The current unrest in the world with a very real pandemic and overall fear creates constriction and barriers towards living confidently and open to the flow of life.  Our tendency is to close down and engage in catastrophic thinking.   Even if we have to self-quarantine does not equate to stopping our capacity for peace and living with compassion and connectivity.  Now is the time to invite flow into your life and live with greater ease as much as possible by acknowledging our part in the formation of judgment, tension, and behaviors that perpetuate fear.  Mindfulness will assist in the awareness of what is constricting the expression of our light and elevate positive energy and connectivity so that we can deter increasing divisiveness and the urge to isolate our hearts and minds.  It certainly is more than enough if we must quarantine our bodies. 

My fear and anger have spiked up and down these past few days and I have found this exercise to be very helpful.   It has been important for me to put my feet on the ground, take a pause before reacting, and see my reactions from a broader perspective.  Rather than a response that is thoughtless and spontaneous, which I definitely have done, this meditation shifts everything for me.

Opening to the freedom and flexibility of choice is what will ACTUALLY make a difference in the world. 

Meditation for letting go of stress and fear

We implement this practice to notice how we are tight and getting in our own way so that we can create space for more optimal decisions and action.  Most importantly, it is to soften and live in the freedom and flow of life. 

1. Sit or stand comfortably and begin to breathe naturally.   
2. Bring your awareness to yourself sitting or standing and feel your feet on the Earth.
3. Notice if there is any kind of tension in your body, specific places or in your mind that may take the form of frustration, tension, fear or sadness.   
4. Take a few moments to hold your awareness on the state of your mental and physical sensations.  
5. Label what is being experienced and explore them without judgment. If you have the urge to withdraw and avoid difficult feelings, stay with it and breathe!
6. After a few moments in step 5, place the particular thoughts and sensations in a “cloud” and allow them to float away.  The contents of this cloud are just thoughts, a product of a moment in time. 
7. Ask yourself, “What is the truth in this situation?” & “What can I do now to make a difference?”  If there is nothing, then allow for that. 
8. Go and do what you can!  Proceed with kindness and compassion towards yourself and others. 

Now is a time to unclench our jaws, relax our shoulders, take a deep breath, invite oxygen into our hearts and brains, feel our feet on the Earth and take actions towards individual and collective healing.