Try this guided meditation for stress relief whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed with stress, anxiety, and the demands in your life. Stress arises when we’re feeling disconnected from ourselves. Relief always comes from reconnecting to your body, heart, and mind. The best way to release tension and overwhelm is through meditation.
Anyone can do this meditation, even beginners! All it takes is a willingness to dive deep into the practice so you can fully access your healing capacity. That’s all that’s required to learn how to meditate for stress relief. However, it is helpful to prepare with this breathing practice first to help remove distractions and focus the mind on the body and your intention.
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Guided Meditation for Stress Relief and Security
How to Meditate for Stress Relief
Consciously Relax Into the Present Moment
Come into a comfortable seated position. This can be any version of a cross-legged pose, sitting in Vajrasana on the feet or in Virasana in between them. Of course you can also sit in a chair, just make sure your feet are firmly on the ground.
Close your eyes and align your spine evenly over your seat. Feel that the center of the chest is right over the center of the hips. Feel that the center of the head is right over the center of the chest.
Take several slow, deep, even breaths. With the first few breaths, exhale out through the mouth with a sigh to consciously release any stress and tension. Feel this release in the body, the heart, and the mind. Let go of anything that is feeling heavy. Tension in the body dissolves as you scan the body from the head down. You’re also letting go of any demands and obligations that are weighing on the mind and heart.
Turn your mind inward, watching the smooth flow of each breath. Feel the ease and spaciousness in every level of your being in the present moment.
Stress Relief by Creating a Safe Energetic Boundary
Create an imaginary boundary a few feet around you. Use materials that would feel or look inviting (eg. silk, warm wool, vibrant colored light, or even sound waves). This boundary is containing your energy so you’re not engaging too much with anything on the outside. It’s also protecting you from outside influences.
Fill your energetic space/tent/cocoon with anything you love that is beautiful and creates happiness (eg. animals, plants, art, crystals, etc.). Leave people out of your space since even your most loving friends and family can sometimes cause distress. Continue filling your space around you, with your creative mind, until you feel a change inside. You should actually feel more safe, secure, happy, and loved.
As you tap into these feelings, imagine that you’re absorbing this love and comfort into every cell of your body. It penetrates into the skin and all the organs. If you used light and sound for your energetic cocoon, you can imagine them penetrating inside too. Feel that you’re less solid, less rigid with stress as you release tension. You’re becoming more fluid and spacious.
With your awareness and these positive feelings that this healing space is creating, you’re releasing whatever is making you feel bound and overwhelmed in your body.
Search for a shift in your emotional tone as you feel emotions venting. Hopefully you’ll be feeling more neutral and less identified with any unsettling emotions that were previously there.
In your mind, see that you’re fully living in this freed up body, in this safe, comfortable space. You created this space and can create it at any time!
Stay Free of Tension and Overwhelm with Mindful Awareness
You can choose to leave this self-made cocoon around yourself with a balance of inner and outer awareness. You’ll be able to distinguish much easier now, what is happening in you and around you. And you’ll be able to make clear energetic boundaries so you’re more conscious of what to bring in and engage with from the outside world.
If you’re choosing to let this boundary dissolve, remember that you can return to it anytime throughout the day.
Let your senses start to widen, becoming more aware of what you’re hearing, feeling, tasting, and smelling. Finally, let your eyes open. Before you leave this space, perhaps you can make an intention to remain mindful of your inner landscape as you move through the rest of your day.
With this guided meditation for stress relief, I hope you can now see that you have some control over how stress affects you. And hopefully you’re feeling more at ease, filled with love, and ready to move on with your day without it feeling overwhelming. Please let me know how it worked out for you, in the comments!
Namasté
