This is a meditation to help manage feelings of anxiety and panic.
So please if possible find somewhere where you won't be disturbed and make yourself as comfortable as you can.
If sitting,
Keep your back straight and rest your hands on your lap.
Before you close your eyes,
Just looking around you and noticing what you can see,
What you can hear,
What you can feel or smell and inwardly naming,
Perhaps even describing for yourself a few of these things to give a real sense of your presence in this location right here.
And maybe in doing so you can agree that right now at this particular time in this particular place things are relatively okay and you are safe.
So then either closing your eyes completely or half closing them and lowering your gaze and really feeling into your connection with the calm stable earth beneath you.
Really noticing that right now you are being fully supported by the earth below.
So opening to that support as much as you can and as you do so letting go of whatever tension can be released in the body at this time and just letting yourself be held by the earth in this way.
And then if the anxious feelings are still there,
Bringing attention to the body and respectfully acknowledging the threat response,
Sometimes called fight or flight,
Your body's attempt to help you deal with physical danger.
Perhaps noticing a faster heartbeat,
Fluttering in the stomach,
Shaking or tightness in the chest or belly,
All of which are a part of your body's attempt to redirect energy to where it is needed.
And just recognizing that whilst you are in this state,
Your perception of yourself and the world around you will likely be very distorted,
That you may be seeing things in the worst possible way.
So for the moment,
Letting go of those thoughts whenever you notice them and taking this time out to give yourself the opportunity to settle,
To let your body slow down,
To come into stillness,
To rest a while.
Slowing down also the breath,
Especially the out-breath,
Perhaps letting it flow out each time through a small hole in the mouth.
And seeing what it is like to introduce short pauses after each inhalation.
So longer,
Slower in-breaths,
Longer,
Slower out-breaths and short pauses between the breaths,
Letting the breath be generally smoother and more regular.
Without fighting your feelings or trying to block them out,
Just focusing as best as you can on these longer,
Slower breaths.
And then either letting the breath return to normal or carrying on with these longer breaths if that feels helpful,
But continuing to give the breath as much of your attention as possible.
Noticing when you've become distracted and then as often as you need to coming back to the breath and its gentle rhythmic flow.
And next just becoming a little more aware of your thoughts,
The ones driving your anxiety.
What stories are there in your mind,
Either in the foreground or lurking in the shadows?
Seeing how clearly and how specifically you can name your thoughts.
In the case of anxious or fearful thoughts,
These often center around the worst possible scenarios,
Catastrophic thoughts about what could go wrong and how bad it could get.
And this is your mind's misguided attempt to keep you safe.
So right now just recognizing these thoughts as unhelpful and distorted and letting them go.
Coming back to the breath again and again.
Whenever you notice anxious thoughts,
Thanking your mind for trying to keep you safe and letting these thoughts go.
If you are still noticing feelings and sensations in the body relating to the threat response,
Trying not to fight them which will only make them worse,
But instead seeing if it is possible to make room for them,
To give them the space and the time that they need to settle.
Noticing what it's like simply to allow them.
Particularly if it is difficult to be with these feelings,
You can imagine the kind breath flowing into and out from the places of greatest discomfort.
So continuing in this way for a short while longer,
Knowing that learning to accept and tolerate a little anxiety is key to managing these feelings better and to reclaiming your life.
Bringing the practice to a close now,
But continuing to feel the support of the ground beneath you.
Continuing to notice and let go of anxious thoughts and continuing to make room for anxious feelings,
Giving them the space to settle of their own accord.
