Tara Brach - Meditation: Reducing Anxiety and Getting to Sleep (18 min.)

Episode Date: February 27, 2019

Meditation: Reducing Anxiety and Getting to Sleep (18 min.) - Many of us struggle with anxiety, and spend hours in bed wishing we could turn off our mind and get to sleep. This podcasted series of 3 guided meditations - 6, 12, and 18 minutes long - can help in quieting your mind, relaxing your body, and bringing peace to your heart. Each will support you in either calming yourself during the day, or drifting more easily into sleep at night. For more resources, please visit "Community Wisdom on Sleep" at https://www.tarabrach.com/sleep/.

The following meditation is led by Tara Brock. To access more of my meditations or join my email list, please visit tarabrock.com. Please settle yourself comfortably, either sitting or lying down, and begin by closing your eyes. Now becoming aware of your breathing, consciously lengthen the breath

so that you're taking a long, slow in-breath, counting to five, and then slowly releasing the breath. Again, counting to five, letting go, letting go. Breathing in again, filling the chest and lungs, counting to five, and matching the length of the in-breath and out-breath as you exhale, a slow, smooth out-breath, feeling the sensations at the nostrils as you exhale. breathing in again, inhaling deeply and filling the lungs. A slow out breath, a smooth out breath.

Letting go. Letting go. Again, a nice deep in-breath and a slow out-breath. Releasing outward, relaxing outward, letting go. And then allowing your breath to resume in its natural rhythm, sensing how fully you can relax with the inflow and the outflow, just as it is. Witnessing this life breath, resting in it. Continuing with this relaxed breathing, begin to scan through your body with awareness,

sensing what wants to let go. Let your eyes be soft. You might smile into the eyes, letting a smile spread through the eyes, lifting the outer corners, letting the brow be smooth, and bringing a slight smile to the mouth, to the lips, and to the inside of the mouth, letting the tongue fill the upper palate, relaxing the tongue down to the root,

receiving sensations through the lips, the gums, the teeth. Relaxed and at ease. allow your shoulders to fall away from the neck and you might imagine that dissolving of ice to water as you feel the inside of the shoulders ice to water and then water to gas sensing if there's any tightness in the shoulders

that it can float in awareness let the hands rest in an easy and effortless way softening the hands and softening again and feeling the hands from the inside out, noticing the tingling, the vibrating that's there, letting the chest be open, and you might sense a smile spreading through the heart, visualizing and sensing the felt sense of it, not to cover over anything but to create space for the life that's here, letting this next breath be received in a softening belly,

this breath, and now this breath. and now this one and again you might visualize and sense the felt experience of a smile in the belly relaxing opening relaxing

and being at ease through the pelvic region sensing the legs the length the volume the weight of your legs and feeling the inside of the feet the tingling and vibrating there now widening the lens feel your whole body simultaneously.

Sense of floating. This body is a field of sensation. Safe and at ease. Sensing with the in-breath, you're receiving a gentle flow of soothing, healing energy from the universe. Letting it fill your body. And with the exhale, letting go into the universe.

Sensing the sound. and space around you, releasing into this receptive openness. If there's any tension, pain, or fear in your body, feel the tender touch of your hand on your heart and send a stream of caring, soothing energy to the place of discomfort. You might offer a message of care, such as, I'm here, or it's okay,

Be at ease. If you find your mind is drifted into thoughts, gently relax back by opening your attention, listening to the sounds around you, bringing again a slight smile to the lips, letting go through the body, softening your shoulders, softening your hands, relaxing your belly, relaxing your heart and again resting in the natural movement of the breath continue breathing in receiving a soothing stream of energy

and breathing out letting go and entrusting yourself to a larger belonging safe and at home in this flowing breath this moment this life feeling this life breath as a home base breathing in healing, calming energy from the universe, letting go and relaxing outward with the out breath.

Letting this life be held in the spaciousness of a larger belonging. Rest in the breath, like a raft gently moving with the waves. Peaceful and at home. Moment by moment in this changing life. You might sense how far. fully you can let go, entrusting yourself to the waves, safe and at home in this breath, this moment, this life. Namaste and blessings.