Welcome and thank you for being here.
If you've been here before and you want to settle right into the meditation,
Go ahead and fast forward to about the 3 minute mark.
When your brain interprets the sensation of anxiety as dangerous,
It flips on its own internal amplification system.
Think of this amplifier as a volume knob.
The more it gets turned up,
The stronger the sensation of anxiety becomes.
In every signal,
Tightness,
Fluttering,
Heat gets turned up so that you'll pay attention and notice that there's a threat.
This is a survival reflex,
Not a sign that something is actually wrong.
In the moment when you notice anxiety,
You have options.
If you turn away from the sensation,
Trying to distract or suppress,
The brain reads this as confirmation.
That avoidance increases the sensation of anxiety,
Which in turn makes us more fearful and so on and on the cycle goes.
But there is another option.
You can turn toward the sensation and show your brain,
Through the way you respond,
That this sensation is safe to feel.
When you interact with it gently and with presence,
The brain turns the amplification system down and the intensity of the sensation decreases.
The brain learns,
Oh,
This is safe,
It's actually not dangerous.
We can turn the volume knob down here.
In other words,
How you respond to the sensation of anxiety directly shapes the outcome.
Another way to frame this is to imagine a distressed infant crying in their crib.
What would be your natural instinct here?
If they're crying distressed and upset,
You're going to turn towards them,
Pick them up,
Soothe them,
Understand what it is that they need.
And through that process,
They will quiet down,
They will become calm because you have soothed them.
If you chose to walk away from them,
They would scream louder in order to get your attention.
Anxiety works in just the same way.
Your anxiety needs a parent,
Not a protector who fights it off,
But rather a caregiver who stays present,
Curious,
And can provide soothing.
This is where somatic tracking comes in.
It's a gentle tool that over time will teach you to turn towards the sensation of anxiety with curiosity and grounding so you can turn the volume down on your internal amplification system.
It can be advantageous to do this practice when your anxiety is mild to moderate,
Especially if you're new at the practice,
Engaging with sensation of anxiety when things feel really loud is pretty challenging.
So keep this in mind as you continue the practice.
As always,
Listen to your body.
You always have the option of stopping the exercise,
Turning to your breath as a way to anchor you in the sensation,
Or using an internal resource,
Meaning a place in the body that feels good or neutral where you can rest your attention.
So allow yourself to get comfortable,
To arrive in your body.
Let's take two deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Drop your shoulders,
Soften your jaw,
And if it feels comfortable,
Softly close the eyelids.
Now bring your awareness to the sensation of anxiety.
And if you're not feeling anxious right now,
Think of a time recently when you were feeling anxious and recall how that felt in your body.
And if you don't notice anything at first,
That's really okay.
Just notice that too.
The absence of sensation is still a sensation.
As you connect with the sensation of anxiety,
Know that you have the option of giving yourself some space,
Meaning if you're feeling this in your chest,
You don't have to be right up against it.
You can observe and connect with the sensation from two inches away or six inches away,
Or even hover above your body.
And through this meditation,
You can oscillate your focus to be either closer or further away,
Depending on what is feeling good for you.
Sometimes when we connect with the sensation,
When we move towards it,
It can temporarily get a little bit louder.
That's not danger,
That's just our body's way of saying,
Oh,
You're here with me now.
You are listening.
So first I want you to simply notice where in the body you feel the sensation.
And then from here,
Notice the quality of the sensation,
Meaning how would you describe it?
Pressure?
Prickly?
There might even be a few different sensations happening simultaneously.
Other phrases that might help support what you're feeling could be heat,
Pins and needles.
Allow my words to permeate,
To sink in.
You are not in any danger.
You are simply allowing yourself to feel sensation.
You are not in any danger.
You're simply allowing yourself to feel a sensation.
This is all we're doing here.
We're simply paying attention,
Naming the location and the sensation.
We're just connecting with it purely from a place of curiosity.
And instead of connecting with the sensation like we would a really challenging test or a really intense problem,
Instead we're going to engage with spaciousness and with softness.
Like we would notice clouds floating by in the sky.
Soft,
Spacious attention.
You are not in any danger.
You are simply experiencing sensation in your body.
There is nothing to solve here.
You're simply witnessing.
We're not trying to get rid of the sensation.
We're simply just here to be with it,
To accompany it so it doesn't have to be alone.
We're tending to it,
We're listening to it,
Just like the baby crying in the crib.
Get a little curious about what are you needing from me in this moment?
What prompted you to be here right now and how can I help support you?
Now that we understand where it is,
The quality of the sensation,
I want you to notice the boundary.
Meaning,
How far does it extend?
And simply witnessing if anything shifts or changes as you rest your focus and attention here.
Does it move?
Does it increase or decrease in intensity?
Does the quality of the sensation change?
And if the answer is no,
That is perfectly fine.
Again,
We're just here to provide companionship and to notice.
There's nothing we have to change or fix.
And in fact,
Trying to do so would be counterproductive.
If we tell ourselves we need to change what's here,
That tells the brain that the sensation isn't safe.
Take a moment to create some space between yourself and the sensation.
And recall a time,
A memory where you felt joy.
Aliveness.
Where it flooded over you.
Where maybe you were laughing uncontrollably.
There was no resistance.
It just flowed through you.
And maybe this arrives as a memory,
As a visual.
Maybe it arrives as a sensation that you're feeling in the body.
But allow yourself to really embrace and hold that moment.
Allow that memory to fill you up completely.
To become so present,
So tangible.
When we're in a place of feeling anxiousness,
It can seem almost impossible to access joy,
Happiness,
And ease.
But it is possible.
And by allowing ourselves to tap into this place of aliveness and joy and silliness,
We're subtly sending the nervous system a message that we're actually safe.
We're okay.
And that is powerful medicine.
And know that if you're not,
And know if it's not coming easily now,
That is okay.
And now,
While holding this memory,
This visual,
This sensation of silliness and joy.
.
.
While holding that,
Turn your attention back to the sensation of anxiety.
Knowing that we are complex beings that can hold more than one thing at a time.
And know that by holding these two things simultaneously,
We're informing the nervous system that this sensation of anxiety is not a threat.
That it's okay to feel.
And that we're not in any danger.
Now that we understand where in the body we're feeling this,
The quality of the sensation,
The size and boundary.
.
.
Keeping all of this in mind,
Let's bring our breath to this space,
To this sensation.
And if many sensations are calling,
Pick whatever feels like it needs to be heard the most.
Whichever is loudest or most resonant.
And offer your breath here.
Not because we are hoping that the breath will make the sensation change or shift or become less intense.
But simply to notice how bringing our breath here affects the sensation.
Just noticing and witnessing.
No need to fix or change anything.
And remember you are always in charge.
You can zoom out and create more distance.
You can take breaks.
You can use your breath.
Trust yourself to know what you need.
Allow the sensation to communicate anything that it needs to.
This could be a memory,
An image,
A word,
Another sensation.
Notice if there's anything that you feel like you need to ask this sensation.
And if nothing is coming up for you,
That's completely fine.
But if it is,
Feel free to ask.
And if it feels accessible,
Extend gratitude to the sensation for allowing you to spend time with it today.
And for doing its best to keep you safe.
Even though it's really challenging to experience the sensation,
It has your best interests in mind.
Its only job is to protect you.
And again,
Only if it feels reasonable or accessible,
You can let this part of you know that you will be back to return to it.
And in the future,
When it gets really loud and is asking for you to tend to it,
That you will do your best to do just that.
And knowing that this is a really challenging process,
And that we're not going to be able to turn towards it every time,
That we'll keep showing up to accompany this sensation,
To soothe it so it doesn't feel so scared.
And in showing up for it,
We show up for ourselves.
If there's anything else that you need to do,
Take your time to do so.
But if you feel ready,
Start to come on back by noticing the sounds in the room you're in.
Maybe even the sounds outside the room.
Making some micro-movements with the fingers,
The wrists.
And opening your eyes as you're ready.
This meditation is most effective if practiced consistently over time.
The more comfortable you become with turning towards the sensation of anxiety,
The easier it will be to implement this practice in times of high anxiety and panic.
Thank you so much for being here.
I'll see you soon.
