My Calm In This Storm: Refuge For Tough Times (Full)

Today is a meditation that uses a specific technique to help down-regulate the nervous system as well as helping us to realign with ourselves so we can return to being more grounded,

Centered and regulated for when times are tough.

These words are for you.

This practice is for you.

In this tough life there are many of us out there.

We all need a little nurturing,

Especially when times are tough,

When we're caught within that storm within us.

Sometimes it can feel like we're whisked up in a storm.

Sometimes it can feel like the storm is somewhat in the distance.

Grey looming clouds that tend to have this impression of weighing us down.

Rest in this moment.

Settle into this moment and as you do notice yourself settling.

The moment you notice yourself settling is the moment you give yourself a gift and this gift is to you and from you.

You chose this practice right here and now.

Let's get into it.

We're going to explore a metaphor today.

A metaphor of this calm in the storm.

Many animals have a sense that alerts them to oncoming storms.

This is so they can escape danger in time by leaving or taking shelter until a storm has passed.

When there is a hurricane,

Some migrating birds actually migrate sooner than they usually would,

Particularly if a large storm is approaching.

Others get caught up in the outer edge of the hurricane.

They are let down far away from where they were before.

And then there are the other ones.

These birds actually take a ride inside the eye of the hurricane.

This is the calm within the storm,

Surrounded by high-speed winds and rain.

These birds fly calmly under the blue sky in the eye of the hurricane.

Cameras have actually caught them in action,

Flying calmly inside this calm in the storm.

They continue flying around in this space of calm,

Surrounded by a wall of turbulence,

Which gently encapsulates them in the center.

Maybe you can picture this in your mind's eye right now.

If so,

See if you can visualize the birds flying calmly in the center,

The blue sky above them,

And despite the turbulence around them,

Get a sense of what this calm feels like.

And so,

Here's that gentle reminder.

Something that,

Deep down,

You already know.

And yet,

Sometimes,

When we're going through a struggle,

We can forget.

The breath,

The rhythm,

The movement.

19,

000 breaths a day.

And yet,

Rarely do we give attention to them.

Now,

Let's get into this.

Simply by taking attention,

Applying a gentle focus upon your out-breath.

Just the out-breath,

How it speeds up,

Slows down,

And comes to a pause.

If someone was sitting next to you,

They wouldn't even know you were doing this.

Staying connected to the out-breath,

Noticing your out-breath in detail.

Extreme detail,

But not with effort.

It needs to be effortless.

A gentle focusing of attention and noticing the subtleties of this gentle flow.

Speeding up,

Slowing down,

And coming to a pause.

Stay with this.

If you notice the in-breath,

That's perfectly fine.

Gently focusing upon the out-breath,

As everything else happens around you.

Sounds,

Sensations,

Thoughts coming and going,

Like birds in the sky.

Whilst you are connected to your out-breath.

Maybe it's the movement of your out-breath.

Maybe it's the temperature of your out-breath.

Maybe it's the sound of your out-breath.

And now,

I'm going to invite you to choose.

You can either continue to focus in this way,

As your body breathes at its own rate and rhythm,

Or you can choose to do something a little different.

If you are willing and it feels right,

Allow yourself to apply a softness to your out-breath.

Just a touch,

Softening the out-breath by just a touch.

Becoming more and more familiar with your out-breath,

And then that beautiful soften of maybe just 10% or so.

Just a touch,

Bringing that touch of softness to the out-breath in this moment,

Every time it takes place.

It's like giving your nervous system an extra soothing stroke,

Every time you soften the out-breath.

Choosing to soften the out-breath.

In the moment the soften takes place,

Your heart rate drops immediately,

Every single time.

Choosing to soften the out-breath or simply connecting to the breath as your body breathes at its own rate and rhythm.

Whichever you choose should be effortless.

Whichever you choose soothes the nervous system.

Whilst you connect to the breath,

This rhythm in its perfection,

This is your point of calm amongst everything around you.

And the more familiar you become with your breathing,

The more you ground yourself to this calm point of connection.

Whatever's going on in the external world,

Whatever's going on in your internal world,

The thoughts,

Feelings and sensations,

They all have the space to do what they will.

The thoughts and feelings that are sometimes part of the storm are free to come and go in the background.

We don't need to push away on them.

We just need to anchor to the calm whilst the storm takes hold and disappears or lingers in the background for a while.

Choosing to connect with your breathing in this moment,

Feeling your body gently held in this position and recognising that right here and now,

This is an act of self-care.

It doesn't matter how many times you've been distracted or what your thoughts have said.

Your actions in this moment speak louder than those words in your head.

The sound of the rain is soothing.

It heals me.

The sound of the rain activates my alpha brainwave state,

This state that helps me relax.

With this rain and my breath,

The only thing on the agenda right now is to focus upon this breath as everything else happens around me.

The sun will shine again and when it does,

The birds will be singing.

I allow the rain to soothe me.

I allow this connection with my breath.

This calm.

There's nothing else to do.

Now that you're connected to your breathing in this particular way that you have chosen,

You might like to get a sense of the you that looks out from behind your eyes.

So even though your eyes are closed,

Notice the scope of what you can see behind your closed eyes as your breathing takes place.

And recognise whilst your breathing continues here,

There is this awareness that's behind your eyes.

The awareness that holds everything.

Getting a sense of the movement of your breathing and the stillness from where you look out from behind your eyes.

Or if you prefer one or the other,

That's fine.

This is about finding the easiest point of connection.

The easiest point of connection to the calm.

What do you choose?

The I am that is behind the experience of my breathing.

Or the I am that is noticing what I can see behind my closed eyes.

Or the I am that notices both at the same time.

As we are coming to the end of this practice,

Feeling your body gently held in this position and if you wish to,

Forming the gentlest of half smiles.

Nothing forced,

Just like the Mona Lisa.

Giving thanks for this point of connection.

This anchor.

This calm in your storm.