WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:05.519 Welcome to your quiet moment. This is the deep dive 2 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:12.599 for Tuesday Evening, a longer practice dedicated to one intention tonight. 3 00:00:12.919 --> 00:00:18.440 That intention is releasing anxiety through the breath. You do 4 00:00:18.519 --> 00:00:22.800 not need to know how to meditate. You do not 5 00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:28.039 need to have meditated before. You do not need any 6 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:34.960 special equipment, any candle, any cushion, any belief. You only 7 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:39.439 need to show up and breathe. The next forty five 8 00:00:39.560 --> 00:00:43.960 minutes are yours. There is nowhere else it to be. 9 00:00:45.159 --> 00:00:49.359 There is nothing else you have to do. Find a 10 00:00:49.399 --> 00:00:53.159 place where you can sit or lie down without being disturbed. 11 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:59.399 If you are sitting, let your back be supported. If 12 00:00:59.439 --> 00:01:02.840 you are lying down, let your arms rest loose at 13 00:01:02.840 --> 00:01:08.120 your sides, palms turned upward. Let the room grow soft 14 00:01:08.200 --> 00:01:14.200 around you. Dim the lights if you can loosen any 15 00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:20.359 clothing that holds you tight, especially around the waist, the chest, 16 00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:28.560 the throat. Place one hand on your chest and one 17 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:32.519 on your belly if that feels comfortable, and feel the 18 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:36.439 slow rise and fall that is already happening inside you. 19 00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:41.040 There is nothing to fix and nowhere to be. The 20 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:47.480 practice will unfold in stages like the tide. We will arrive, 21 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:52.280 we will settle, we will name what we are carrying. 22 00:01:52.719 --> 00:01:55.719 We will breathe into it, and we will let it dissolve. 23 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:03.640 Each stick has its own rhythm. Trust the rhythm. Let 24 00:02:03.680 --> 00:02:08.719 your breath set the pace. If your mind wanders, and 25 00:02:08.840 --> 00:02:14.680 it will, that is not a mistake. That is the 26 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:20.080 nature of minds. The practice is the gentle returning to 27 00:02:20.199 --> 00:02:26.159 the breath again and again without judgment. Tonight you are 28 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:31.199 not trying to stop the thoughts. Tonight you are giving 29 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:35.719 the breath a louder voice than the worry. Let that 30 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:42.840 voice rise, Let it lead before we begin. Take along 31 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:48.080 slow breath in through your nose and release it through 32 00:02:48.120 --> 00:02:52.879 your mouth with a soft sigh. Let the sound empty. 33 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:59.879 You take another and another. Each sigh is a small Really, 34 00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:06.840 each sigh is permission to put something down. Now, let 35 00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:10.639 the breath settle into its natural rhythm. There is no 36 00:03:10.759 --> 00:03:17.599 need to control it yet, simply observe. Notice the cool 37 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:23.319 air entering through the nostrils. Notice the warm air leaving 38 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:27.759 through the same path. Notice the brief pause at the 39 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:31.919 top of the inhale, the gentle hesitation before the ex 40 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:37.080 sale begins. Notice the brief pause at the bottom of 41 00:03:37.159 --> 00:03:40.599 the exale, The quiet space where the next breath is 42 00:03:40.680 --> 00:03:45.560 being prepared. Feel the weight of your body meeting the 43 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:51.479 surface beneath you. Notice where you are supported, where the 44 00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:55.280 chair holds you, where the floor holds you, where the 45 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:59.840 bend holds you. You do not have to hold yourself 46 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:04.759 down tonight. The ground is doing that work. You have 47 00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:11.439 been holding yourself all day, holding your posture, holding your composure, 48 00:04:11.800 --> 00:04:19.639 holding your reactions, holding the questions you could not answer. Tonight, 49 00:04:20.040 --> 00:04:26.759 the holding is over. Tonight You are held. Allow your 50 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:32.199 jaw to soften, Allow the small muscles around your eyes 51 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:37.920 to release, Allow the space between your eyebrows to widen. 52 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:44.720 Allow your shoulders to drift away from your ears, dropping 53 00:04:44.839 --> 00:04:49.800 by a centimeter, then another. Allow the back of your 54 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:53.279 neck to lengthen, as if a soft thread were gently 55 00:04:53.399 --> 00:04:58.120 lifting the crown of your head towards the ceiling. Notice 56 00:04:58.199 --> 00:05:01.519 the small sounds in the room, the breath of the house, 57 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:07.279 the hum of the world outside, the distant traffic, the refrigerator, 58 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:12.519 the rain, whatever is there. These sounds are not intrusions. 59 00:05:12.920 --> 00:05:17.240 They are part of the soundscape of rest. They are 60 00:05:17.319 --> 00:05:20.800 proof that the world is still turning, that life is 61 00:05:20.959 --> 00:05:26.040 continuing outside the small circle of your worry. Let them 62 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:31.120 pass through you like weather. Notice the temperature of the 63 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:36.199 air on your skin. Notice the texture of the fabric 64 00:05:36.279 --> 00:05:42.680 against your body. Notice the weight of your hands. These 65 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:47.120 small sensations are anchors. They bring you back to this room, 66 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:53.639 to this moment, to this body. As you settle, Notice 67 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:58.720 how the breath continues without any effort from you. It 68 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:04.439 does not need your permission, It does not need your planning. 69 00:06:05.560 --> 00:06:08.879 It has been breathing you since the moment you were born, 70 00:06:09.279 --> 00:06:14.399 and it will continue long after this practice ends. There 71 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:18.439 is a profound rest in remembering that something is taking 72 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:27.560 care of you, even when you forget to take care 73 00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:32.600 of yourself. Now, gently bring your awareness to the body. 74 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:37.079 We are going to take a slow tour, not to 75 00:06:37.160 --> 00:06:43.120 fix anything, but to acknowledge what is here. Anxiety often 76 00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:47.040 arrives as a physical event before it becomes a thought. 77 00:06:48.600 --> 00:06:56.040 It tightens the diaphragm, It shortens the breath, It raises 78 00:06:56.120 --> 00:07:02.879 the shoulders towards the years. It clenches the jaw, It 79 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:07.959 knots the stomach. It lives in the body, and it 80 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:12.600 can also leave through the body if we offer it. 81 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:18.560 The breath begin at the top of the head. Notice 82 00:07:18.600 --> 00:07:22.560 the scalp, the temples, the small muscles around the ears. 83 00:07:24.199 --> 00:07:29.319 Notice the forehead, especially the space between the eyebrows, where 84 00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:34.120 we so often hold a thin line of tension. Notice 85 00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:38.000 the eyes, the weight of the eyelids, the small muscles 86 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:44.600 that control them. Notice the jaw, Let it soften a 87 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:50.519 little more. Notice the throat, the place where unsaid words live, 88 00:07:51.079 --> 00:07:54.600 the place where the swallow tightens when something is hard 89 00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:59.759 to accept. Notice the neck, the bridge between the head 90 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:05.600 and the heart. Notice the shoulders, the great carriers, the 91 00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:10.480 place where we hold so much for so many. Notice 92 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:18.000 the upper arms, Notice the elbows, Notice the forearms, and 93 00:08:18.040 --> 00:08:24.680 the hands. The hands are remarkable instruments. They grip, they reach, 94 00:08:25.160 --> 00:08:32.879 they create, they comfort, They fold in prayer. Tonight, let 95 00:08:32.919 --> 00:08:40.759 them rest open. Notice the chest. Notice the rhythm of 96 00:08:40.840 --> 00:08:47.399 the heart beneath the ribs, faithful, unhurried. Notice the upper back, 97 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:52.799 the place where we brace against the world. Notice the 98 00:08:52.840 --> 00:08:58.080 lower back, the breage between the hips and the spine. 99 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:02.600 Notice the belly, the place where we feel things before 100 00:09:02.600 --> 00:09:08.480 we think them. Notice the hips, where we store readiness. 101 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:15.039 Notice the thighs, the knees, the calves, the ankles, and 102 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:21.480 finally the feet. Take a slow breath in as you 103 00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:26.960 breathe out Let the whole body soften by one degree. 104 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:32.799 Just one degree is enough. One degree is a beginning. 105 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:39.240 Take another breath. As you breathe out, let the body 106 00:09:39.399 --> 00:09:46.360 soften by another degree. You are not collapsing. You are 107 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:53.399 releasing your grip. There is a difference. Collapsing is what 108 00:09:53.600 --> 00:09:58.879 happens when we are tired. Releasing is what happens when 109 00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:04.279 we are ready to best tonight. You are ready. Now. 110 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:07.399 We will use the breath as an anchor, a steady 111 00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:11.679 place to return whenever the mind wanders, and it will wander. 112 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:17.840 That is not a failure. That is what minds do. 113 00:10:19.559 --> 00:10:24.720 The practice is the returning. The practice is the small 114 00:10:24.840 --> 00:10:30.799 muscle of attention that says, ah, I have drifted, and gently, 115 00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:37.039 without scolding, brings you back. Begin to lengthen the inhale 116 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:44.159 just slightly to account of four inhale two three four, 117 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:50.559 and the exhale slightly longer, to account of six exhale 118 00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:57.440 two three four five six. Let the ratio do its 119 00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:04.600 quiet work no longer. Exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system, 120 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:08.960 the branch of you that knows how to rest, the 121 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:12.399 branch of you that knows how to digest, to repair, 122 00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:18.879 to soften. With each cycle, the body receives a small message. 123 00:11:19.080 --> 00:11:25.559 You are safe, you are held. You can soften. Now 124 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:32.120 continue at your own pace. If four and six feels 125 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:36.759 too long, try three and five. If even that feels 126 00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:41.000 like too much, simply breathe naturally and notice the pauses 127 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:45.879 between the breaths. There is no wrong way to do this. 128 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:50.240 The breath knows the way, even when you do not. 129 00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:54.080 As you settle into the rhythm, notice how the thoughts 130 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:58.639 begin to lose their sharp edges. The story you've been 131 00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:02.960 telling yourself about tomorrow, the email you have not answered, 132 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:06.720 the conversation you have been rehearsing in your mind, the 133 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:12.039 worry you have been carrying since morning. These stories exist, 134 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:15.159 but they do not need to be believed right now. 135 00:12:16.559 --> 00:12:20.200 The mind is a wonderful storyteller, but it is not 136 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:26.039 always a reliable narrator. Tonight, the breath is the more 137 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:32.679 reliable narrator. Let the breath be the truth. Let the 138 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:36.480 breath tell the story of this moment, this safe, this 139 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:41.919 small moment. Notice how the inhale arrives, whether or not 140 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:46.600 you are ready for it. Notice how the exhale leaves, 141 00:12:46.679 --> 00:12:49.240 whether or not you are ready to Let it go. 142 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:59.080 The breath is older than your thoughts. The breath is 143 00:12:59.159 --> 00:13:08.399 steadier than your moods. The breath is the great constant 144 00:13:12.679 --> 00:13:17.000 trust it. Bring your attention now to the crown of 145 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:21.960 the head, the soft spot where the hair swirls, the 146 00:13:22.039 --> 00:13:28.279 place where many traditions imagine a thousand petal lotus. As 147 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:34.000 you inhale, imagine the breath entering through this point like 148 00:13:34.080 --> 00:13:38.159 a soft rain falling from above. The breath moves down 149 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:44.320 through the skull, gentle as mist. As you exhale, imagine 150 00:13:44.360 --> 00:13:48.679 any tension in the head dissolving like fog lifting from 151 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:58.159 a meadow. The forehead softens, the temples soften, the jaw softens, 152 00:13:59.320 --> 00:14:05.440 the eyes so behind the closed lids. The brain itself softens, 153 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:12.440 the endless chatter softening to a murmur, the murmur softening 154 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:18.200 to silence. Continue for several breaths, letting the crown of 155 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:23.399 the head be the doorway. With each inhale, the breath enters. 156 00:14:23.720 --> 00:14:28.639 With each exhale, the head releases. There is no hurry. 157 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:35.200 The breath is patient, The body is patient. You are 158 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:40.399 allowed to be patient with yourself. Let the breath travel 159 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:45.519 down now into the face and the throat, the faces 160 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:48.679 where we perform for the world. It is where we 161 00:14:48.679 --> 00:14:52.799 were the expressions we think we need to wear, the composure, 162 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:58.559 the calm, the polite smile. Tonight we take off the mask. 163 00:15:00.200 --> 00:15:05.320 Let the face soften, Let the muscles around the eyes 164 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:10.159 let go, Let the small muscles at the corners of 165 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:17.519 the mouth release, Let the jaw drop slightly, the teeth parting, 166 00:15:18.960 --> 00:15:22.200 the tongue resting softly in the floor of the mouth. 167 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:27.559 The throat is where words live and where unspoken words 168 00:15:27.559 --> 00:15:32.879 are held. As you inhale, imagine warm air moving down 169 00:15:32.960 --> 00:15:36.679 through the throat, like honey pouring through a narrow opening, 170 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:43.600 slow and smooth. As you exhale, imagine any unsaid things dissolving, 171 00:15:43.960 --> 00:15:48.159 leaving the throat clear and open. If there is a 172 00:15:48.279 --> 00:15:51.440 tightness in the throat, a lump that has nothing to 173 00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:56.519 do with illness, simply breathe into it. The breath is 174 00:15:56.679 --> 00:16:01.320 wider than the tightness. The breath will pass around it, 175 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:09.200 eventually through it. There is no need to force. There 176 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:13.600 is only the breath. Now, Let the breath move into 177 00:16:13.639 --> 00:16:20.080 the shoulders, the great carriers. The shoulders are where so 178 00:16:20.279 --> 00:16:27.360 many of us hold the world, our responsibilities, our griefs 179 00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:38.039 our ambitions, our frustrations, our care for others. Tonight we 180 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:43.320 set some of that down. As you inhale, imagine the 181 00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:48.919 breath entering the shoulders like a warm breeze. As you exhale, 182 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:54.039 imagine the shoulders dropping a little further, sinking toward the ground. 183 00:16:55.559 --> 00:17:01.840 Notice the upper arms, Yeah, this, the elbows, those hinge 184 00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:05.559 joints that allow us to reach and embrace and pull close. 185 00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:13.240 Notice the forearms and the wrists. Notice the hands, the palms, 186 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:19.160 the fingers. As you inhale, the breath moves through the shoulders, 187 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:25.279 down the arms, into the hands. As you exhale, the 188 00:17:25.400 --> 00:17:31.119 hands soften, the fingers uncurl, the arms grow heavy. There 189 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:34.839 is a famous meditation where you imagine your arms as 190 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:40.200 hollow tubes, and with each inhale you breathe in through 191 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:45.400 the arms. With each exhale, you breathe out through the arms. 192 00:17:46.759 --> 00:17:50.119 The breath travels through the body, not just in and 193 00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:55.920 out of it. Try this for a few rounds. Inhale, 194 00:17:56.160 --> 00:18:01.200 the breath rises up through the arms, hail. The breath 195 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:06.119 flows down through the arms, out through the fingertips. The 196 00:18:06.200 --> 00:18:11.119 hands become soft, the shoulders become loose. The carrying is 197 00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:15.400 over for tonight. Bring your attention now to the chest. 198 00:18:17.599 --> 00:18:21.240 Place both palms there if that feels good, or simply 199 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:26.039 feel the rise and fall beneath your clothing. The chest 200 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:28.559 is the home of the heart, and the heart is 201 00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:35.200 the home of so much. Joy lives there, grief lives there, 202 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:43.559 love lives there, Anxiety lives there. The chest is often 203 00:18:43.640 --> 00:18:46.880 where we feel the weight of the world, the heaviness 204 00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:52.039 of carrying the pressure of keeping going. Tonight, we offer 205 00:18:52.119 --> 00:18:55.920 the breath to the heart space. Imagine the breath as 206 00:18:55.960 --> 00:18:59.720 a soft, warm light entering through the front of the chest. 207 00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:06.400 As you inhale, the light fills the heart space gently, 208 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:11.319 without force. As you exhale, the light softens and spreads 209 00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:19.079 continue for several breaths. Now, imagine the breath entering through 210 00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:23.960 the back of the heart, between the shoulder blades. The 211 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:27.920 inhale fills the space behind the heart, the place where 212 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:34.240 so much is held. The exhale releases. There are unspoken 213 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:37.839 words lodged in the chest. Things we wanted to say 214 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:42.480 and did not, kindnesses we did not receive, apologies we 215 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:47.920 never heard. Tonight, we do not need to remember each item. 216 00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:51.480 We simply breathe into the room where they live. And 217 00:19:51.559 --> 00:19:56.039 we let the breath be enough. Breathe in, the chest 218 00:19:56.119 --> 00:20:01.559 opens by a millimeter, breathe out. The chest softens by 219 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:07.960 another millimeter. The heart keeps its steady rhythm, faithful, unhurried, 220 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:11.960 beating away in the middle of all our worry. Listen 221 00:20:12.119 --> 00:20:16.480 to it for a moment. That sound has been with 222 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:23.400 you your whole life. It is not going anywhere. You 223 00:20:23.559 --> 00:20:28.160 can lean into it. Now. Let the hands drift down 224 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:31.960 to the belly. The belly is the whole of the 225 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:35.599 second brain, the place where we feel things before we 226 00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:39.720 think them. Many of us were taught to hold the 227 00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:45.079 belly tight, to keep it still, to look composed. We 228 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:48.880 learned early that a soft belly was somehow a weak belly, 229 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:52.279 and so we pulled it in day after day, year 230 00:20:52.359 --> 00:20:57.880 after year, until the muscles there forgot how to release. Tonight, 231 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:03.359 we let them. Remember. As you inhale, allow the belly 232 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:06.960 to rise gently towards your hands, like a balloon filling 233 00:21:07.079 --> 00:21:12.400 with warm air. As you exhale, allow it to fall 234 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:17.680 back towards the spine, soft and slow. There is no 235 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:21.880 need to suck it in, There is no need to 236 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:25.720 hold it flat. Let it breathe the way a baby breathes, 237 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:32.160 full and easy and free. Continue for several breaths, feeling 238 00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:37.400 the rise and fall. Notice how the lower back expands 239 00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:42.519 slightly with each inhale. The way the whole torso moves 240 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:49.279 is one soft unit. This is belly breathing, the breathing 241 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:53.680 of small children, the breathing of deep sleep, the breathing 242 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:57.039 your body knew how to do before anyone told you 243 00:21:57.119 --> 00:22:01.920 to do it differently. Eat hail is a small act 244 00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:07.359 of receiving. Each exhale is a small act of letting go. 245 00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:13.319 Receiving and letting go over and over, the rhythm of 246 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:17.519 a life that is allowed to be soft. As you 247 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:29.400 breathe here, you may notice sensations, warmth, tingling, movement, even emotion. 248 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:35.480 Let them be there. You are not trying to feel 249 00:22:35.519 --> 00:22:41.079 a particular way. You are practicing the art of allowing 250 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:46.519 whatever is here to be here. If the belly feels tight, 251 00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:53.359 do not try to soften it by force. Simply breathe 252 00:22:53.440 --> 00:23:00.319 near it. The breath is patient. Eventually the belly will 253 00:23:00.359 --> 00:23:06.160 remember how to soften. Eventually the breath will go where 254 00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:10.480 the breath needs to go. Let the breath travel lower 255 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:14.119 now into the hips and the lower back, The hips 256 00:23:14.119 --> 00:23:18.000 are the place where we store readiness, the body's preparation 257 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:22.519 for action. The hips are where we hold the impulse 258 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:28.279 to run, to fight, to protect, to escape. Many of 259 00:23:28.359 --> 00:23:34.240 us carry chronic tension here without realizing it. As you inhale, 260 00:23:34.599 --> 00:23:38.599 imagine the breath moving down through the pelvis, solfening the 261 00:23:38.680 --> 00:23:43.039 muscles on either side of the spine. As you exhale, 262 00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:47.400 feel the hips releasing their grip, sinking a little deeper 263 00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:52.640 into the surface beneath you. The lower back, that bridge 264 00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:56.440 between the hips and the spine is another warehouse have 265 00:23:56.559 --> 00:24:03.160 held tension. Breathe into it. In hell, the lower back 266 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:09.519 opens by a millimeter. Exhale, it softens by another millimeter. 267 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:17.480 There may be sensations here, sometimes tender, sometimes sharp, sometimes 268 00:24:17.559 --> 00:24:22.680 just a dull heaviness. Whatever is there, Breathe near it. 269 00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:27.200 The breath does not need to reach the exact spot 270 00:24:27.279 --> 00:24:31.440 of the pain. The breath only needs to come close 271 00:24:31.559 --> 00:24:34.839 enough that the body remembers it is not alone with 272 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:40.680 the feeling. Continue for several breaths, allowing the lower back 273 00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:45.119 and hips to soften degree by degree, breath by breath. 274 00:24:46.599 --> 00:24:51.119 The body has been working quietly on your behalf for years. 275 00:24:52.359 --> 00:24:58.200 These muscles do not complain. They simply hold tonight. You 276 00:24:58.279 --> 00:25:04.000 are holding them back. You are saying to them, thank you. 277 00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:08.440 You can run. Now. Let the breath travel further down 278 00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:12.960 Now into the thighs, the knees, the calves, the ankles, 279 00:25:13.240 --> 00:25:15.440 and all the way to the soles of the feet. 280 00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:21.799 The legs carry us through our days. They climb stairs 281 00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:25.039 and chase children, and stand in queues in case in 282 00:25:25.119 --> 00:25:28.839 waiting rooms, and prop us up at concerts, and hold 283 00:25:28.839 --> 00:25:34.759 the steady through long commutes. They rarely get thanked to night. 284 00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:39.640 Thank them inhale, and send the breath down through the 285 00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:44.240 legs like warm water, like sunlight moving through clear glass. 286 00:25:45.319 --> 00:25:50.279 Exhil and feel the heaviness of the legs increasing, settling 287 00:25:50.359 --> 00:25:56.440 into the ground. Notice the thighs, those great powerful muscles 288 00:25:56.880 --> 00:26:02.720 that hold us upright us, the knees, those complex joints 289 00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:07.680 that bend in straighten a thousand times a day. Notice 290 00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:12.680 the calves, the shins, the ankles. Notice the feet, every 291 00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:17.359 small point of contact, the heel, the ball, the toes, 292 00:26:17.799 --> 00:26:22.359 the arches, the spaces between the toes. Feel the floor 293 00:26:22.440 --> 00:26:26.720 holding the feet and the feet holtling you. There is 294 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:30.079 a long lineage of bodies beneath you, and a long 295 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:33.559 lineage ahead of you, and tonight you are part of 296 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:37.440 the link, a single link in a chain that extends 297 00:26:37.480 --> 00:26:41.480 back through all the generations of your family and forward 298 00:26:41.640 --> 00:26:45.839 through all the generations to come. Rest in the simple 299 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:49.519 fact of being held by the earth. The Earth does 300 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:53.000 not need anything from you right now. The Earth is 301 00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:57.400 content to have you here. Rest in. Now we arrive 302 00:26:57.519 --> 00:27:01.319 at the heart of the practice. We are going to 303 00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:05.400 meet the anxiety directly, not to fight it, not to 304 00:27:05.640 --> 00:27:09.839 argue with it, not to push it away, but to 305 00:27:09.960 --> 00:27:14.359 invite it in for tea. Take a breath in, and 306 00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:19.480 as you break out, say silently to yourself, I see you, anxiety. 307 00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:23.240 I know you are here. You have been with me 308 00:27:23.359 --> 00:27:28.759 all day, perhaps all week, perhaps longer. I am no 309 00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:35.400 longer running from you. Take another breath, as you breathe out, 310 00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:40.240 say you are welcome to sit with me. You do 311 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:45.279 not have to leave. I am not asking you to leave. 312 00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:52.200 Take another breath as you breathe out, say but you 313 00:27:52.319 --> 00:27:56.640 are not the boss of me. You are a messenger. 314 00:27:58.119 --> 00:28:01.720 I will listen, but I will not obey every story 315 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:08.119 you tell. Anxiety is a messenger. It is trying to 316 00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:12.799 tell you that something matters to you. It is trying 317 00:28:12.839 --> 00:28:17.200 to tell you that you care. But the messenger has 318 00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:21.000 been shouting so loudly that you can no longer hear 319 00:28:21.079 --> 00:28:27.799 anything else. Tonight, we lower the volume. We do not 320 00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:32.440 silence it. We simply bring it down to a level 321 00:28:32.519 --> 00:28:36.160 where we can also hear the breath, the heartbeat, the 322 00:28:36.200 --> 00:28:39.480 small sounds of the room, the quiet of the night. 323 00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:46.799 Continue breathing at your own pace. If images come, let 324 00:28:46.839 --> 00:28:54.039 them come. If words come, let them come. If nothing comes, 325 00:28:54.359 --> 00:28:58.640 that is also fine. Sometimes the anxiety shows up as 326 00:28:58.680 --> 00:29:02.759 a color, as a weight, sometimes as a not in 327 00:29:02.839 --> 00:29:07.839 the chest, sometimes as a voice in the head. Whatever 328 00:29:08.039 --> 00:29:12.359 shape it takes tonight, let it have its shape. You 329 00:29:12.440 --> 00:29:17.559 are not trying to make it disappear. You are practicing 330 00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:23.119 being present with it. The practice of meeting anxiety with 331 00:29:23.279 --> 00:29:27.920 friendliness is older than any of us. It is not 332 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:33.359 about being calm. It is about being present. You can 333 00:29:33.400 --> 00:29:38.279 be anxious and present at the same time. You can 334 00:29:38.319 --> 00:29:43.200 be afraid and breathing at the same time. You can 335 00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:48.119 be worried and held at the same time. The breath 336 00:29:48.200 --> 00:29:53.359 returns you to your body. The body returns you to 337 00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:58.480 this moment. The moment is small enough to be bearable. 338 00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:03.720 Now we will spend a few minutes focused entirely on 339 00:30:03.839 --> 00:30:11.599 the exhale. The inhale is receiving, the exhal is releasing. 340 00:30:13.160 --> 00:30:17.079 Most anxiety lives in the grip of the exhale, in 341 00:30:17.160 --> 00:30:23.559 the held breath, in the reluctant letting go. We hold 342 00:30:23.599 --> 00:30:28.279 our breath when we brace. We hold our breath when 343 00:30:28.359 --> 00:30:32.960 we are waiting for something. We hold our breath when 344 00:30:33.000 --> 00:30:39.200 we are listening for bad news. So tonight we practice 345 00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:46.759 the opposite. Tonight, we let the breath leave. Inhale gently 346 00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:52.279 for account of four, exhale slowly for a count of eight. 347 00:30:52.640 --> 00:30:58.119 If that feels comfortable. If eight is too long, try six. 348 00:30:59.599 --> 00:31:02.680 If move than six is too long, simply make the 349 00:31:02.759 --> 00:31:07.519 exhale one or two counts longer than the inhale. The 350 00:31:07.640 --> 00:31:12.319 exact numbers are not the point. The point is the 351 00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:18.119 invitation to release. As you exhale, imagine that you are 352 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:21.680 breathing out the day, the held breath in the shoulders, 353 00:31:23.119 --> 00:31:30.240 the unspoken words, the tension behind the eyes, the story 354 00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:35.720 you keep telling yourself about tomorrow, the conversation you have 355 00:31:35.759 --> 00:31:43.079 been rehearsing, the decision you have been postponing, the apology 356 00:31:43.240 --> 00:31:47.200 you have been meaning to mate the thank you you 357 00:31:47.319 --> 00:31:52.920 have been meaning to send. Each exal is a small farewell. 358 00:31:54.440 --> 00:31:59.920 Each exil is permission to put something down. Continue the 359 00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:06.839 practice for several rounds. Let the exhale grow longer and softer. 360 00:32:08.519 --> 00:32:11.839 Let the body discover that it knows how to release. 361 00:32:13.400 --> 00:32:16.400 There is a wisdom in the exhale that the mind 362 00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:21.240 does not always know. The body knows how to let go. 363 00:32:22.839 --> 00:32:26.640 The body does it every night when it surrenders to sleep. 364 00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:34.359 Tonight we borrow that wisdom. Tonight we let the body lead. 365 00:32:35.440 --> 00:32:39.519 If it feels right, allow the exhal to have a sound, 366 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:49.640 a soft hum, a long sigh, the whispered word release. 367 00:32:51.440 --> 00:32:56.359 Sound is another door. The breath can carry what the 368 00:32:56.400 --> 00:33:01.960 body cannot hold in stillness. Sometimes the worry is so 369 00:33:02.200 --> 00:33:05.720 deep in the body that the breath alone cannot reach it. 370 00:33:07.119 --> 00:33:14.440 The sound can. The vibration can Inhale through the nose, 371 00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:20.160 exhale through the mouth with a long, low hum, letting 372 00:33:20.200 --> 00:33:23.640 the vibration move through your chest and throat. Let the 373 00:33:23.759 --> 00:33:28.640 sound be soft and unhurried. Let it travel down into 374 00:33:28.680 --> 00:33:33.400 the belly and out through the legs. Continue for as 375 00:33:33.519 --> 00:33:38.599 long as feels right. There is no audience. Here there 376 00:33:38.680 --> 00:33:41.759 is only you and the breath and the small sound 377 00:33:41.799 --> 00:33:47.000 that helps the release travel further. You might feel foolish 378 00:33:47.079 --> 00:33:51.480 at first. That is fine. Foolishness is a small price 379 00:33:51.599 --> 00:33:56.799 to pay for letting go. If tears come, let them come. 380 00:33:57.440 --> 00:34:01.079 The body has its own wisdom about what needs to leave. 381 00:34:02.640 --> 00:34:07.079 The breath will hold you through it, the sound will 382 00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:11.079 hold you through it. The room will hold you through it. 383 00:34:12.599 --> 00:34:17.320 You are not alone with this. You have never been 384 00:34:17.400 --> 00:34:24.400 alone with this. Now, let the practice become very simple. 385 00:34:24.639 --> 00:34:28.599 Let the breath return to its natural rhythm. Let the 386 00:34:28.639 --> 00:34:33.639 body be still, Let the room hold you. There is 387 00:34:33.800 --> 00:34:38.960 nothing to do for the next few minutes except be here. 388 00:34:39.320 --> 00:34:42.960 If thoughts arise, notice them the way you would notice 389 00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:48.400 birds landing on a branch. They come, they rest, they 390 00:34:48.440 --> 00:34:54.679 fly away. You are the branch, You are the sky. 391 00:34:56.360 --> 00:35:01.400 You are not the birds. You are also not the wind. 392 00:35:03.000 --> 00:35:06.000 You are the wide open space in which all of 393 00:35:06.039 --> 00:35:13.440 this is happening. Continue to breathe. Let the inhale be receiving, 394 00:35:15.039 --> 00:35:19.079 Let the exhale be releasing. Rest in the simple rhythm, 395 00:35:20.519 --> 00:35:24.079 Rest in the simple fact of being here, in a body, 396 00:35:24.440 --> 00:35:27.800 in a room, on a planet that is turning slowly 397 00:35:27.920 --> 00:35:32.679 through the night. You are part of something much larger 398 00:35:32.719 --> 00:35:37.480 than the worry. The worry is a small weather system 399 00:35:37.559 --> 00:35:42.320 in a vast sky. The sky is not diminished by 400 00:35:42.400 --> 00:35:49.599 the weather. The sky is still there, behind it, around it, 401 00:35:49.920 --> 00:35:55.039