English

Stress and anxiety can be fueled by the never ending stream of unhelpful thoughts and stories that our minds throw at us. When we can unhook and step out of this stream it can allow our minds and bodies to calm so we can move through our day with more peace and ease. In this meditation you will be guided through anchors in the body and breath to rest your attention on as a way of unhooking from those anxiety fueling thoughts.

Unhooking From Anxious Thoughts

 Hi, this is Lacey. Thanks for joining me for this brief meditation to ease the anxious mind It's a practice that we can use to unhook from anxious thoughts that fuel stress and anxiety So go ahead and close down the eyes if that's comfortable for you Otherwise, you can keep them open with a downward unfocused gaze Now find a posture that's alert, but relaxed Making sure that the spine is in alignment from the tailbone to the top of the neck If you're sitting upright, it might be helpful to think of a string coming out of the top of the head And pulling it towards the ceiling You can also check in with the tailbone and make sure it's not being pushed backwards Rather slightly tucked under so it's in alignment with the pelvis And there's a little less pressure on the lower back Relaxing the shoulders away from the ears Allowing any tension that's being held in the body to be released as best you can Letting the body relax around the spine and into your support You might even take a few deep breaths Letting the body settle down into the earth with the out-breath Letting go of on any unneeded tension in the body As we start the practice just check in with your expectations Are you expecting your body and mind to calm down? Or for your anxiety and stress to just go away or at least get better If you have these expectations or something similar about how Meditation is supposed to go. See if you can just let that go Approach the practice with just the intention to follow the instructions as best you can And notice whatever arises internally or externally with kindness and gentleness So now bringing your attention to where the body makes contact with your supports This might be the feet on the ground Sit bones on the chair cushion The back on the floor if you're lying down Just noticing the felt sense of this experience And we're not visualizing or thinking about these areas We're noticing the sensations, so maybe it's a sense of pressure tingling throbbing Maybe there is a sense of temperature warmth or coolness How does it feel in the body in these areas? When thinking does show up because it will Maybe it's a worry or planning or thinking about what you need to get done Just noticing this redirecting attention back to the sensations in the body Thoughts themselves aren't bad Thoughts are just what the mind does But when we get lost in that mind made world rather than the present moment It can fuel stress and anxiety Especially when they go from one worry or plan to the next and to the next From one worry or plan to the next and to the next and you just feel worse and worse So this is an invitation to let those thoughts go for now Just be in the moment With the sensations in the body where it makes contact with your supports Now bring the attention to areas of the body that aren't in contact with your supports So maybe it's your face or your arms chest or back What are the sensations in these areas? Maybe you can feel the air on the skin. Maybe again, there's temperature of warmth or coolness Maybe movement of air Maybe you can sense clothing on the skin. Maybe there's a tickle or a pressure Just noticing the felt sense of these areas There might also be areas in the body where you don't experience sensation. What is that like? Now expand awareness to experience the body as a whole Sensing the shape of the body The space that it's taking up Maybe sensing the space inside the body You may not be able to feel sensations in every area of the body. We're just opening our awareness Knowing the whole body is here and when sensations do arise We're noticing them Now turning awareness to the breath in the body You might notice the sensations in the nostril nostrils or throat Maybe there's a warmth or coolness Moisture dryness And you can sense the movement of the air through the nostrils in the throat You might notice the movement of the chest or belly with each in-breath and out-breath Maybe the expansion and contraction of the lungs and ribs Stretching of the abdominal muscles Might also follow the entire flow of the breath following the breath from the nostrils down the throat through the lungs down to the belly and Then back up and out again Just following each in-breath and out-breath to its entirety When you notice you've drifted into thought gently acknowledging this Returning to the felt sense of your anchor and in this case, it's been our breath You might also notice the mental tone of this acknowledgement It's harsh or judgmental saying if you can bring a sense of kindness or gentleness to it It's okay to have thoughts. We're not trying to stop thinking Having thoughts and redirecting them back to our anchor is part of the practice Actually a very important one We can't train the mind in this way from when we're not in meditation if we don't have the experience in meditation Now I invite you to choose your own Objective meditation or anchor to rest your attention on for the rest of this practice So it might be one of the areas that we practiced with in the body or breath Or maybe it's another area that feels right for you So it should be an anchor that's somewhat pleasant and easier to come back to when the mind has wandered So finding this anchor just resting your attention here And when the mind wanders or gets lost Just returning to the anchor over and over and over again Checking in with the mind If it's been lost in thought, that's okay Just acknowledging that this has happened Gently redirecting it back to your anchor As we close the practice you might start bringing your attention back out to the space around you Noticing sounds Maybe smells Temperature of the room Maybe the lighting in the room And with the eyes closed you might sense the space and the objects around you When you're ready you can open the eyes Continuing on with your day and just remembering that your body and breath can always serve as an anchor Even outside of formal meditation practice So if you're noticing that you're feeling stressed or anxious during the day You can always turn your attention Towards your anchor to help unhook from those unhelpful thoughts or stories that are fueling those feelings