Cultivating Freedom from Anxiety and Fear

Welcome Wellness Warriors!

Congratulations and Welcome to our first month of Wellness Basic Training!

This month is focused on practices and resources to support you when navigating feelings of anxiety, fear, or overwhelm.

Cultivating Freedom from Anxiety and Fear

It has been said that the mind is a terrible master and a wonderful servant.

Over the course of this month, we will develop the habit of being in charge of our minds.

It's normal to feel anxiety and fear, especially when faced with unknowns.

Our brains are terrific problem solvers (even when those problems are completely made up!). We have evolved over thousands of years with a brain designed to keep us safe and ultimately continue our species.

Our minds are able to make up lots of scenarios, especially worst case scenarios in order to solve potential problems and keep us safe.

This can get overwhelming for our nervous system, and when put in the driver's seat often leads to activation of our flight or fight response. When left unchecked this constant protection response can lead to an anxious or fearful emotional state.

I have put together simple but powerful practices that, with just a few minutes per day, can help to create a habit of stillness, ease, and awareness that is aimed to de-activate our flight or fight response and bring in a new relationship with the state of anxiety and emotion of fear.

How this program works:

ONE. ZOOM CALL We start the program with a live or recorded call. We will use this time to go over the program, practices, and answer any questions that you may have.

TWO. WEEKLY PRACTICES. Each Week you will receive a set of practices and support via email that will guide you through each day of the week. I have limited your time commitment to 10 minutes/day or less - the minimum dosage required for effective change

THREE. GROUP SUPPORT You will have group support throughout the program. Join us in this online forum : https://discord.gg/R3X8zHb to ask any questions or share in the journeys of those of your fellow wellness warriors.

WEEKLY OVERVIEW

August 1-7 (10 minutes/day) 
Cultivating Stillness in the presence of upset

August 8-14 (10 minutes/day) 
Cultivating Relaxation in the presence of upset

August 15-21 (10 minutes/day) 
Cultivating a sense of Allowing in the presence of upset

August 15-21 (10 minutes/day) 
Cultivating a Perspective of Freedom in the presence of upset

Program Resources

WEEK 1 - Cultivating Stillness

Welcome to Week One of your Basic Training Program.

Think of our daily practice as a week long experiment. Im asking you to approach the practices with curiosity. You are going to learn what these tools actually do for you, and to see if they benefit you. There is also a cumulative effect that will be taking place as you move through the weeks. This week, I'm asking you to commit 110% by taking only 10 minutes per day to do your practice. No excuses, just do it. You can practice these in any way that best suites your schedule and space. You may do them all in once sitting or spread through the day if that works better for you. Once you get the basic idea of the practice through the audio or video guides you may practice them without the guidance if you prefer.

Here are our DAILY PRACTICES for Days 1-7

Here are our DAILY PRACTICES for Days 1-7

Cultivating Stillness (10 min/day)

1. Sighing Practice - 1 min/day 
We naturally and unconsciously sigh when we are feeling overwhelmed. In Chinese & Ayurvedic Medicine conscious sighing is a way to release a buildup of heat or emotional energy from the heart center. Practice this for 1 minute each day to help release any buildup of emotional energy. Sigh as loudly as you are able!

2. Body Awareness Meditation - 5 min/day 
This practice will quickly and efficiently unwind the body and help activate our parasympathetic (rest & digest) system.

3. Stillness Meditation - 4 min/day

You only need to watch the introductory video once and then continue with the stillness meditation daily

a few suggestions to keep in mind for our daily meditation practices
1. Allow everything to be exactly as it already is 2. What is it like (or could It be like) to be even more still than you already are right now?

If You have time ( or if you can make time)

Optional Resources for this Week

▪READ A Practice of Connection When You are Feeling Overwhelmed by Dr. Page Buck

▪WATCH 4 Ways to Stop an Anxiety Spiral with Oprah & Friends

▪LISTEN to Brené Brown on Anxiety, Calm + Over/Under-Functioning

WEEK 2 - Cultivating Ease

Here are our DAILY PRACTICES for Days 8-14 (10 min/day)

note: Feel free to continue any practices that you found helpful from the previous week!

1. Drink Water (half your body weight in ounces/day ie. if you weigh 200 lbs drink 100 oz of water )

Dehydration increases cortisol (the stress hormone) and is a root cause of flight or fight response and adrenal fatigue. Staying hydrated also balances electrolytes and is KEY in helping relieve symptoms of anxiety and nervous system overwhelm. And the best part…. It works REALLY fast!

2. 3 part Breath Practice  - 5 min/day

I have taught this breath to hundreds of patients, it's simple, potent, and brings a calm focus when done right. 

The 3 part breath is actually a teaching tool to make use of you entire lung. The lungs go from the bottom of the rib cage all the way up to the collar bone. Our goal is to fill the entire lung in a smooth and easy breath. 

3. Ease Meditation 3 min/day

What does it feel like to be more at ease than I already am? -

1. Allow everything to be exactly as It is already 2. What does if feel like to be even more STILL than you already are? 3. What does if feel like to be even more RELAXED than you already are?

If You have time ( or if you can make time)

Optional Resources for this Week

▪WATCH - Our Deconstructing Anxiety Workshop with Dr. Todd Pressman (1.5 hours)

▪WATCH How to cope with grief, fear and anxiety during Corona | Brené Brown (20 minutes)

WEEK 3 - Cultivating Awareness

Here are our DAILY PRACTICES for Days 15-21 (7 min/day)

How are you feeling? What are the practices so far that have helped you the most? We are continuing by adding a couple more practices for this week. Feel free to continue any practices that you found helpful from the previous weeks! And please feel free to stay in touch via our Group Page! We just have 2 practices this week!

  1. We are taking it to the next level …. For the next 7 days we are going on a News Fast!
    Taking a break from the news (radio, papers, magazines, internet news, social media news, conversations, etc) can be an amazing way to get back to center which will ease anxiety, calm stress, and renew your spirits. I'm not saying that you should unplug and become uninformed about the state of the world forever. However, a periodic news fast like this will give us clarity, awareness, and help bring a certain ease and perspective back into our hearts and minds. 

    If you are aching or feeling news withdraw - find a comedy to watch or read a fun book!

  2.  Awareness Meditation 7 minutes/day
    Be Still, Relax, and Be Aware! What does it feel like to expand our awareness even more?

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

If You have time ( or if you can make time)

Optional Resources for this Week

WEEK 4 - Cultivating a Perspective of Freedom

Here are our DAILY PRACTICES for Week 4 (10 min/day)

How are you feeling? What is the biggest change you have noticed between now and the start of the program? This is our last week of practices! I hope you are enjoying your growing toolbox of simple tools that can powerfully shift your relationship to anxiety and fear. Keep up your great work!!!

Days 22-31- Perspective is Everything (10 minutes/day)

1. Ear Massage- 1 min/day
A gentle ear massage is a great way to stimulate the energy of the entire body through the practice of ear reflexology or Auriculotherapy. Ear reflexology is the system of holistic medicine, where we understand that points and areas of the ear relate to different areas of the body. By doing this simple 1 minute, feel-good massage we can stimulate, awaken and relax our entire nervous system.

2. Allowing Meditation (9 minutes/day)
What is it like to Allow everything to be exactly as it is? What does it feel like to allow even more?

If You have time ( or if you can make time)

Optional Resources for this Week

Going Forward

Putting it all together

Congratulations! You have made through our month long program. My intention was to give you some solid embodied practices that can help you both in an ongoing way and during experience of acute of anxiety and fear. By this time you should have a nice tool box filled with powerful but simple practices to help change your relationship with anxiety and fear.

A recommendation for going forward.

Put it all together for a month! As we go forward you may of course use these tools as needed, independently or together. Here is my recommendation for a full practice. Try it for the next 30 days!

The full practice (13 minutes/day)

  • Hydrate

  • Sighing (30 seconds )

  • Ear Massage (30 seconds )

  • 3 part breath (3 minutes)

  • Allowing Meditation (9 minutes)

Optionally

  • continue your news fast and stay off of social media (Facebook in particular - try instagram instead)

  • continue to dance

As always I am here for you - if you need me! going forward feel free to use our Mighty networks page - i may invite others there too or email me at Lance@VillageWellness.net

A million Love,

Lance