Calming the Rush of Panic (5 page)

As you come to the end of this meditation, congratulate yourself that you took this time to be present and that you are directly cultivating inner resources for healing and well-being. Let us take a moment to end this meditation with the wish “May all beings be at peace.”

How to Practice Mindful Breathing

Give yourself the gift of formally practicing this meditation every day, even for a short period. It might be helpful to start off practicing mindful breathing for five minutes once a day and build it up from there. Maybe you’ll find that you can add a second or even a third five-minute session, practicing mindful breathing at different times of your day. You can get additional benefit if you gradually extend your mindful breathing to ten, fifteen, twenty, or even thirty minutes at least once a day. Let this be a part of your practice of mindfulness that you look forward to doing, a special time for you to center yourself and “return home” to your being. Feel free to use an alarm clock or timer; you can download free meditation timers from the Insight Meditation Center (
http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/meditation-timers/
) that feature a pleasant sound.

Like other meditations offered in this book, mindful breathing can be incorporated into your daily activities too. As far as where to practice informally, just about anywhere works. Take a few minutes at home, at work, at the doctor’s office, at the bus stop, or even while waiting in line to bring a little mindful breathing into your life. You can also make it a habit to take a few mindful breaths right after you wake up, when you take a morning break, at lunchtime, in the afternoon, at night, or right before you go to sleep. Once you’ve practiced mindful breathing at these times, you can experiment with using it when you’re feeling some angst, to help you calm the rush of panic in your body.

Jane’s Story

Jane had lived with panic for a long time, and it prevented her from fully living her life. Even going to the store stirred up feelings of panic for Jane. She wished that she had more self-confidence so that she could take on bigger challenges, but she didn’t know what to do. Sometimes she wondered whether she would ever be successful.

One day, Jane heard from a friend she hadn’t seen in a while, Tom, who also lived with panic. Tom told her about a breathing practice that he’d learned at an MBSR class. He said that it was helping him a lot. Jane was skeptical at first. Breathing? Ha! she thought. I breathe all the time, and it doesn’t help me! However, the next time she saw Tom—who had formerly been so wracked with panic he could barely go out at all— she was staggered to see him not only functioning but living much better. He even seemed happy. Tom showed Jane how to do breathe mindfully, and she began practicing it.

Jane felt that deliberately taking the time to practice mindful breathing helped her calm down, and this gave her a very practical and useful tool she could bring into her life wherever she went. Even as she walked to the post office down the street, Jane could practice her breathing to stay centered. As she began to feel at ease within herself, she grew in confidence that she had the inner resources to deal with her panic, and she knew that she was on the right track. Gradually she began to feel better and regain some of the life that she felt as if she had lost. Her self-confidence soared, and she began to explore the world around her with greater curiosity and enjoyment.

The Body Scan

The body scan is another meditation that can help you deal with panic, anxiety, or fear by first sensing or feeling into the body with mindfulness. By practicing the body scan you’ll learn to bring your attention directly into your body, part by part, to feel and acknowledge whatever’s present—physically, emotionally, and mentally.

As you scan your body you may discover physical tension or pain, as well as strong emotions of panic, sadness, or anger. The practice is to be mindful and nonjudgmental and to acknowledge whatever you’re feeling. If you have sensations of tightness, see whether you can allow them to soften, and if you’re unable to do so, then let them be—let the waves of sensations ripple or resonate wherever they need to go. Just as the sky gives room for a storm, make space for what you’re feeling physically or mentally. By acknowledging your body, emotions, and thoughts rather than suppressing, denying, or repressing them, you’ll become less burdened by them.

You can learn the body scan by reading the script below, pausing after each paragraph for a short time to focus on the parts you’ve been instructed to meditate upon, or you’re welcome to download a fifteen-, thirty-, or forty-five-minute recording from New Harbinger Publications at newharbinger.com/25264.

Foundational Practice: The Body Scan

Get yourself settled into a quiet place where you can be left undisturbed. Turn off your phone or any other device that might take you away from this special time that you’re giving yourself. Find a posture in which you can be comfortable and alert. You’re welcome to sit on a chair or cushion, or you can lie down on your bed or the carpet.

(Note: Some people find the body scan very relaxing and like to use it at bedtime as a way to fall asleep, as we describe later in this chapter. This is fine, especially if you have difficulties falling or staying asleep. If it’s not bedtime, however, try to stay awake during the body scan, to get other important benefits from it. If you find yourself unintentionally falling asleep, make an adjustment—if you’re lying down, for example, try sitting up.)

First, take a moment to congratulate yourself for taking this time for meditation.

Begin by checking in with yourself to see how you are feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally, and just let it be. There’s no need to judge, analyze, or figure things out. Just allowing yourself to be in the here and now, just as you are.

Now gently shift your focus to the breath, becoming aware of your breath moving in and out of your nostrils or causing your belly to rise and fall. Breathing in and knowing breathing in; breathing out and knowing breathing out.

There will be times that your mind will wander from the breath, and when you recognize this, just acknowledge it and then come back to the breath, breathing in and out.

And now gently withdraw your attention from mindful breathing, and before we move into the body scan we would like to offer you an introduction to it. As you prepare to go through your body part by part, be mindful of what you are experiencing at first physically and sensationally. There may be times that the feelings in your body evoke emotions and thoughts—if that happens, just let that be part of your meditation, to be acknowledged as part of your practice. If you feel any anxiety or panic, just acknowledge it and let it be, allowing yourself to ride the waves of its sensations, just giving it space to run its course.

Also in regard to the body, perhaps you have had some parts surgically removed or replaced. You may have added parts such as surgical screws, plates, and most commonly dental fillings. Maybe you are living with an illness or pain that has affected your body in a number of ways. Whatever shape or situation you find your body in, please be mindful and acknowledge whatever is evoked physically, mentally, or emotionally, and let it be.

Now let’s begin the body scan by bringing your attention to the bottom of the left foot, sensing into where you feel your foot making contact with the floor or another surface.

Gradually expand your awareness to the entire bottom of the left foot, then to the toes, then to the top of the foot, then into the heel and the lower Achilles tendon area, and then up to the left ankle, sensing whatever is present.

Now expand to the lower left leg, feeling into the calf and shin and its connection to the knee. Being present.

Remind yourself from time to time to be mindful of whatever thoughts or emotions you have as a result of feeling the sensations in your body.

Letting awareness now rise up into the thigh, sensing into the upper leg and its connection to the left hip.

And now, withdrawing your awareness from the left hip down to the left foot and shifting it into the right foot, again beginning at that point where you feel your foot making contact with the floor or another surface.

Then gradually expanding your awareness to the entire bottom of the right foot, then to the toes, then to the top of the foot, then into the heel and the lower Achilles tendon area, and then up to the right ankle, sensing and feeling into your right foot and ankle.

Now expanding your attention to the lower right leg, feeling into the calf and shin and its connection to the knee, being present.

Letting your awareness now rise up into the thigh. Sensing into the upper leg and its connection to the right hip.

Gently withdrawing your attention from the right hip and moving it into the pelvic region. Sensing into the systems of elimination and reproduction. Being present.

Remembering to be mindful from time to time of whatever the sensations in your body evoke emotionally and mentally. If you come across feelings of panic, acknowledge them and let them be, allowing yourself to ride the waves of panic, just giving it space to run its course.

Now gently shifting your focus from the pelvic region to the abdomen and into the belly—the great home of digestion and assimilation—feeling into your guts with awareness and letting be.

And now bringing your awareness into the tailbone and sensing into the lower, middle, and upper parts of the back, noticing sensations, allowing any tightness to soften if possible and, if not possible, then letting those sensations be. Let the sensations ripple in whatever direction they need to take. Being present.

Letting your awareness now travel around to the front of the body: into the skin of the chest, then through the breasts, then gently inward into the rib cage and sternum, and then into the lungs and the heart, being present.

Remembering from time to time to be mindful and acknowledging any thoughts and emotions, including panic, sadness, or anger, riding their waves and letting be.

Withdrawing your attention from the chest and shifting your awareness to the tips of the fingers of the left hand. Feeling into the fingers, then into the palm, and then to the top of the hand and up into the left wrist.

Proceeding up into the forearm, then elbow, then upper left arm, and then left shoulder, noticing sensations.

And now shifting your awareness to the tips of the fingers of the right hand. Feeling into the fingers, then the palm, then the top of the hand, and then the right wrist.

Proceeding up into the forearm, then elbow, then upper right arm, and then shoulder. Being present—feeling into the right arm with your awareness.

Letting your awareness now expand fully into both shoulders and armpits and then up into the neck and throat, being present, remembering from time to time to be mindful and acknowledging any thoughts and emotions, including panic, sadness, or anger, riding their waves and letting be.

And now bringing your awareness into the hinge of the jaw and then gently into the teeth, then the tongue, and then the lips, allowing any resonating rings of sensations to go wherever they need to go and letting be.

Feeling into the chin and up to the cheeks, then to the sinus passages that go deep inside the head, then to the eyes and the muscles around the eyes. Feeling into the forehead and the temples, being present.

Expanding your awareness now into the top and back of the head, then into the ears, and then into the inside of the head to the brain, being present and acknowledging anything you are feeling physically, mentally, or emotionally and letting be.

Now expanding the field of your awareness to the entire body, from head to toes to fingertips, connecting the head to the neck, to the shoulders, arms, hands, chest, back, belly, hips, pelvic region, legs, and feet.

Feelingthe body as a whole organism, being present.

Breathing in, feeling the whole body rising and expanding, and breathing out, feeling it falling and contracting, being mindful of whatever is arising physically, mentally, or emotionally and letting be—being present.

As you come to the end of the body scan, take a moment first to open your eyes, wiggle your fingers and toes, and just be here and now. In a few minutes you will get up and go on with your day. Congratulate yourself for taking this time to be present and for directly participating in your health and well-being.

“May all beings be at peace.”