| Length | 8:26 |
|---|---|
| Subject | Anxiety & Stress |
| Best time | Any time. In the middle of a storm, or when you can see one coming over the horizon |
| Position | Sitting or lying down |
| Style | Guided imagery, a storm and a wise armchair, with three wishes. Music underneath |
For the storm you can't stop. Instead of fighting it or bracing against it, sit down in the middle and stay steady.
About 8 minutes with Steven Webb's calm voice and music underneath.
We bring to mind a storm you've known. Someone passing, losing a job, moving house, or the news getting a bit too much. Most of us fight a storm until we're worn out, or brace and wait for it to pass. There's a third way. Picture yourself in a big wise armchair, like the man at the end of the bar who finishes his drink while the fight breaks out around him. You can care and still not engage. We end with three wishes, starting with may I be steady even when I cannot be calm.
Treat me to a coffee, keep the podcast free, and get my Weekly Calm every Sunday. It is all on stevenwebb.uk
Thank you for sitting with me.
Steven
Who this is for
Life has gone chaotic. Someone has died, or the job has gone, or you're moving house. Or the world has just got a bit too much and the news is overwhelming.
Most of us do one of two things in a storm. We fight it and wear ourselves out, or we brace against it and wait for it to pass. Both leave us thin, with nothing left in the tank.
This is a third way, for when you can't stop the storm and you're too tired to keep fighting it. You sit down in the middle and stay steady while it does what storms do. Wisdom is realising we are in control of very little.
What happens in this meditation
A short settle. You don't have to do anything with your body or your breath.
Then you bring a storm to mind, one you've known, from any time, and picture yourself in a big wise armchair while it blows. Like the person at the end of the bar in the films: the fight breaks out around him, and when it's over he finishes his drink and leaves. You watch. You don't answer it or fix it.
It ends with three wishes and a gentle return to the room.
How to get the most from it
About eight minutes, with my voice and music underneath, sitting or lying down. Headphones help, because the music sits low and there are quiet stretches where you are just watching.
Use it in the middle of the chaos, or for the storm still over the horizon. Keep the words for when the wind picks up. I don't have to stop the storm. I only have to stay and be aware.
Questions people ask
Does sitting with the storm mean I stop caring?
No. You can be very compassionate and care about the people who are suffering. You just don't have to engage with all of it. You only need enough steadiness that the wind doesn't knock you flat.
What if I can't feel calm while I'm doing it?
That's allowed for. The first of the three wishes is may I be steady even when I cannot be calm. Steady is the aim, not calm.
Is there a talk that goes with this?
Yes. Stillness in the Storms 180, Why Is Everyone So Tired Right Now? How Awe Shrinks Worry, is the other half. It is about why so many of us feel world tired at the moment. This meditation is the company that goes with it.
Found this helpful? Leave a review. Finding something hard that isn’t covered here? Tell me, and I may make a meditation for it.
