Guided Mindfulness Meditation: You Can Let It Go (Calm Overthinking and Anxiety)

Thank you so much for joining me today. Allow yourself to begin settling in and find a comfortable position. You can sit or lie down, whatever feels most supportive for you. And as you begin to get your body and mind settled into this session, I invite you to take these few moments just for yourself. This session is about finding joy, peace, and calm in any moment, and recognizing when you can let go. Let go of everything that is holding you back from a feeling of complete peace. A complete presence. And so now, if you like, feel free to close your eyes and take a deep breath through your nose, and then just exhale long and slowly out of your mouth and nose. Find a pattern that works best for you. Just continue to focus on your breath. Taking those deep rejuvenating breaths in and out whenever it feels comfortable to do so. And on each exhale, just imagine stress and tension leaving your body, flowing away from you, letting itself go. And feel your body starting to relax. Let the rhythm of your breath continue naturally, but you may feel it slowing down a bit. You may notice your heartbeat. You may pay attention to various sounds or feelings. Whatever it is, just let them come naturally. Allow yourself to stay here, exactly where you are meant to be. And right now, there's nothing else that you need to do. So as you begin to settle, I invite you to take a moment to notice what is present in your mind. Before you started this session, were there thoughts swirling around? Something you were worried about? A memory? A fear about the future? Maybe a challenge you've been working on? Notice any emotions that are lingering. It might be a sense of tension, a sense of fear. Whatever is present, just notice it. Notice if you feel that sense of anxiousness, and you don't need to push it away or place any judgment on it. Just simply allow yourself to observe, like watching waves in an ocean, or clouds slowly moving across the sky. I will stop for just a moment so you can take this in. And as you familiarize yourself with what these thoughts may be that cause you this tension, imagine as if you are holding a heavy rock in each hand. You may even wish to lift up your hands with your palms facing upward, just imagining those heavy stones. See these as your worries and fears. Feel those stones get heavier, weighing your hands down. Notice how, when you imagine them in your hand, they feel like a part of you. But we know that just like your thoughts and fears, that this heavy weight is only something you are holding. It is something you can put down. Now I invite you to take a slow, deep breath in again. And as you exhale, imagine you place these rocks down. Let your hands relax. Feel as though you're releasing this heavy weight into the earth. Feel a sense of tension releasing, and a newfound lightness within you. Remember that you can continue this process at any time. If you are holding a heavy burden on your mind, imagine it as this large stone in your hand. One that you can just set down, and let go of, and allow yourself some release. And as you remain here in this comfortable space, I remind you that we cannot free ourselves of every problem of life. That it is the truth that we will experience challenges, sometimes painful moments, sometimes loss. There are many times that an outcome will not be what we wish it to be. And we can recognize this, and yet still know that so much of what keeps us burdened with stresses, anxiety, and that heavy weight on our shoulders comes from how these things build up within our mind. And so this practice will help you to separate the real world actions that you can take right now, or in the near future, and help you recognize those heavy weights that can be set down, and allow you to just let go. And so now I will allow you some more time to practice this. So I encourage you to once again imagine that heavy weight. This time it could be again in your hands, or maybe something pressing down on your shoulders, as if gravity has gotten much stronger, and you feel yourself sinking into your chair. Feeling the weight of life and expectations can make us feel this way. But now, on your next deep breath, as you exhale, allow yourself to feel lighter and almost weightless. Let that heavy burden lift off of you. You recognize that you can be filled with warmth and stillness. You can center yourself and find a place of deep peace. Floating up, up, up, and finding this place of deep contentment will then help you to reset and have clarity to tackle the real challenges in your day, and allow you to return anytime to this place of lightness, of stillness, being fully present with your friends, your family, anyone that you love. And if you like, as this meditation soon concludes, feel free to take a few more moments listening to the ambient music, and allowing yourself to remain light and free, unburdened, and at peace, even while recognizing any challenges you have ahead. And whenever you're ready, you can bring a new awareness back to your body. As you prepare to end the session, you can wiggle your fingers and toe, roll your shoulders forwards or backwards, and let go of any last remaining tension that you might be holding deep within you, remembering that you can always let it go. Thank you so much for joining me today, and the spoken portion of this meditation will end right now.