Anxiety is a state that affects us all at some point,
Often leaving us feeling powerless and overwhelmed.
In this practice,
We'll be working with the idea of acceptance,
And I'm going to guide you to drop into the role of the observer.
Now this allows the experience of anxiety to be felt,
Which can take courage and conscious choice to stay with that uncomfortable sensation,
And to sit in the presence of what's triggered us into the anxiety.
However,
It's also the way that we allow the emotion or that feeling to be processed and transformed through our field,
Instead of avoiding it and fighting against it,
Which gives the feeling traction instead of release.
So this is a practice of mindfulness and deliberate choice,
Whereby we can step back and choose to let something move through our experience.
Now finding a comfortable posture,
I'm going to start by inviting you to take a few deep breaths.
Taking a deep inhale,
Letting the breath fill the torso,
And then letting go.
Taking another deep breath down into the belly.
And as you release,
Notice your body resting more deeply into the surface beneath you.
Another deep breath into the body,
Expanding on the inhale,
And releasing with the exhale.
Now,
Allowing your breath to return to a gentle natural depth and rhythm,
I invite you to notice your body.
The feeling of your body touching the surface beneath you.
Just becoming more familiar with the sensations.
Your sit bones,
Perhaps your feet resting on the floor.
Perhaps the sensation of your hands resting in your lap.
Just observing the feelings in the body.
Now,
Letting your awareness drift to the place in your body where you're feeling the sensation of anxiety.
Often we feel it maybe in our chest,
Or our belly,
Or in our shoulders.
It may feel like a tightness or a heaviness.
Or it may just be an undefined feeling,
Something that you naturally want to move away from.
So there's nothing wrong,
And there's nothing to change.
Remember you are safe in your body here and now.
Just noticing the sensations that are present.
If your mind starts to drift into mentally justifying or describing the sensations,
I invite you to let that go and return to just allowing an awareness and an observation.
Even if it's a little uncomfortable to sit with that sensation of anxiety in the body.
Now,
As we sit with a gentle focus on this sensation,
You might notice it start to change.
It may lessen,
It may start to dissipate,
Shift,
Or even intensify.
But just gently stay with it,
Taking another deep breath into the body and letting yourself release.
Now,
If there's a particular event that you're aware of that triggered this anxiety,
Maybe an event from the recent past or a projection of the future,
Let your awareness of that fear rise in your mind.
And staying as the detached observer with no judgment of what's coming up,
Perhaps ask where it's coming from.
What's the story or belief in your system that this anxiety is reacting to?
Perhaps there's some fear of judgment or rejection.
Maybe a sense of shame or feeling unworthy.
Or simply being powerless over something that's not even ours to control.
It's something that's unique to your experience and very personal.
Now,
These are not small feelings,
And they're probably familiar.
But when we sit as the detached observer,
We start to notice that we can more safely acknowledge them and understand the inner commentary or belief that's at the root of these anxious experiences.
What I've found is that in naming the fear,
Or in naming what it is that our nervous system is responding to,
We can diminish its power.
When you observe this trigger emotion,
The underlying belief or fear,
And we can name it,
There's usually a shift,
Which may be quite subtle,
But it may also be quite noticeable.
Because what had been impacting us from our unconscious fears is brought to awareness.
And darkness loses its power in the light of our conscious awareness.
So as you sit with this process,
Try not to fall into thinking about it,
But rather stay in the awareness with the feeling and the sensation of what's occurring in your body.
Know that in this moment you are safe.
In this moment,
There's nothing to change.
Nothing that you need to do except acknowledge the experience with compassion.
Knowing that when we let something be,
We give it the freedom to move through and out of our experience.
Direct your breath slowly and deeply into your body.
Let the energy move,
Inviting a greater sense of peace and safety in being the observer of this process.
Sit with this experience as long as you feel you need to.
As you do choose to come out of this practice,
Start by bringing some gentle movement into your body.
Slight movements to your fingers and toes.
Maybe rolling your shoulders back and taking a few deeper breaths.
Eventually,
When you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
After this practice,
You may want to journal or go a little deeper into the exploration of anything that came up.
Or you may wish to save this practice for next time you encounter a sense of anxiety or overwhelm in your body.
Over time,
It becomes easier.
Easier to observe and to shift these anxious or uncomfortable feelings.
I hope this practice serves,
Sending you so much love.
