April is Stress Awareness Month
Meditation 3: Practice for Panic, Stress, and Overwhelm
Standing with your feet about hip width apart and just having the soles of both feet resting on the floor
Standing upright and placing the palm of one of your hands on your belly and the palm of the other hand on the upper chest
Going to begin with some breathing exercises, and this is to help slow down the nervous system
We’re going to take some deep breaths, breathing in the nose if you can. Breathing in and down into the belly. Breathing out 2, 3, 4. Breathing in, 2, 3, 4. Breathing out 2, 3, 4. Breathing in 2, 3, 4. Breathing out 2, 3, 4. And just continuing to breathe in this rhythm as we continue with the practice.
And as you breathe, also notice the weight down in your feet. So notice the weight of your body pushing down into the soles of your feet. Noticing the weight in the heels, the weight in the toes, and on each out breath just really as best you can giving up the weight of your body down into the soles of the feet. So really just fully feeling the weight of your body in the soles of your feet. And continuing to breath in the rhythm. So breathing in 2, 3, 4. Breathing out 2, 3, 4. Breathing in 2, 3, 4. Breathing out 2, 3, 4. Really feeling the weight of your body down in your feet as you breath.
And also as you breath maybe feeling the feel of whichever hand is resting on your upper chest. Maybe having a sense of connection with that hand, the feel of any warmth between the chest and that hand. And this is also going to start to soothe the nervous system. So we call this soothing touch. And just by making contact with our body, signals to our nervous system that we are cared for and that it can begin to calm down, settle, and be soothed.
Breathing, feet on the floor, nice deep breaths. Calming hand on the chest. And just staying here for as long as you like.
Meditation #4: Soothing Touch for Self-Compassion
Bringing your hand to rest on your upper chest, closing your eyes and just beginning to tune into the feel of your body underneath your hand. And the feel of the warmth of the hand within the chest and the heartspace. Offering yourself this simple gesture of goodwill, of tenderness and kindness. And if you find it helpful you might silently say to yourself, “it’s okay. It’s alright.”
Or you might choose a different phrase, you might say to yourself, “may I be kind to myself. May I accept myself just as I am. May I be peaceful.”
So feeling the contact between your hand and your body. And perhaps finding your own words to offer yourself this gesture of self-compassion.
And as we bring this practice to a close, perhaps setting an intention to pause from time to time as you move across your day, moving your hand back in contact with your heart, to offer yourself this kind and tender touch. And then, when you’re ready, continuing with your day.
Meditation #5: Working with Anxiety
Begin by simply taking a moment to thank yourself for being here. Taking a moment to take care of yourself and to see what this feels like simply giving thanks.
First, find a quiet comfortable place where you can concentrate without being too distracted. And if you’re feeling anxious right now or even a little stressed let’s see how your would describe. If you’re not feeling anxious let’s see if you could find a recent experience where you were and relieve that experience to see how you felt at the time. Take a moment and ask yourself, what is the sensation that I feel most strongly in my body right now. Take a moment to locate where it is. Now see if you can get really curious, do you feel it more on your right side or left side. If it’s right in the middle is it more in the front or the back of your body? Did you notice your mind going “hmm where do I feel it most strongly?” this is jumpstarting or warming up your curiosity. And if you aren’t feeling curious you can simply pause to be curious about why you aren’t curious. What does not being curious feel like?
Now let’s take this one step further. Check in with your body to see where that anxious feeling is strongest right now. Now imagine slowly breathing in through your nose and right into that body part. Hold it for a few seconds before breathing out. Let’s do this again. Take a slow deep breath, imagining that kind, curious breath going right into your anxiety. Let your breath hold that feeling of anxiety for a second in a warm kind embrace. And then breath out, let it go. See how much of that anxiety releases with your outbreath. And on the next in breath get really curious, breathing in that kind curiosity right in with that anxiety. What do the physical sensations feel like right now? Have they changed at all? Continue this practice, breathing in and out. You can continue doing this exercise now, or throughout the day, anytime you feel anxiety coming on. Don’t forget that attitude of kindness and curiosity.
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