To listen to the guided version of this meditation, please click here.
Today I want to lead you through a pretty simple pranayama practice or breath work.
As the title of this suggests, this is a great tool for when you have anxiety.
Before we get started, I want to take a moment to fully acknowledge any anxiety you’re feeling. Maybe even say out loud, “I am feeling anxious.” There’s a real sense of lessening the power that anxiety can have over us by simply acknowledging that “yea hey I am feeling anxious right now.” So maybe take a moment- write it down, say it out loud, or simply notice a thought to yourself.
So today we’re going to be doing the 4-7-8 breath. It’s pretty simple. I’ll count you through a few rounds. We’ll inhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 7, and exhale for a count of 8. What this does - the longer exhale - allows the nervous system to receive the signal that it’s time to settle or calm.
If inhaling for 4 feels too long, or holding for 7 feels too long - shorten them as you need to. The idea is that your exhale is longer than the inhale.
If you need to re-settle in your physical space, you can be seated. My favorite way to practice this is lying down. Get comfy in bed or anywhere else that feels relaxing to you. Maybe keep the feet planted on the Earth, knees bent. Help support the physical body + notice the grounding beneath the feet.
We’ll start with a few rounds of cleansing breath - inhale through the nose, expand the belly.
Sigh it out, let it go. Repeat x2.
If you need a few more cleansing breaths, feel free to pause and take them.
Otherwise, we’ll start our 4-7-8 breath.
Take an inhale for a count of 4, 3, 2, 1… Pause at the top + hold the breath 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Gentle exhale out the nose or mouth… 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
We’ll repeat this a few more times. Inhale for 4. Pause for 7. Exhale for 8.
Keep breathing like this at your own pace. If you need to shorten the length of each breath in or out, please do. Spend a few moments in silence focusing on this breath pattern - in for 4, hold for 7, out for 8.
Notice what arises during the pause. That in-between moment.
I hope you enjoyed this simple practice. It’s another tool to keep in the back of your toolkit for when you’re feeling anxious. Come back to the breath + slow some of those anxious thoughts in the mind.
Allow tension in the shoulders + jaw or wherever you hold tension to simply melt away.
Give yourself so compassion - anxiety can take such a toll on us. Give yourself time to rest a little longer. Maybe ask yourself, “what is it I REALLY need to do today?”
Heavy Bones
I used to think this
Weight in my bones was
Pain Anxiety Fear
But really it’s
Regret masked as a
Life of living small
Shrinking a body that’s been
Asking to take up space
Playing safe in a story
That’s never quite felt like mine
Keeping quiet to
Protect the egos of fragile men
This heavy burden is
My own doing
And now is the time for
My own unlearning
”Heavy Bones”
May 15, 2022
Melt
I want to melt
into the Earth
Rebirthed as a
flowering tree
Whose only job it is
to exist
Provide this world with
beauty
Create shade
for humans
Shift with
the seasons
Not to worry
Fret
Hustle
Grind
Simply to rise
Grow
Bloom
Repeat
”Melt”
May 3, 22
Not All Dark Clouds Bring Rain
She looked up to the
Dull sky, face damp
With salty tears
It was there that she knew
Not all dark clouds
Bring rain
Not all sunny days
Feel good either
That emotions ebb +
Feelings flow
Despite the expectations of
The radar
Rather than wait + be
Fearful of rain
She would choose to
Spend as many days possible
Basking in the sun
”Not All Dark Clouds Bring Rain”
April 24, 2022
My Fingers have Asthma
April Poetry Prompt # 21 for theguelfpoet
I try to control your every move
As a means to control my own emotions
My hands gripped so tightly around your neck
My fingers can’t breathe
It’s as if they have asthma
Choking on worry
Drowning in envy
Fighting to feel something
Other than empty
I release the clutch of my hold +
We are both
F
R
E
E
”My Fingers have Asthma”
April 22, 2022
Things I Unexpectedly Enjoyed
#20 theguelfpoet April Challenge Prompt
This tiny can of beans*
Sobriety
Alone time
Rediscovering my home town
Afternoon reads on the couch
Slowing down
Doing less
Being more vulnerable
These are the things I unexpectedly enjoyed
* Our nickname for Patrick :)
”Things I Unexpectedly Enjoyed
April 20, 2022
My Favorite Ghost Story
April Challenge Prompt # 18 (theguelfpoet)
We were made for each other
At least that’s what I tell myself
Our lips fit together like
Perfect puzzle pieces
But you had to fuck it all up
You wanted more
Different
Other than me
You haunt my dreams
I ache for you in the most
Embarrassing ways
But now you’re my
Favorite ghost story
I gather people ‘round +
Tell them of the
Boy who is now dead to me
”My Favorite Ghost Story”
April 19, 2022