Hello and welcome.
My name is Nat and I am here to share a tool with you that will help you shift from that sympathetic nervous system,
Fight or flight,
Into parasympathetic nervous system,
Rest and digest.
Our sympathetic and parasympathetic networks,
They are involuntary.
They react to the environment around you and many times the environment around us is created by the thoughts inside our head and we can find ourselves in this chronic sympathetic state of stress and resistance of tension and discomfort.
Choosing to change your thought,
Choosing to create a sense of calm and contentment within your mind will help you shift from that sympathetic fight or flight into the parasympathetic rest or digest.
It will help you regulate your nervous system.
Let's begin.
Find a comfortable seated position.
Uncross any of your limbs and begin to notice where you may feel tension in your body.
We'll begin at the tips of the toes.
Gently draw all of your awareness towards your toes.
Eyes can be soft or closed as you do this.
And then draw the energy,
The awareness slowly up the body.
So as you notice the toes,
Then you begin to notice the tops of the feet,
The soles of the feet,
The ankles.
And as you notice,
You create a sense of softening,
Of ease in its place.
As your awareness travels up your shins,
Your calves soften.
Notice your knees.
Let them rest gently wherever they are.
Your thighs,
The tops and the bottoms very heavy and rooted.
Your sits bones and your hips,
They're open and relaxed.
Let your belly be soft,
Your spine long.
Let your chest expand with each and every breath.
Let your arms be heavy by your sides,
Palms up or palms down,
Whatever feels good in your body.
The shoulders are heavy.
The neck feels supported.
The face is soft.
Let the jaw be slack.
Let the ears fall back.
Let the scalp be heavy.
If any tension creeps in,
Will you welcome it with open arms?
Our work during this guided meditation is not to stop thought or stop tension.
It is not to find stillness or complete ease.
Instead,
We are in the process of noticing when we've left it and coming back.
Our practice is not to be in complete stillness.
Our practice is to notice we have left and to pull ourselves back.
Notice where your breath is in your body and see if you can lengthen it just a little.
Any new tension,
Notice it,
Release it,
Compassion for it.
This process that is practicing,
Let it be a practice.
Give yourself full permission to be here now.
Imagine in this moment of calm,
In this moment of now,
In this moment of contentment,
Imagine practicing it and strengthening it to the ability where you can carry it anywhere you go.
Imagine feeling calm and content wherever you are.
Imagine feeling your life is so complete right here,
Right now,
That you do not wish to be anywhere else.
Breathe in.
As you exhale,
Feel calm.
Breathe in.
As you exhale,
Feel content.
Imagine feeling this way even when you are overwhelmed.
You are unrushed and free of anxiety.
You are able to act intelligently,
Skillfully,
With clarity and with ease.
You feel energized,
Alive and aware.
Breathe in.
As you exhale,
Feel calm.
Breathe in.
As you exhale,
Feel content.
Imagine feeling this way when conflict arises,
A tantrum,
An argument,
A negative email or text.
Your surroundings,
Your environment may feel chaotic,
But inside you feel a sense of stillness and peace.
Breathe in.
Feel calm.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
As you breathe out,
Feel content.
Imagine feeling this way when you are alone.
You are enjoying your solitude,
Immersed in the life that is inside and around you.
Your senses are wide awake.
You are open to your thoughts and feelings.
You are not resisting them and not bothered by them.
They pass through your mind like clouds drifting through an empty sky.
Breathe in.
Exhale and feel calm.
Breathe in.
Exhale and feel content.
Imagine feeling this way while you are in the company of others.
No matter who it is,
You feel strong and steady.
You are praised for something and then blamed for something and yet you maintain your equilibrium as you experience one and then the other.
A windfall and then a loss,
Success and then failure,
Pleasure and then pain.
From one to the other,
You are calm and balanced.
Each experience,
Each feeling belongs to you.
Breathe in.
Feel calm as you exhale.
Breathe in.
Feel content as you breathe out.
Calm and content.
You have the ability to create this in your body at any point in your day,
No matter what is happening in your life.
And by doing so,
You are choosing to ride the waves of your life and not drown in them.
Breathe in.
Exhale,
Calm.
Breathe in.
Exhale,
Content.
Breathe in.
Exhale,
Content.
Gently bring your awareness back into your body,
The sensations of calm and content lingering as you go into your day and into your life,
Trusting you have everything within you already.
