Relieving Stress

Transcription

Let’s begin by taking a moment to allow your body to settle. Find a comfortable position that allows your spine to be long but with a natural curve in the low back. You can close your eyes or keep them open with a soft gaze downward a few feet in front of you. Let the belly and shoulders relax (2 seconds).

Today I’ll guide you through a relieving stress practice. In this meditation, we’ll practice cultivating a sense of ease, openness, and space even around difficult emotions. This practice can be an antidote for those times we feel stressed and overwhelmed (2seconds). Before we start, take a full breath in (2 seconds) and a long breath out (5 seconds).

To begin this practice, invite your body to feel nourished and fed (2 seconds)as you breath in you can imagine breathing in all the energy and positive emotion that your body needs (2 seconds).

As you breathe out, letting go of any tightness, tension, or toxicity (5 seconds). Breathe in warmth and openness (2 seconds).Breathe out tension or tightness (10 seconds).

Check in with the body, see if any tension has come up in the usual places. Soften them on the next exhale.

Feel free to move or shift your posture if that feels helpful (5 seconds).Check in now with the mind.

Are there any stories taking up space that don’t have to be there at this moment? Invitethem to come and go.

​Neither clinging to them or pushing them away (5 seconds).Breathe in and breathe out (10 seconds).

Now check in with the heart, are there sensations in the chest or the front of the body?

Notice any warmth, tightness, tension or openness that’s there. Just observing and noting without judgement (20 seconds).Breathe in (2 seconds) and breathe out (2 seconds)and see if you feel more openness, ease, or spaciousness than when we started (10 seconds).

As we begin to close this practice, you might invite a smile (2 seconds).You may want to bring your hand to your heart saying silently, “May I be well, may I be happy.” (15 seconds)

You can come back to this practice whenever you feel stressed or like you want to give yourself more nourishment or space.

Let’s finish this relieving stress practice now, by taking a full breath in (2 seconds) and a long breath out (5 seconds) *ding* (15 seconds).

Integrated Practice:

Pick an activity today that has the potential to trigger you or cause you stress. Perhaps it’s a commute to work, or a particular job or activity, or possibly an interaction with a difficult person. When you begin that activity, make a commitment to notice any trigger or stress response and try using SBNRR (Stop, Breathe, Notice, Reflect, Respond) to navigate the activity.

Reflection Questions:

What were the signals that a trigger response or stress was present?What parts of SBNRR were easy for you? Difficult? How did practicing SBNRR impact the outcome of the situation?