What if your anxiety isn't a problem to fix but some kind of message or signal to listen to?
We're so often told to kind of silence anxiety,
Override it,
Outthink it,
Be productive or positive,
Distract ourselves from it.
What if real relief comes not from resisting our anxiety but from turning towards it with care?
Anxiety is often energy with nowhere to go,
Mobilization in the nervous system,
Your body preparing,
Scanning,
Bracing,
Without a clear action to complete.
That's why it can feel like a tight chest,
A buzzing under the skin,
A restless belly,
A busy mind,
A sense of urgency,
This inner itchiness that is not stopping.
So in this practice we won't try to get rid of anxiety.
We will meet it through orientation,
Sensory touch,
Breath awareness and a gentle bilateral rhythm with the butterfly hug.
Everything here is an invitation.
If anything feels too much,
Open your eyes,
Look around,
Feel your feet on the ground and come back to what feels steady.
So now if you're ready,
Find your position.
You can lie down or sit.
If you're laying down,
Build your nest,
Support under the head,
The knees,
A blanket for warmth and if you're seated,
Let your feet be grounded and allow your spine to be upright,
Maybe with a little bit of support from a wall or lean into the chair without effort and take a moment to adjust.
Not perfect but just be comfortable enough.
And now we begin with orientation.
Your eyes are open.
It's a simple way to signal safety to the nervous system.
So slowly look around the room you're in and let your gaze land on three neutral objects.
Silently name them and then notice a color,
Shape,
Texture.
Now listen for three sounds near,
Far,
Outside,
Inside.
Name them silently to yourself.
And now feel three points of contact where your body meets the chair or the ground beneath you.
The weight of your hips,
The soles of your feet or the back of your body resting.
Let the body register,
I am here,
I am supported.
If it feels okay,
Allow the eyes to close or keep a soft gaze.
Let us bring in a sensory touch.
Place one hand on the upper chest where you may feel breath or heartbeat and place the other hand on the belly,
Low belly or side ribs.
Feel warmth,
Weight,
Contact.
No changing,
No forcing,
Just connecting.
And notice what your hands feel and what the body feels under your hands.
Bring your awareness a little bit more to your breath.
Not changing it,
Notice it.
Where do you feel the breath most clearly right now?
At the nostrils,
In the throat,
In the ribs,
Maybe under your hands.
If you can notice which nostril feels slightly more open,
Right,
Left or equal.
Again it's just information,
Just awareness.
Now we'll use a gentle nervous system support,
The physiological thigh.
That means it's two inhales through the nose and then a long exhale out of the mouth.
So let us do three together.
Take a full breath in and out just naturally and then wait for your next inhale to come.
Inhale,
Pause at the top,
A small sip of air in and then it's a long exhale out of the mouth.
Do it again.
Inhale,
Another sip of air in and a long unhurried exhale out.
Final one together.
In,
Sip in and exhale.
Let your shoulders soften a little bit.
Now return to your natural breathing.
In and out and maybe with your hands still on the chest and the belly to support you.
Taking a few breaths in and out,
Noticing what happened by bringing this little bit of support into the body,
Using your breath as support.
You can just stay where you are or if you feel like you want to add another supporting system.
We use the bilateral stimulation with the butterfly hug.
You can cross your arms over your chest,
Hands resting on your upper arms or shoulders like a soft hug and it's kind of hooking your thumbs into each other like your hands look like a butterfly.
And then you begin to tap left,
Right,
Left,
Right.
Slow and steady.
Not hard,
Not fast.
Like a calming rhythm your body can follow.
Tap,
Tap,
Tap,
Tap,
Left,
Right,
Left,
Right.
And as you tap,
Let your attention rest on the sensation,
The pressure of your hands,
The warmth,
The rhythm.
Just continue a little bit more.
And while you're tapping left,
Right in your own rhythm,
Quietly let this question land without needing an answer.
Anxiety,
What are you trying to help me with?
You don't need to solve it,
You don't need to analyze.
Just notice what arises.
An image,
A thought,
A sensation,
A word,
Maybe nothing at all.
And if your thoughts get busy,
That is okay.
Let them move in the background.
Come back to the rhythm,
Return to the touch.
Left,
Right,
Left,
Right.
Continue the butterfly hug just for a few breaths more.
And now we soften into a simple kind of allowing.
If anxiety is here,
Can it be here with you?
Not alone,
Not pushed away,
Just held.
And while you slowly slow down the tapping until you come to stillness.
You might slightly offer you can be here and I can stay with myself.
We can go slowly.
Keep the arms crossed if this feels supportive or let your hands rest by your side.
And allow yourself to be in this sensation for a moment.
Feeling the ground under your feet or your back body,
Your eyes closed or the gaze soft.
Noticing what's around you and inside of you.
And with that,
Let us move into a body scan.
Steady,
Simple.
So let us start to bring awareness to your feet.
Both feet.
Both feet.
Bring awareness to your legs.
Both legs.
Bring awareness to the pelvis and low belly.
Bring awareness to the chest and upper back.
Bring awareness to both hands.
Left hand,
Right hand.
Both hands.
Both arms.
Both shoulders.
Bring awareness to the face.
Soft around the eyes.
And now the whole body at once.
Whole body awareness.
The whole of you.
The whole body at once.
The whole body at once.
Now notice where is anxiety in the body right now.
Maybe it's smaller.
Maybe it moved.
Maybe it's the same.
Whatever is true,
Let it be true.
Because the goal isn't to force relief.
The practice is to create enough space and safety in the body that relief becomes possible.
Imagine your body being held by the surface beneath you.
Let gravity do the work.
One slow inhale and a long exhale.
Begin to return.
Notice the room again.
Sounds,
Light,
Air.
Wiggle fingers and toes.
Small movements in wrists and ankles.
And if you're lying down,
Roll to one side and pause for a breath or two.
Before you slowly come up.
And before you move on,
Name one small shift.
Just one.
More space.
A softer belly.
A quieter chest.
Less urgency.
Let that count.
Your practice is complete.
And remember that this practice is here whenever you need it.
