Written by:

Updated on:

September 28, 2020
Softening Anxiety by Grounding in the Present Moment. Anxiety occurs when past trauma pulls us back from the present, or when worry about the future keeps us looking ahead. By staying present, we remain in the only place where peace and calm exist, which is right here and now. Next time you notice your mind is in the past or future, return to the present with the following mindfulness exercise:
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Here’s a Sample of the “Softening Anxiety by Grounding in the Present Moment” Guided Meditation Script:

Begin either seated or lying down, with eyes opened or closed
Choose a posture that feels safe and comfortable to you

Turn your attention inward toward your breath
Breathe in and out through your nose,
and remain present with the felt experience of the breath
As you watch breath move in and out through your nostrils

Stay with this one breath in,
And with this one breath out

As you look upon the breath with curiosity,
Let the detail of what you notice keep you right here, and right now

As you look upon the breath with open acceptance,
Let a sense of awe help hold you in this one moment

(pause 3 breaths)

And then expand awareness from the breath, to the body as a whole
Still aware of breath, remain present with the sensation of breath throughout the body

softening anxiety by grounding in the present moment, Softening Anxiety by Grounding in the Present Moment

Feel the rise and fall of your shoulders
Or the expansion and contraction of your belly
Or an overall sense of floating upwards, and downwards,
On each cycle of breath

Hold your attention to wherever it is in the body
that you notice the breath the most

Let curiosity and an open, spacious attention
Keep you rooted in breath and body awareness

Allow for a sense of awe, which helps keep us connected to that which we notice

And then beginning at the top of your head
As yourself, what else is present here, in the body, other than the breath?

About the author 

Sara-Mai Conway

Sara-Mai Conway is a writer, yoga and meditation instructor living and working in Baja Sur, Mexico. In addition to online offerings, she teaches donation-based community classes in her tiny, off-grid hometown on the Pacific coast. She is a certified 500-hour Remedial Yoga and Applied Mindfulness Advanced teacher with Bodhi Yoga Spain under the Independent Yoga Network (UK).

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