Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris - 477: An Antidote for Anxiety | Bonus Meditation with Sebene Selassie

Episode Date: July 22, 2022

Find freedom from obsessive loops of fear by getting grounded in the body, dropping the stories, and bringing some kindness to the struggle.About Sebene Selassie:Growing up, Sebene felt like a big weirdo. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and raised in white neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., she was a tomboy Black girl who loved Monty Python and UB40. She never believed she belonged. Thirty years ago, she began studying Buddhism as an undergraduate at McGill University where she majored in Comparative Religious Studies. Now, Sebene is a teacher, author, and speaker who teaches that meditation can help us remember our inherent sense of belonging, that our individual freedom affects absolutely everyone and everything, and that our collective freedom depends on each and every one of us. To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Loosening the Grip of Panic,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=cea1fa4d-882a-4b50-b966-20d97d08d84d.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does it even mean to live a good life? Is it about happiness, purpose, love, health, or wealth? What really matters in the pursuit of a life well lived? These are the questions award-winning author, founder, and interviewer Jonathan Fields asks his guests on the Top Ranked Good Life Project podcast. Every week, Jonathan sits down with world renowned thinkers and doers, people like Glenn and Doyle, Adam Grant,

Young Pueblo, Jonathan Height, and hundreds more. Start listening right now. Look for the Good Life project on your favorite podcast app. This is the 10% happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hey, everybody. It's Friday, which means it's bonus meditation time. We've been seeing some dangerous spikes and anxiety these days throughout the population. So today, we've

got a meditation that might help if you're one of the sufferers as I am. My friend, the great meditation teacher, Seven A. Salassi, is going to teach us how to get out of our heads and into our bodies. So we can have a different relationship to all of our swirling stories. Seven A is a core meditation teacher on the 10% happier app and a former guest, repeat guest on this podcast. She was born in Ethiopia and raised in Washington, DC. She started studying Buddhism three decades ago as an undergrad at McGill University. And she is the author of a recent

and fantastic book called You Belong, a Call for Connection. All right, here we go now with Sevena. Hi, this is Sevena. For many of us, when we get gripped by stress or anxiety, it's hard not to be completely swept up by strong emotions. Getting grounded in our bodies is a way to recognize what is really happening in the present moment, helping us drop the stories and see what is actually occurring right now. Only then can we recognize that this is what it is. Are you ready to give it a try? and can we recognize that this is what it is? Are you ready to give it a try?

Let's begin. Find a comfortable posture. Your eyes can be closed or open. You wanna be both alert and relaxed. Take a few moments to settle into your body. A good way to do that is to connect to your groundedness. See if you can feel the chair or seat underneath you, feeling to being here right now. Just see if you can be with the direct sensation of the body for a few moments. How was that?

Was the anxiety or stress still gripping you? It's okay if it was. Remember, it is what it is. If challenging thoughts arise, we simply allow them. It's not about pushing anything away. We don't need to make stressful thoughts a problem. Just notice if thoughts are pulling you into stories. Let's practice bringing kindness to whatever is happening. Whether you're more relaxed or still feeling the anxiety, know that you can bring kindness to any moment.

Kindness is like an invisible currency for well-being. You can place a hand on your own face or body or simply acknowledge that you want the best for yourself. You can even say, I want to be happy, or I want well-being for myself. As we end this meditation, remember that whatever is happening, it is what it is. Anytime your grip by stress or anxiety, rather than getting caught in thoughts, you can ground in the body as a way to stay in the present moment. Feel free to open your eyes now and reconnect with your surroundings. You did a great job. Thanks for practicing with me. See you next time. Thank you to 7A. We'll be right back here on Monday for a fresh episode. It's a great one. It's all about how to disentangle yourself from long running patterns in your behavior and thinking.

We'll see you then. long-running patterns in your behavior and thinking. Let's see that. Hey, hey, prime members. You can listen to 10% happier early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. Or you can listen early and ad-free with 1-replus in Apple Podcasts. Before you go, do us a solid and tell us all about yourself by completing a short survey at Wondery.com slash Survey.