I didn’t realize it on the time, however a robust two-hour meditation session within the rain would rework my concern and anxiousness eternally.
Let me take you again…
Years in the past there was a bloody terrible time in my life when my expensive mother practically handed and on the identical time I used to be breaking apart with my girlfriend, all whereas coping with a serious well being concern. I gained’t lie. I used to be in a horrible state, my stress and anxiousness ranges had been via the roof, and I used to be having panic assaults. It felt as if I had been being electrocuted from the within. And it went on for weeks.
Then at some point I simply couldn’t take it anymore. I demanded myself to go exterior and meditate for nonetheless lengthy it took to work my manner out of the maze of stress in my thoughts. I’m about to let you know how I did that, as a result of I’m very assured that my expertise, and what I realized from it, might be very invaluable for you should you’re going via a time of stress.
Fast Truth Break: What Stress Does To The Mind
| Impact of Stress | Description |
|---|---|
| Amygdala activation | Heightens concern and emotional reactions |
| Hippocampus shrinkage | Impairs reminiscence and emotional regulation |
| Prefrontal cortex suppression | Reduces decision-making and self-control |
How I Meditated Out Of Stress And Anxiousness
It was a really wet spring day once I determined I’d meditate till I escaped my fears.
And right here we come to the primary inalienable fact of meditation and anxiousness: it may be loopy tough to make your self meditate throughout occasions of acute stress. At such occasions you are feeling far more like screaming on the high of your lungs than sitting silently and observing your breath.
It’s paradoxical that meditation, arguably the most effective factor for stress, is the very last thing you are feeling like doing once you’re pressured. I believe there’s a level of concern too, since you’re usually fearful about what ideas you would possibly observe once you lastly sit in silence — once you lastly cease distracting your self from all that ache inside.
For me, it took a second of sheer will — the sort of will you’ve gotten when ripping off a bandaid — to really make myself go exterior to meditate. However I did determine to face the music and dance. And so I went exterior and stood within the pouring rain. And have you learnt what? Standing within the rain helped a terrific deal.
Throughout occasions of utmost stress, you are feeling much more like screaming than sitting silently and observing your breath.
Fast Perception: Why Meditation Feels Laborious Throughout Stress
- Battle-or-flight mode makes sitting nonetheless really feel unnatural
- Concern of ideas: Silence can enlarge painful feelings
- Power imbalance: Restlessness and agitation peak throughout stress
Standing within the Rain Helped…
Once I determined to meditate within the rain that day, it wasn’t deliberate. I used to be simply determined to be alone, exterior, and respiration deeply.
However trying again, I’m completely sure the rain helped me floor myself through the meditation session. Scientifically, we all know that tapping (Emotional Freedom Approach) and chilly publicity will help to scale back anxiousness signs. So it makes excellent sense that the chilly rain tapping in opposition to my pores and skin naturally supported my try at overcoming stress via meditation.
Additionally, due to the rain, I couldn’t sit down. That turned out to be one other blessing. I used to be too agitated to sit down calmly, however standing? That felt doable. Possibly it’s the physique language distinction — standing feels stronger, extra empowered than sitting passively.
Apparently, standing meditation is a conventional approach in Daoist practices. It’s referred to as Zhan Zhuang, and it’s used to align the physique with pure forces and strengthen inside power (Qi). It additionally teaches stillness within the face of discomfort, one thing I desperately wanted at the moment.
Standing Meditation (Zhan Zhuang) At A Look
| Profit | Why It Helps |
|---|---|
| Improves grounding | Really feel extra linked and secure |
| Builds resilience | Trains us to remain calm underneath stress |
| Aligns power channels | Helps therapeutic and vitality |
I Additionally Used Abhaya Mudra
One other vital a part of my meditation that day was my hand gesture: Abhaya Mudra.
That is an historic gesture symbolizing fearlessness, safety, and peace. You carry out it by elevating your proper hand to shoulder top, palm going through outward, fingers prolonged upward.
Symbolically, it’s about projecting power and calm, which is strictly what I wanted to beat my intense anxiousness. Utilizing it helped me embody the interior energy to remain current via the storm — each exterior and inside.
How Abhaya Mudra Helps Anxiousness
- Represents fearlessness and security
- Embodies braveness bodily via posture
- Rewires body-mind connection towards calmness
And So, My Anxiousness Meditation Started
The second I attempted to meditate, it turned apparent: I couldn’t use my common meditation approach. My thoughts was too scrambled for that.
Usually, I’d deal with my respiration, however each time I attempted, my thoughts would instantly spiral into stress ideas. So as an alternative of forcing a inflexible technique, I gave myself permission to deal with something within the current second: the rain on my pores and skin, the sensation of my toes planted on the bottom, the sound of the wind.
The easy rule I gave myself was: “Once you get too misplaced in ideas or feelings, simply come again to any sensory expertise.”
It took a very long time. However slowly, my thoughts started to quiet. I began feeling extra grounded, extra alive, extra right here.
Fast Tip: Sensory Focus Meditation Methodology
- Concentrate on one sense (contact, sound, odor, and so on.)
- When overwhelmed, return to that sensory anchor
- Mild consideration, no pressure or stress to pay attention
That Meditation Modified Issues
I’m not going to let you know I immediately healed all my trauma in two hours. This isn’t Instagram.
However I’ll let you know this: that meditation created an actual shift in me.
The stress and anxiousness had been nonetheless there after that wet meditation, however my mindset had modified dramatically. Earlier than, I had felt hopeless, trapped in my struggling. Afterward, I felt empowered. I noticed that even in the midst of overwhelming stress, I might maintain myself via it with meditation.
And that realization began me on the true path to therapeutic.
Prepared To Begin Therapeutic By means of Meditation?
In case you’re combating stress or anxiousness, meditation could make all of the distinction.
Begin easy. Begin now.
And should you’d like some steerage, take a look at my free sources or e-book a non-public meditation teaching session with me.
You might be stronger than you assume.
Paul Harrison is a meditation instructor with 20+ years of expertise and a deep ardour for serving to others. Recognized for his empathy and genuine method, he’s devoted to guiding people and groups towards mindfulness, readability, and well-being.
