precedes the habit that you deem bad?
Why do you engage in this habit if you know that it does not serve you?
That question was not meant to scold you at all.
On the contrary,
I'd like you to take these next few breaths to feel compassion for yourself.
Your compulsions are an honest attempt at trying to feel good.
By trying to push negative emotion away with dependencies that soothe you momentarily.
Whether that's drinking,
Smoking,
Binge eating or mindless internet scrolling,
These cravings come in many varieties,
But the root causes of it are more or less the same.
You need to stop beating up on yourself for simply wanting to feel better,
We all do.
The only problem is,
The way you've chosen to feel good doesn't actually work,
Long term.
It makes you feel good temporarily,
Until the urge rears its ugly head again,
Causing you to repeat the same cycle over and over again,
Which can look a lot like this.
First,
Overwhelmment caused by the negative emotion,
Which triggers the impulse,
Then the action,
Followed by the guilt for following through with it,
Which can lead you to self sabotage all over again.
Sound familiar?
Instead of heading for the fridge,
Or bottle,
Or phone,
Or whatever your vice is,
Take a short pause between the initial impulse and action to do so.
So next time you're tempted to indulge in a mindless activity,
Stop and turn to your breath for support instead,
In the same way we began this meditation.
Slow breathing generates anxiety,
Which leads to your bad habits.
Slow and deep breathing induces calm,
Which centers you.
So which do you prefer?
The answer is obvious.
Let's give it another practice,
Shall we?
As we started,
Breathing in quietly through the nose for 4 seconds,
Holding the breath for a count of 7,
Then exhale through your mouth,
Making a whoosh sound for a count of 8.
You will repeat this pattern for 4 full breaths on your own,
But I'll get you started with the rhythm.
Go ahead and empty your lungs of any air by whooshing it out.
In,
2,
3,
4,
Hold,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Out,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Again,
In,
2,
3,
4,
Hold,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Out,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
On your own now for 4 more breaths.
After the 4th breath,
Place your hand on your heart space and ask it what it truly wants Instead of caving into your momentary cravings,
Contemplate these questions and see what your intuition has to tell you.
What am I lacking?
What is it I am really desiring?
How can I nourish myself in a healthy way?
Don't be surprised if instead of reaching for your phone,
You're inspired to journal through tougher emotions,
Or instead of running to the fridge,
You're inspired to go for a run to relieve your stress.
Negative emotions need to move through your system,
And when you turn to your addictions,
You only suppress and lodge them inside of you,
And they'll keep resurfacing again and again and again,
Till you stop shoving them back down there,
But rather,
Face and release them.
The more you interrupt this repetitive cycle,
The freer you will become.
With time and consistent practice,
Your emotions will no longer rule you.
You will be in control of them as you learn to channel them in a healthier way that serves you.
But above all else,
Be patient with yourself during this process.
Beating up on yourself or succumbing to your compulsions,
As you know,
Never works.
It only leads you to feel even worse than you already do,
And in turn,
Self-sabotage yet again.
You can't keep doing the same thing,
Expecting different results.
To close,
Repeat silently after me,
Feeling these potent words fully,
As you breathe in and out.
I hold the power to heal myself.
I am bigger than my addictions.
I am learning to deal with emotions in a healthy way.
I choose to feel good in ways that serve me.
Day by day,
I am letting go of that which no longer serves me.
It's okay to slip up and make mistakes as I grow.
I am a wonderful work in progress.
I am patient and compassionate with myself.
I love myself exactly as I am.
I got this.
And so it is.
I'd like to take this moment to thank you for choosing to be here,
For choosing to grow and heal beyond old destructive patterns.
It's not always easy,
But it's always worth it.
Take this moment to feel a profound sense of gratitude for showing up for yourself in this empowering way.
We will now transition out of this meditation,
So when you're ready,
Wiggle your fingers,
Bend your toes,
And slowly open your eyes.
Thank you for joining me on this journey of healing.
Please let me know what you are choosing to let go of today,
Or any wisdom that you received during our inward journey together.
I always love hearing from you.
As always,
Follow along for more to come,
And hope we can connect again real soon.
