658 thoughts on “Anxiety – could Connection with our Body be the Key?”

1. When our mind takes over it can convince us of anything because it shuts the body down from feeling. I had this experience when I was mentally unwell, my thoughts dominated everything and it was my thoughts that led me down a Rabbit hole, as they became all consuming, then when I started taking drugs for the depression it was then easy to become dependant on them as they stopped the white noise of the mind, so that for a while I just existed to take drugs.

2. A beautiful healing from letting anxiety run our life to staying connected, steady, and confident, ‘I now experience only mild anxiety at times, and it is with learning to stay more present with myself that I have built this inner confidence that has allowed me to feel I can handle these anxious thoughts and not let them take me over anymore.’

3. What a great confirmation of the value of being deeply connected with yourself Shirley-Ann.

4. Absolutely, the importance of our connection with our body is huge, ‘By focussing on my breath I was able to stay more connected to my body and to stop any stories that started circulating around in my head, for if I disconnected from my body the anxious thoughts were able to flood in.’

5. Being transparent 🖱and exposing 👀 what has temporally capped our evolution is key 🔑 part of the puzzle 🧩 for us to unlock 🔐 through nomination our waywardness and thus transparency opens the door 🚪 to our ability to reconnect through alignment to our Souls 💛.

6. “No matter what happened I would have my back and not give up and if I did not apply this then the anxiety would further increase.‘ Thanks Anna, your dedication to yourself was a foundation allowing you to self-care with your breath and connection to yourself to stay steady. I also noted you shared about talking to yourself in a loving and respectful way, like you would a child. Truly we can be a resource to ourselves in our own healing if we choose to be more gentle, loving and attentive to our own needs.

   1. Absoulutely Melinda, getting rid of those thought 💭 gremlins 🗯 allows us to deepen our relationship with the Love 💓 we all innately are.

7. Many may feel afraid to share how they really feel daily, anxious, overwhelmed or sad at times. These kind of feelings are seen as a failure or an embarrashment and it’s easy to tend to cover them up behind a façade. In my experience, I just can say how freeing it is everytime I express how I’m really feeling with someone I trust and supports me to don’t judge and accept that I, and we all are, a very sensitive and precious woman that deserves being loved and held deeply so.

   1. Inmma Lorente when we can let down our guard and be honest with people about how we are truly feeling miracles can and do happen. For example, for some time I had a colleague who was jealous and had a big chip on their shoulders about me. I couldn’t help not feeling the energy being directed towards me. However, I just stayed steady and just kept talking to them in a way that showed them I was harmless, no need to fight me. I always told them how I was feeling, such as feeling the stress of not making my weekly/ monthly targets, which I also knew she was feeling but wasn’t able to fully express the stress she was in. I would laugh at my stress and explain that as long as I had done everything I could to obtain my sales figures apart from holding a gun to the clients head and telling them to buy something or I’ll shoot them, there wasn’t anything I could do. Times are really tough at the moment and all companies are struggling and they are in many cases just struggling to get through the month/ year and many companies have gone out of business altogether. Slowly I have witnessed a change in my colleague they are able to laugh and not take themselves and life so seriously, as being in stress and nervous energy really doesn’t support our bodies because if we are stressed during the day and we take that stressful energy to bed with us that stops us from sleeping in a way that can support our bodies to deeply settle and wake up the next morning feeling fresh. How many of us stagger out of bed and need that cup/s of coffee to get us going in the day? I would say millions of us.

8. Sharings like these are gold. Thank you Anna for sharing your experience on anxiety, it feels very relatable to me and very inspiring to read. Some years ago feeling really overwhelmed to cope with what I felt was my normal in my day to day until I made the choice to ask for help. At that moment my practitioner was redeveloping her career by being introduced the Ageless Wisdom teachings. I started to attend Serge Benhayon presentations and include the techniques like the Gentle Breath Meditation and having sessions of Sacred Esoteric Healing modalities. To me, this choice of surrendering to the fact that I needed support was very key, also opening up and trust with what my body was telling me.

   Today anxiety stopped being normal in my day to day. I’m finding myself more confident and joyful than ever before. Through my body I can feel and see and endless beauty within that I never considered. There is no place in this world where people is talking about how important it is loving ourselves, being gentle and so on…but observing how people is today, the high rates of anxiety and depression, I wonder if we missed something really important as human beings… and it is this sense of connection with ourselves.

   1. Inma Lorente I can also attest to the Ageless Wisdom teaching delivered via Serge Benhayon. The science behind the teachings make so much sense to me, that I do believe we as a race of human-beings have missed out the importance of connecting back to ourselves. I know so many people, myself included who have reconnected and in the reconnection feel joy in their lives which is something they have not experienced since they were children.

9. Our breathe is every thing as we are always in control of how we breath thus as you have shared Anna, making an alignment to our Essence and thus the way we breathe changes so much about the way we move and thus a focus on breathing that keeps on deepening as we evolve, enriches our whole life.

10. What stood out for me is the line that says when you disconnected from your body the anxious thoughts were able to flood in. This to me is the key to understanding ourselves that we are not what we think and that we don’t actually think at all. As you correctly say when we are in the disconnection to our bodies the most weird thoughts can flood into the gap between the connection and the disconnection as there are no gaps in space the void has to be filled by something. Not many of us are aware of this science I guess you could call it. In the future it will become common knowledge as we retrace our steps back to our soul.

11. Connecting to and remaining present with the body helps solve most things – I’ve yet to find something that isn’t healed or improved by connecting to the body.

12. Great to read this again Anna as I am working on staying more present with myself and my breath, and examining where and why anxiety crops up. You give so many great tips and what I find encouraging about that is what you have applied has worked for you. I hadn’t been examining pictures about life, my day, etc, and how they may be impacting my anxiety but I can now see the link, and I loved the line of how you had your own back. Definitely one for me to study a few times, very supportive, thank you.

13. For me anxiousness begins in my fingers. The moment I feel anxious, my fingers let me know that I have lost connection to myself. I am ever so appreciative of my body and especially my active fingers in showing me directly that anxiety is building within me. I have a choice then to stop and re-connect to my greatness within.

14. Checking in with our body and asking questions with regards to how we are feeling and why we are feeling a certain way is an awesome thing to do .. much better than pretending the feeling isn’t there and ignoring but. My learning is to also know I am not that feeling as sometimes in the past anxiety has consumed me and I have thought that that is all I am!! Crazy when we are so much grander ✨

15. “I had learnt to be more loving with myself and to talk to myself in a more tender and respectful way, as I would to a young child.” I feel the anxiety fading away with this statement.

16. Me too and living without pictures of what we think it should be like. When our body communicates, it communicates in the moment, if we listen to it, we can unravel the so called mysteries of the past and fear of the future.

17. When we live to pictures, it is debilitating because we have expectations about how things should be, look, sound, smell – the whole range of senses. Yet if any part of our picture changes then we have a sense of unease because we haven’t ‘prepared ourself’ for it. Staying with the body and focusing on the simplicity of the body’s messages in every moment builds a foundation of trust that we are perfectly supported in any moment.

18. ‘I was incredibly scared but was encouraged to jump’ this just goes to show the importance of listening to our body and also why our body speaks so loudly to us at times … so we listen! I know this from experience as in the past used to override the messages quite a lot 😶 Awesome to say I am doing this far less now.

19. This is really interesting what you have shared here ‘I can understand how anxiety and panic attacks can take a hold when we begin to perceive that this is who we think we are.’ as it got me to reflect on a young person I am working with who is incredibly anxious.

20. One of the best forms of advice I have ever received regarding anxiety is to just stop and breathe!

    1. Andrew I’ll add breathe into a paper bag as this helps the body to regulate the oxygen and carbon dioxide. I used to have very bad panic attacks at the most unlikely times, and I was advised by my psychiatrist at the time to carry a paper bag with me wherever I went, and this did indeed support me to come back to myself. If the panic attacks were very bad, then I took medication to calm me down. Thankfully since finding Universal Medicine those days are long gone.

21. I have lived with a low level of anxiety for most of my life, although not fully aware of it until many years ago .. to me it just seemed normal to live with it!!! I can only remember having one proper panic attack though and it really scared me I didn’t now what was happening and it felt like my whole body was doing something I had no control over and could not stop. It is very true that the more we build inner confidence, our relationship with our body and being present the more the anxiety lessens.

    1. Staying with our breath and bodies is super supportive, ‘I could feel how staying with my breath supported me to feel a steadiness in my body; I was now beginning to trust myself more and felt a growing confidence within, which gave me a better understanding and acceptance of myself ‘.

22. Anxiety is something that we can be so plagued by, and in the intensity of it not believe that this could ever be changed. What if being more connected to the body really was the answer? Something the medical profession hasn’t considered but should really research.

23. Connection with our body is key. Not only in healing anxiety but for everything.

24. The turnaround from such intense panic attacks and anxiety by such simple means of the Gentle Breath Meditation and staying connected to your body and breath really needs to be taken note of, especially as anxiety is so prevalent now. Being aware of our connection to our body and if our breath has changed can indicate where we are in terms of feeling settled and calm, or if our stress levels are rising. More than this it can become our way of life when we realise how natural and supportive it is to remain in connection to ourselves and our body, and monitor how we feel by staying aware of ourselves.

25. We can only feel anxiousness in the body if we allow it to enter. It is not who we are and therefore we do not have to live with it. By making a simple choice to connect to the body we free our selves immediately from the hold anxiousness can have running through the body.

    1. Yes understanding that we choose to go into anxiety and it is not an inevitable thing or something we have no say in is vitally important.

26. I really can’t imagine anyone truly enjoying jumping out of a plane, physically our body has to deal with the consequences, skydiveing is one of those things they will look back in the future and think we were completely mad!

    1. I agree with you Sam, I really don’t think that we were meant to jump out of an aeroplane at a great height. Just as I don’t think the body appreciates it when we Bungi-Jump. Why do we treat our bodies with such a lack of respect?

27. I have started to realise that anxiety happens when we leave our bodies and head off into the past or the future. The body tells us, in no uncertain terms, it has been left. We try to berate it for these messages but in fact, it is the most incredible communicator and letting us know that we must stay present if we are to deal with what is ahead or behind us. If we stay present we will develop the skills to address what needs to be dealt with and build a foundation that means anxiety is not a part of our lives any more.

28. I feel like a lot of the time we just take on too much stuff. When we connect to our body we tend to honour ourselves more and our choices are more self loving and we are far less likely to overdo things.

    1. Being more loving and honouring of our bodies is always a wise choice, ‘I had learnt to be more loving with myself and to talk to myself in a more tender and respectful way, as I would to a young child.’

29. ‘Our body is the marker of Truth’. When we experience anxiety our fight/flight reflex has been triggered and therefore our body is highlighting for us something that we need to pay attention to. If we do not investigate the signal it gets louder which can lead to what we experience as a panic attack. Learning to listen to our body as you describe Anna we are responding to what it is communicating and in doing so we develop a harmonious relationship of mutual respect and care between our body and our self – we become at one with our self.

30. Even just thinking about anxiety can make me anxious because I go from the settlement I feel in my body to thoughts and chatter in my head. Being with my breath and present in my body has meant that anxiety no longer has a hold on me, it’s something I can just observe along with my breath.

    1. Building a relationship with our bodies, a connection with our breath and body, all support us to stay surrendered, ‘I have come to a better understanding of how key it is to stay connected with our body so we are aware of any anxious feelings, not letting them take us away from this connection and not allowing the mind to take over with any crazy thoughts.’

       1. LJ Serge Benhayon and the presentations of Universal Medicine has given the world many modalities that support everyone to stay in connection to their bodies, rather than be in the checked out state which means that anything can happen to our bodies because we are not in control of them.

31. It is amazing how much our body shows and reflects the way we have been living, just as you say you have stayed more connected with yourself and so not felt the anxiousness which shows it is not something normal to have rather something that arises out of our disconnection.

32. Our bodies are amazing at reminding us of the love we are and that we are not from here. Whilst we are physical we need to take care of them but they constantly remind us we are far more than purely physical. I find my body tells me this all the time and gives me signs, the question for me is how much do i choose to listen to it!

    1. Yes, that point that we are not from here, that we are not purely physical, is so apparent in the dying process, it is less well remembered in the way we live our day-to-day lives. However, as you share, if we take care of the physical in the finer details we will find we are more and more aware of these details.

33. This insight into the root and development of anxiety is absolute gold. It certainly supports me to see beyond anxious moments and to work on living connected to my body more of the time.

34. Our way out of strife and difficulty is in deeply feeling our body and the movements that we make, not in racking up achievements that are not true.

35. Our minds if we allow them free reign can take us off in all sorts of directions that then can become our reality of life. I have discovered for myself that actually our mind is our worst enemy and the thoughts that we have are not ours they are fed to us by a consciousness that wants to keep us all locked down and controlled. At some level we do know this as we have written hundreds if not more, books on the subject, films, TV series that show humanity locked down and controlled by an outer force but have yet to admit that it is actually our everyday reality.

36. To be aware of our body and respond to it keeps us on the front foot so that we are not waiting for a reaction or a correction.

37. The pictures and ideals that we have beforehand cause anxiety as we try to control what can happen and if it doesn’t plays out in the way we want there is a kind of panic, coming back to the body is absolutely a key in this, the love we build in our body makes it possible to make this choice to connect to the body instead of our deceitful mind.

38. Great description, if we are not present anything can flood in and anxiety is an indicator of this lack of presence. We are sensitive beings, we feel deeply, to deny this brings a tension that many of us attempt to dull and ignore in any way possible.

    1. Being connected to our body is like being there and looking after ourselves, as you would a toddler, instead of abandoning ourselves for anything to happen.

    2. To me one of the greatest ills we have allowed is the disconnection to our innate sensitivity as you say Samantha Davidson when we deny our sensitivity it brings a great tension into our bodies that we then try to ignore, suppress, or override.

39. Being present is undoubtedly amazing for our wellbeing. Thinking you are is not it either, the being is about body and the mind is part of that, not the master. I agree my anxiety level is basically none existent through making this choice.

40. Connecting to the body is invaluable when it comes to settling ourselves, whether that be when trying to fall asleep, going to work, doing the shopping or anything at all for that matter. When we are absent and disconnected, the mind is prone to being taken over by anything at all, by the craziest of thoughts and the most self-sabotaging comments.

    1. “Connecting to the body is invaluable when it comes to settling ourselves..”, this is so true Gabriele, I have experienced this many times when I have a wind-down gentle exercise session in the evening or an Esoteric Yoga class, no matter what is there to be shared from my body it feels amazing to be in it, yet at other times when I’m disturbed by something in life it feels like the place I want to get away from. It’s a great reminder to me that in those times to come back to body connection as quickly as possible.

41. Anxiety can be absolutely crippling so it makes absolute sense that the way to deal with it is to connect with our body because that way we have an anchor that can support us.

    1. How true Elizabeth, our anchor and support is going within with connection.

42. When we listen and respond to the body – the potential is endless. It is like a novel that is unfolded for us to take in.

43. It is so true that the expectations that we hold about how we should be or how our lives should be can create a whole of uncertainty and anxiety.

44. I can magnify my anxiety by what I think about or I can stop it if I come back to feeling my body. I can see the addictiveness in how I can use it at times to not deal with things I need to do.

    1. I know that so well Aimee and can totally get caught up and carried away in my mind about things getting all anxious and racy when there is no real reason to.

    2. SO true, anxiety can be addictive because of all the hormones that come in to help us deal with what we do not feel equipped to manage. Strangely, these hormones can be addictive because they tell us that we have the solution to the anxiety. Rebuilding the connection with the body outside of anxiety takes some practice but starts to make the adrenaline feel less attractive.

45. The learning that everything comes from our connection to our body and the beauty and importance to this brings a healing and understanding to our selves and the way anxiety plays us away from this connection and how feeling our body is our key and guide that supports us to stay steady and settled and how we can come back to this connection and love our essence and who we are.

46. “What supported me greatly was to take the time to check in with my body and to notice if there were any pictures or ideals about how my day should play out ” Making the choice to stay with our body reduces the chance the mind has to play with us, making anxious thoughts and self-doubt less prevalent.

47. I am saying a big yes to the question posed in the title of this article. Anxiousness can only get a grip of me if I disconnect from my body and is stopped immediately when I bring my awareness back to my body.

48. When we are so used to living life through our nervous system, taking flight or fight in every situation that arises, it can seem an unsurmountable challenge to adjust to a more heart centred approach and allow ourselves to be surrendered when we are faced with seeming obstacles. However, I am finding this is an illusion in that it is not that it is impossible to make the switch, it just seems difficult at first because we are up against thousands of years of ingrained behaviours across many lives. In which life and in which moment we choose to make the necessary adjustments will depend on when we each feel ready to let go of what we have so desperately been clinging onto.

    1. I so agree – and to persist – choosing to stay with each moment and returning to our body to the best of our ability. No perfection required – just a consistent commitment.

       1. Consistency is the answer and before too long, conscious presence becomes what is normal and any deviation is easily noticed as it is palpably felt as a dis-ease.

49. True settlement comes from knowing everything we need to face what lies before us, lives within us. Connection to the body is the key.

    1. Something I need to remind myself of when there are challenging times in my life but I do know this to be true.

    2. Thanks Liane, you summed that up beautifully.

    3. A succinct and beautiful reminder of how powerful we are, ‘True settlement comes from knowing everything we need to face what lies before us, lives within us. Connection to the body is the key.’

50. When we are “with ourselves”, that is connected to our bodies we have everything that we need to deal with any situation, which means that no anxiety can be present.

51. I have found that being aware of my movements, body and how I am breathing has absolutely altered how I feel and I used to live with alot of anxiety, now I do not.

52. Have we ever stopped to wonder where thoughts come from? Are they really ours or do they come from somewhere else and we are just the receivers of them. I say this because sometimes when I decide to do something that goes against the grain of society I get the negative thoughts that I have done something wrong even though on a deeper level I know I haven’t. So where are these thoughts coming from? Is it possible that we receive negative and positive thoughts and if we were to block out the negative thoughts would this increase the positive thoughts?

    1. A question we should all be asking Mary…… ‘Have we ever stopped to wonder where our thoughts come from? Are they really ours or do they come from somewhere else and we are just the receivers of them’ .
       I can so relate as now-a-days some choices that feel completely natural to make, often appears to others that I am going against ‘the norm’. Which brings up another question have we let go of what feels ‘natural’ to us and to our body and replaced it with what ‘the norm’ is. In other words doing what everyone else is doing as to not rock the boat, as to not stand out.

53. Anxiousness is a horrible feeling that really is an unnecessary evil in our lives, so its great to know it is easy to combat through the gentle breath meditation and staying more connected to ourselves.

54. Great blog Anna, with time, I overcame being anxious by supporting myself more on a daily basis by going early to bed more consistently, watching what food I was eating (avoiding sugary food). I never tried sky diving as I would be too scared of the drop. The closest experience I had was indoor skydiving which gave me a sensation of flying without the drop, but even that, I won’t do it again.

55. Imagine a car who’s engine was seperate to its chassis – wouldn’t it make for an uncomfortable nerve wracking ride? It makes so much sense that internal alerts go off for us when we live disconnected from our body and heart.

56. I had a pretty big breakthrough with why at certain times I feel anxious. I realised whenever I go into drive and think I have to do something and think about getting some recognition for it, anxiety comes up instantly and I loose my connection with my body. Our bodies tell us so clearly what’s going on.

    1. Lately I became aware of this too Aimee, it is always a picture my mind plays out to put pressure on myself by thinking I have to fullfill an idea of how I should be in order to fit in, or get recognition.

    2. It’s like an alarm signal that you’ve separated from something inside yourself that is much more beautiful – love.

57. I have come to a better understanding of how key it is to stay connected with our body so we are aware of any anxious feelings, not letting them take us away from this connection and not allowing the mind to take over with any crazy thoughts’. Nurturing and deeply honouring our bodies is how we stay in tune with our bodies and all they are communicating.

    1. I agree being aware of them and not ignoring them is so important, they are a message just as everything else is and it is wise to listen.

58. When teaching, children asking them to bring focus on their feet as they line up and come into class is an immediate way of settling them. Bringing awareness to the body in a very simple way is super supportive in countering anxiety, raciness and general unsettlement.

    1. What a great learning for them in their day, when so much is asking them to stay in their head.

       1. There can be in the moment of asking, some tutting or rolling of eyebrows from a few kids, especially if they are emotional coming off the playground or over excited; but when asking them how they felt about doing this, everyone including the ‘eyebrow raisers’ and ‘tutters’ all exclaimed their love of this exercise and in their words… “it makes us feel calm and ready to learn”

       2. This has just given me a great idea for a presentation I will be doing at my college when it comes to anxiety and food. Feeling our body before moving toward the fridge or any activity we are going to do, gives us a stop moment to connect with what our body actually needs.

59. Yes, I can vouch for this too. The more I deepen into stillness and am present in my body the less space there is for anxiety which doesn’t belong.

60. Anxiety was so normal to me that my body had no idea how it felt to be free from anxiousness. Now, the more I am in my body and the more understanding I bring myself the more anxiety shows itself as something foreign to me rather than familiar.

61. This is a very powerful blog as it offers great understanding to how anxiety can run our lives and the practicality of how we can apply it to our living day. Being an anxiety sufferer in the past I can attest to the fact the connection is the antidote to anxiety. I have discovered that when I am not connection to my body and being, I lose sense of what is true as I no longer and being guided by my truth and inner-knowing, and instead am run by my disconnected mind and its self-serving thoughts that always disregard the body. Whenever we are in separation to who we are there is tension and to avoid feeling tension we can go into anxiety to distract us from addressing the tension and the truth it offers us. Come back to connection and there is settlement, awareness, truth and all make sense once again.

62. The gentler I am with myself the more misfitting my reactions to life (anxiety in this example) are. And the more I realise the stress they build in my body that has got to have an impact down the line at some point.

63. Whenever we feel anxious or tense, just stopping and bringing attention to our breath, breathing gently in and out, can bring us back in our bodies, thus the anxiousness subsides and we can feel more present.

    1. Yes bringing in a small stop or a pause throughout our day can prevent anxiousness from building up.

64. Thank you Anna… Someone being open and honest about anxiety is so innately healing for so many people. So many people are feeling anxiousness and yet there is this feeling that we cannot talk about this… The stigma of anything that smacks of mental disturbance carries on.

65. ‘When I was committed to my work the anxiety didn’t seem to exist as much because my focus was on others rather than on myself’. This is true, when we get self out of the way, we feel more purposeful, so there is no space for anxiousness when feeling purpose.

66. From my whole-body I have come to understand and know not only myself but also life and those people around me in it; that our body is our wisest counsel.

67. We wouldn’t leave home with the front door wide open and expect to return home to find everything intact. Yet we leave our body and then get surprised when things get in that just aren’t right.

    1. This is a very tangible example you give here how we treat our bodies. We learn how to protect ourselves in life towards others and outer influences but we do not learn how to take care and really care for our dose.

    2. How we treat our body makes us want to stay with it or not. But learning to behold our body no matter what choices we have made or however we feel about it, is the start of caring for ourselves.

68. Connecting to our body is the key to solving every dilemma we may have as when we are connected we have the universe pouring through us with all the answers we need.

    1. When we connect to our body, we surrender to a place where love floods in to guide.

69. Gill, I have also felt like this in the past; ‘I know the times in the past when I have experienced anxiety I have felt overwhelmed and powerless, unable to feel clear or be at ease with myself.’ I now feel much more steady and do not go into thoughts of self-doubt, I have built trust and feel more confident in myself. Being gentle and caring and staying present in my body has been a huge support for me.

70. Anxiousness for me is based on my breathing – I am sensitive to a lack of oxygen in a room or a plane and get a little bit panicky if I feel too hot and can’t breathe. Other times I get anxious are when my mind goes round and round in circles creating scenarios that haven’t happened yet. In both cases, gentle breath is the key to settling my body.

    1. That makes sense, for me anxiousness is when I have disconnected with my body and I cannot sense the settlement and surrender which the body impart.

71. Choosing to live and move in connection with the body brings a steadiness and inner confidence that leaves no room for anxiety.

    1. A profoundly beautiful doorway opened up.for humanity when expressed with the simplicity that is felt here,

    2. It is very true Sandra – as the steadiness, confidence and wisdom is always there we only need to surrender to it and honor it to live it.

72. Anna, I can relate to getting caught up in thoughts and becoming anxious. I love the simplicity of what you are sharing and that staying present in our bodies can stop the anxious thoughts. This is a great reminder, thank you.

73. Thank you Anna, this has been so helpful to read again, I feel I am embarking on the same process you describe of being more connected to myself and my body, and aware of thoughts, pictures, etc, that cause me to go into anxiousness and unsettle me by taking me out of my inner stillness. It’s easier to now let these go with a more solid connection to myself that quickly shows how out of place these thoughts and behaviours causing anxiety are.

74. When we are present in our bodies anxiousness doesn’t have a hold, we are able to detach from it and observe it rather than get consumed by it.

75. Do we create anxiety to protect ourselves, being embarrassed to let out the light we all have within us because of some past hurt?

    1. This is such an interesting point to ponder, I feel like many are sensitive and this is what actually happens. Instead of shining the light we focus in on all the stuff that gets in the way.

76. Love what you have shared here and can also affirm the benefits of The Gentle Meditation. The support it offers in bringing us back to our body and of feeling safe and being able to not just manage the day to day but also start living a much fuller life within and without.

77. Connection to the body is indeed the key to overriding anxiety. However in my experience, that was my whole issue in that I did not feel that being in a body was necessarily the safest place to be. I was carrying a lot of trauma around with me and did not trust the sanctity of the physical vehicle I was enhoused within due to the high level of trauma I had experienced both in this life and the many past. Carrying around this load gave me the perfect excuse to live quite disconnected from my physicality, often seeking escape in the emotional/mental/spiritual planes of existence. As a result I became greatly fatigued, completely uncommitted to life and always living in fear that something bad was going to happen. This set me up for a great deal of anxiety that I then had to somehow manage despite not having the tools to do so. Back in these days I would sleep a lot, cry a lot and escape into my own little would often induced by specifically selected art and music. I was still surrounded by friends and family but lived in my own bubble within that, avoiding any form of deeper connection with myself or anyone else.

    Finding Universal Medicine was like finding a golden key to a door I had long ago closed. With the help of the Esoteric healing modalities and the love and care of the practitioners, I was able to make the journey back to the world, to myself and to the true inner world that lives and breathes within us all – the Kingdom of God where our true self and everyone else is found.

    1. A beautiful sharing Liane and one I can deeply relate to. It was not evident for me to connect with my body at first and it took a lot of support from the Esoteric healing modalities and practitioners of Universal Medicine to get me to reconnect. The Ageless Wisdom shows the simplicity of truth but we as human beings with a long momentum of experiences need the Esoteric Healing modalities to support us in bringing this wisdom into a livingness.

78. Anxiety and the way we are living in our body says a lot and connection to our gentle breath brings us back to a stillness steadiness and who we are. A beautiful sharing and support for the way of lessening anxiety in our lives bringing understanding and inspiration.

79. It seems to me that anxiety is a tool of the spirit to keep us in disarray and disconnected from our soul so the power of the gentle breath and staying connected to ourselves is priceless.

    1. I agree it really is and from building this in my morning routine I can really feel how this supports me in my connection with both my body and Soul .http://www.unimedliving.com/meditation/free

80. ‘Over time I could feel how staying with my breath supported me to feel a steadiness in my body; I was now beginning to trust myself more and felt a growing confidence within, which gave me a better understanding and acceptance of myself rather than being hard and beating myself up if I felt anxious in front of others.’ – It is incredible how the overall quality in ourselves and the way we feel, can change with the support of the gentle breath meditaiton.

81. I loved reading how you went from being so anxious to being there for yourself. I’m enjoying being there for myself more and more and how anxiety doesn’t take a hold of me. I’m present and no longer hiding away from what I once feared because I’m accepting myself more than ever before. Writing this I see the next step is accepting myself no matter what. Other people’s opinions are theirs not mine. They are free to think what they like and I’m accepting this and this ok.

82. Yes, anxiety has much less of a hold on us in my experience the more we sort out life out on a daily or even minute-by-minute basis.

83. In my experience true confidence comes from the body and it would make sense that the way to deal with anxiety is through / via the body.

    1. Same here Christoph, what if we changed how we approached anxiety by learning to live in a way that kept us connected to ourselves in our body and then, based on my experience, that anxiety would be no longer. Or at least hardly ever occur.

84. Our thoughts can certainly make us anxious because they go round and round in our heads generating emotions we don’t need, picturing scenarios that may never happen and creating a mental havoc that is completely unnecessary. Connecting deep within allows those thoughts to simply blow away and we rediscover our natural stillness.

    1. …… ‘ we rediscover our natural stillness’. So very true Carmel it is how we are naturally meant to be.

85. It’s amazing the turnaround you have had, so helpful to those who suffer from such intense anxiety to know you can move on from it and live a very full life.

    1. I agree Vanessa, this blog needs to be shared far and wide, it can be a true inspiration and actually make a real difference for others who may struggle with anxiety.

86. Anna, I love the simplicity of this; ‘By focussing on my breath I was able to stay more connected to my body and to stop any stories that started circulating around in my head.’ I have found that if I stay present in my body and don’t project ahead that I can feel joyful; rather than thinking about the next day and about any possible issues.

87. In my experience Ideals, beliefs, expectations and pictures of how life ‘should or must be’ cause deep contraction in my body. Bringing awareness to this continues to heal and clear the stagnation in the body and emotions. This has been possible from the reflections offered by Serge Benhayon and the way he lives 24/7.
    “What supported me greatly was to take the time to check in with my body and to notice if there were any pictures or ideals about how my day should play out – as this was adding to the anxious thoughts”.

88. In my observation anxiousness is a condition that we have accepted as normal in our lives to the point that most of us might not even be aware fo it. We are masters in putting up an outer appearance that does not reflect how we truly feel.

    1. This is so true…it’s like we would rather bathe in ignorant bliss than to feel the pulse of life and dare be honest with where we are at. We tend to either dim down or bolster up rather than just allowing ourselves to feel what is actually there.

89. ‘Over time I could feel how staying with my breath supported me to feel a steadiness in my body’ – the simplicity of this is astounding and this blog shows us that the gentle breath and our connection to it’s gentleness is very powerful.

90. No perfection (which is in itself a picture and ideal we set ourselves up with) but a willingness to learn and move on from ill patterns of behaviour (anxiety being one) makes life, every day, our moment by moment interactions so rich and inspiring.

91. Thanks to Serge Benhayon and the practical Gentle Breath Meditation I have been supported and have felt the space to actually connect with and feel my body. This is without question what has supported me to heal the deep level of anxiety and what I have started to develop from this is the appreciate of what I do bring, rather than bringing in the pressures to preform to something I feel I need to be, hence the anxiety.

92. I have been away from home for the last few days and given the opportunity to be much more present with my body without the distractions that I choose to get caught up in at home. This has highlighted that not only is connection with our body is key but understand how and when we disconnect, if only for a short time is just as important. In these moments when less than focused on our connection or to the point of being checked we give access to our body for something else to be present which not only does not serve us but will interfere with our natural state of being. This does not make us a victim of it however as we made the choice to disconnect and not be fully present – this lesson I know.

93. We can look like the most efficient person in the world who’s ‘got it all together’ but if we’re using those tasks not to feel we’ll be controlled and run by anxiety underneath.

94. The more settled and still in myself I become the less I get affected by what is going on around me. I am still inconsistent with this and know it’s making the commitment to stay in connection to my body and breath that will ultimately allow me to stay steady no matter what comes my way.

95. Anna with the body we can appreciate that we don’t need to hold onto the anxiousness of life, we get to feel how anxious we are and then gradually choose to live a different way – a way that allows us to not rely on anxiousness to get through life. Step by step from anxiety to anxiety free.

96. It’s interesting how anxiety can be gradually build in the body and although we know it’s there it’s only once it’s gone that we feel how much it has built up.

97. By allowing ourselves to surrender deeply to our bodies as often as is possible allows the opportunity to access the deep wisdom that we all hold within, which is holds a divine power above and beyond anything that any imaginable kind of emotion is capable of.

98. I am forever and continually amazed at how powerful the Gentle Breath Meditation is in its ability to support the being inside the body to become more settled.

99. Anna, what you are sharing in this article is pure gold. I have experienced how loosing connection and over thinking things in my head can mean that I can become anxious. Staying present with my body allows me to feel steady and allows me to respond calmly and clearly rather than to react emotionally to situations.

    1. Beautifully expressed Rebecca, I find the over thinking can lead me quickly away from myself and into all kinds of anxious scenarios and heightened feelings of anxiety and stress. The body feels very solid and calm without the thinking.

100. While I am still in a learning, I notice that only incidents that are challenging to me take me out of my body and into the mental thinking instead, leaving my body unattended in which then anxiety starts to build up.

     1. That trip switch from body to mind is very interesting and is probably a default position for most of us. It is amazing to start to spot this and reverse the trip back from mind led to being body connected.

        1. But is it valid to consider that these ‘challenges’ are of my own creation and when I go into that anxiety I consciously choose to lose the plot?

101. My body itself knows no anxiety or stress, it is only when I am too much in my head and not in connection with my body that is causing a tension in my body because my head directs my body to move differently than it naturally would do.

102. I have found anxiety is only present when I am running with my thoughts, and it is the pictures and images I conjure up along with fear that often stops me from doing things, or expressing how I truly feel. But like what Anna shares here, I find connecting with my body and breathing my gentle breath definitely helps with any form of anxiety. My experience of anxiety was only ever really mild and I didn’t realise for a long time what I felt was actually anxiety. I have come to see that low level anxiety has become so normalised and often we dismiss it and not heal it due to our lack of awareness around this condition.

103. The world problem of anxiety is huge and effects most of us in our lives at times and comes from the way we live separated from ourselves and our bodies. Bringing the gentle breath and connection ,rebuilding and learning to trust ourselves by our quality of living and consistency brings a steadiness and holding with the beholding love we are all held in and part of.This changes everything and reduces anxiety to a level of understanding, honesty and stillness.

104. ‘There was a sense of hopelessness and I would fear being embarrassed whilst I was out in public.’ – The shame for feeling ‘wrong’ or ‘different’ is rife in our society and that alone can be paralyzing and hence for many strongly affecting their social life.

     1. The idea of right and wrong does not exist in our bodies but is an illusion the mind has created in order to get recognition and reward for being right and in a way too for being wrong, but then the recognition and the reward is from the other end of the scale.

105. The less present I am, the more in my head I am the more anxious I get. It makes total sense therefore to make the conscious effort to feel my body, to connect to it – to deepen that sense of presence. With this comes not only a settlement of mind with body but a strong but non imposing authority.

     1. This is what I’ve found too Michelle, our mind can take us on a wild spin of anxious thoughts and pictures of what could happen next, whereas when we connect to our body, we can then surrender and trust our body’s guidance and understand that what will happen in the next moment is all part of our learning.

        1. The gentle delicacy I am left in when I give myself permission to connect more deeply is gorgeous.

106. I would say that most if not all of us experience some form of anxiety, and a large percentage of the population, in my observations, suffer from trauma, as we are collectively so far removed from our naturally loving ways and have lost touch with the stupendous beholding love we are nonetheless constantly held in.

     1. So very true, we as a whole are so removed from our naturally loving ways that we have and are accepting of having some form of anxiety in our life and in our body is ‘normal’.

107. This is really gorgeous; ‘ I had learnt to be more loving with myself and to talk to myself in a more tender and respectful way, as I would to a young child. This has been valuable in building a relationship with myself and my body.’ Reading this makes me realise that we can think harshly of ourselves and that our self talk and how to we talk to others about ourselves can be very critical. I love how you are more tender and respectful with yourself – very inspiring.

108. “Anxiety – could Connection with our Body be the Key?” – yes, connection to my body has given me the key to so much understanding about myself and my wellbeing and how I am doing in life, and relating with people.

     1. It is so important to connect with our body but I have noticed most of our current way of living does not encourage us to connect to our body, in fact it encourages us to do the opposite.

109. The gentle breath is a very helpful tool for connecting back to ourselves, I once was flying to NZ from LA and my bags got left behind, NZ customs thought this suspicious and took me aside and questioned me thoroughly for a long time and at times I felt anxiety creeping in but had recently learned the gentle breath which kept me calm throughout the entire experience.

110. In my experience the impact of most emotions, including anxiety, can be reduced by moving in a very deliberate and aware way, which makes it harder for the emotions to keep their hold and after a while they can be gone altogether.

111. Anxiety is a really common part of our lives and can take many forms. I’ve noticed how I can go into anxiety and it isn’t noticeable but it just feels like an unsettlement in my body. If I don’t honor it and choose to look into why the tension is there – then it builds up into anxiety.

112. I can relate to what you have shared here Anna, about the huge levels of anxiety which sometimes lead to panic attacks, and how these have the potential to rule your life, as they did mine. Now in hindsight, and so much more understanding of why this was happening, I can see that once I disconnect from my body through stress, worry, fear, anger etc, the separation sets off a low level of anxiety, because I am not longer with me; I am missing the connection to all that is familiar. Then of course if this disconnection continues the anxiety grows and grows, and the panic attacks begin. Coming back to me through the simple but powerful Gentle Breath Meditation, has been the best ‘medicine’ for my anxiety and my overall well-being.

113. “…this anxiety wasn’t who I was and it didn’t need to control me and my life.” What a revelation this must have been for you. To know that you had the tools within you to overcome your anxiety is something that should be accessible to everyone, as it is incredibly empowering to make an individual choice to not accept that anxiety has a control over any one of us.

114. What have we made life to be that anxiety is so common. We accept so many things as normal and yet the way we live is often far off a joyful life.

     1. In addition, places where anxiety is rampant, even if it hits prevalences of 40% still don’t consider they need to take actions to remedy the situation.

115. I had spent many years creating anxiety in my life. It was the rocket fuel that I kept in motion. You can never run away from your feet though! Is all of this from feeling ourselves as less? I am sure this was not one our choices we would have willingly made if we were connected to our essence, and at times under duress from others and society. The greater relationship we have with ourselves helps close the door on anxiety!

116. Such a great thing to do checking in with the body and I also really like how you were checking in to see if you had any pictures of how you wanted or thought the day would be like. That’s got to change everything when we let go of those pictures and just allow the day to unfold and trust that what ever is needed will be there to support the next moment you are in. Definitely one that I am surrendering to and sometimes it can be a challenge to let got.

117. I do love this blog as it offers a practical way to deal with anxiety, in the past I have become hard and taken a don’t care approach to dealing with anxiety, which is so untrue as I am not hard and I do care.

     1. Me too, so often we can push something to the side to ignore it and pretend it does not affect us yet when we simply see it for what it is we can let it pass and not let it get to us. It is such a difference when we do this.

     2. Agree kevmchardy. And it hurts. Really hurts – something I’m only just beginning to allow myself to feel. Anxiety is both a ‘pain producer’ (is that a legit expression?) and a pain suppressor, in that whilst we are anxious we cannot feel the tension that our body is being put into by the anxiousness.

     3. I find that whenever I harden, everything I come across is also hard and strugglesome, whereas when I allow myself to be real and vulnerable, things are flowing.

     4. We learn to cope in and with life by altering our state of being by adapting behaviours that are unnatural to us. All the while we are not all of that but very tender and sensitive and caring beings. So yes, we need to find ways to come back to our natural state of being instead of finding more and more ways to cope that take us even further away of who we are.

118. I used to have occasional panic attacks, and regular intense moments of anxiety, I used to fear all sorts of situations, and feel under pressure, speaking in public, getting worried about something not working out. Connecting with my body and breath, keeping it super simple and being responsive to what my body shares has transformed this, no anxiousness, no panic.

119. I know that I feel less anxious when I honour what I feel and allow my body to be my guide through daily life.

120. I was in communication with a client the other day and she felt a lot of anxiety about returning to work after a few months absence and was worried about a new role on her return to work. I wondered if her anxiety was from the fact the she was holding back speaking too her boss about what her fears were in this new role and that she didn’t give herself permission to express fully. Once she shared she actually felt much more at ease and felt better prepared for what lay ahead.

     1. Such a great example Rachel, as to the fact there is always something behind the anxiety, that it just didn’t appear out of the blue, so to speak. It usually begins with a situation which we feel we are not ready for or equipped too handle and if left unchecked our minds can begin to take us on a very worrying ride. How awesome that your client was able to identify the source and then begin to deal with it.

        1. Holding back from expressing what is going on for us really does exacerbate the anxiety. By talking about our fears and then being proactive in the dealing of them we really do equip ourselves much better for what lays ahead.

121. When we are in anxiety we have given ourselves over to something outside of us which comes with a lack of presence and focus of and with the body, it is a kind of absence of self and coming back ‘home’, inhabiting the body, is the way out of anxiety.

122. Terminal velocity that is 120mph or 54m/s that is reached in the first five seconds when skydiving. What does this force do to our bodies? Accidents are almost always, the results of instant deacceleration caused by an unmovable object. How many people set up these same conditions in their heads, jumping without a parachute knowing the outcome of their choices? This type of anxiety has a much higher mortality rate than jumping out of a plane.

123. Feeling anxious is now something I actually feel and as I wake up to this I realise that it has been something that has been present throughout my life; in varying degrees yes, but a constant questioning, unsureness and lack of confidence that has infiltrated everyday. The more aware I become the more I realise its foreignness in my body and the more I see beyond it.

124. Reading this ‘I still needed to go to work, which was probably a good thing as it got me out of the house and I noticed when I was committed to my work the anxiety didn’t seem to exist as much because my focus was on others rather than on myself.’ I could really relate to a time years ago in my life when I was an absolute mess and during this time I was not working and did not have a steady and consistent routine in my life. I completely appreciate now just how important this is for our wellbeing.

125. You share through practical example how there is a relationship between breath, presence and confidence. This is key to reducing anxiety.

126. If you feel everything but pretend to ignore it, it’s going to come as a rude surprise when the reality of it arrives. Instead of focusing on the shock we’d be wiser to consider to what extent we’ve blocked out truth.

127. The gentle breath is a real way to come back to my connection with myself my body and the settlement and ease of this within is very beautiful to feel and far from the anxiousness, lostness and panic of disconnection and absorbing energy from outside and the panic this feels like.

128. I know that how I look after my body can make a big difference to how I feel and being more aware of my whole body certainly supports me to be more settled in life.

     1. Yes. I am finding that the more aware I am of my whole body, the more I see the behaviours I have adopted to cope with life (anxiety being one) and the more I feel that there is a steadiness that lies behind this that is a true way to be… sustainable and consistent.

129. Sometimes we need to do what we know is true even though there is a fear of doing so, because the anxious feeling might not necessarily stem from that what we are going to do is bad for us but more so because we haven’t done it for a long time or have never passed this threshold at all and that what will then unfold through our action calls us to be more.

     1. Yes I agree Esther, I have found this to be true time and time again. It is extraordinary how we can build up a resistance to doing something and yet when we overcome this and allow ourselves the grace to move through whatever it is we realise it wasn’t such a big deal after all – we had just made it so.

        1. Yes, and in that our relationship with ourself is what is important to forever deepen to help us understand and detect more easily what is going on with us in any given moment, so we can take the steps that truly support us and let us move forward.

130. “….with learning to stay more present with myself that I have built this inner confidence that has allowed me to feel I can handle these anxious thoughts and not let them take me over anymore” – yes in addition to The Gentle Breath Meditation supporting you Anna as it does me too have found Esoteric Yoga an absolute godsend as it helps to develop and re-ignite connection to the quality of stillness that is within us. Developing this quality consistently in everyday life has allowed me to become naturally confident and speak from my body (not mental head) with people and in front of audiences too. I cannot rate Esoteric Yoga enough for the healing modality it is in helping with easing nerves, anxiety and building vitality.

131. I wonder if we have two kinds of issues – one is unresolved hurts and the other is not living all that we are – which is far more than we are aware of in my experience. Anxiety can come from either but may need to be dealt with differently, depending on the underlying cause.

     1. I would say so, Christoph; that there are these ‘two kinds of issues’. Being aware of them is step one and being honest and open about how they need to be dealt with comes next. Undealt with they perpetually feed one another.

132. When we are anxious, our body is in flight mode and always ready to run. We may think we are hard as steel, but guitar strings need replacing! We do not have that luxury! When we wear ourselves out prematurely, we have to live in a body we have made less.

     1. Very true Steve, but something I have seen and observed is that no matter what it is never too late to turn our lives around and come back to living the love that we are.

133. I find that connection to myself, to my body and movements is a very stabilising thing and in that steadiness I’m more able to observe and understand what is going on and therefore it is very hard for anxiousness to sneak in.

134. We are as a general rule unaware of how much we offer the world, and what the unique qualities are that we bring. Anxiousness can be related to this disconnection from our strengths and power.

     1. I agree Heather, it is so important to know how much we bring to everyone else through our sheer presence. So very worth turning our attention to and to feel our own beauty.

135. I have spent my life doing things, that a lot of them, were dangerous and the number of near extinction level items were many. I just wrote off all of these near misses as it was not my time. It may have taken a while to get where I am today, and the scares mark the journey or could I have been just killing time until I came back to me?

136. I certainly experience anxiety from time to time. It’s not the greatest feeling in the world and I struggle with what presents. When I am not feeling anxious, I can walk through anything and it not effect me. Its interesting to observe these differences and you are right, the more I remain connected to my body the less likely I am to be anxious in any way.

137. Anxiety has been an almost constant companion through my teenage years and in some ways, into my twenties. It took me ages to recognise that the anxiety wasn’t normal and a long time to really get a handle on it. I tried a lot of things but in the end it was the slow process of being far more content in myself and my body that developed a sense of confidence in life that took the place of the anxiety.

138. When we disconnect from our body it is hugely anxiety provoking. That is because we do not have anything to steer the ship so to speak if we do not have our body.

139. “Anxiety – could Connection with our Body be the Key?” – from connection to my body, I have come to understand a whole lot about myself and my state of wellbeing so yes I agree the body is very much so the key.

140. Most of my life I had presented a laid-back façade that hid the self-induced tension and anxiety that I keep creating. I spent years fortifying the walls I had built to keep others out and my light in. I no longer create stress in my life, and if it should arise, it is dealt with. Life is now full of wonderment by just being myself and accepting others for who they are.

     1. What you describe about most of your life seems to be shared by quite a few men.

141. We underestimate the power we have through the connection with our body and when we treat ourselves with ever deepening love and care.

142. When I lose connection the breath is the most wonderful bridge back to me. I love being conscious of the way my breath feels in my body.

143. It is great how you describe that, to build a relationship with yourself starts with being more tender in the way we talk with ourselves and to self love, as often it’s knowing where or how to begin that causes the stalling.

144. The Gentle Breath Meditation has for me been the greatest tool shared by Serge Benhayon. I use it for a few minutes at different points throughout the day, as it brings me back into connection with my body and the warmth within my heart without fail.

145. The loving self talk comment really got me in this. I love speaking to and connecting with children and can see in ‘adult life’ how easy it is to dismiss this forever aspect of ourselves.. our innocence and light heartedness.

146. The gentle breath conscious presence and body connection come hand in hand to support us to trust what we feel come into our body and the knowingness and expansion from there is remarkable and something I am finding more and more with the support it offers in the state of anxiousness at any time.

147. The key to anxiety is how we move – do we let the emotion influence or dictate how we move, how we breathe, how we think, how we react or do we minimise this force until it is simply gone and the causes of the anxiety are known?

148. By the time anxiety builds to a panic attack we have had many moments of not being present and feeling like we can’t cope. And whilst panic attacks can appear to have no trigger in the moment, our lack of presence is always at its origin.

149. In a lot of cases I have found that becoming anxious is about me having an investment in an outcome. The more I want things to look a certain way, the more they are not so. And this brings on a brewing tension in my body.

150. Indeed conscious presence is the key. When the mind is with the body in whatever it is doing we can be with the present moment. Otherwise we immediately are taken back to the past or imagining the future.

151. This is really helpful and makes me realise that if I am feeling anxious then I am not present in my body; ‘if I disconnected from my body the anxious thoughts were able to flood in.’

152. Living in such uncertain times, most people nowadays have some level of anxiety. Tools such as The Gentle Breath Meditation are super important, to bring us back into connection with our body and develop confidence in what we feel.

     1. Yes this too The Gentle Breath Meditation I found so supportive, to get me to come back to my body and not be too racy. It supported me with clarity as well.

153. As soon as I feel flighty, out of sorts and/or stuck in my head ‘away with the fairies’, I know I am out and am very glad that, having come to the work of Universal Medicine, I have the resources of the gentle breath mediation and the awareness that it is in my body that I settle and return to the simplicity and clarity of life.

154. Challenging our fears to overcome it does not work. For what energy that caused the issue, cannot be resolved with the same energy.

     1. There has to be an energy shift for a resolution to take place.

155. Sometimes we experience something that could be anxiety but is actually an expansion of our awareness and there is nothing that needs doing but to come along for the ride.

156. Yes Shirley-Ann, I know this too. We gain much strength and inner confidence in allowing that connection with the body, and when it happens there is a beautiful organic flow to life that otherwise would be interrupted by the mind with interfering and anxious thoughts.

157. Anna its an extraordinary thing that you have moved from having very severe panic attacks and anxiety to rare if at all anxiety through the way that you move and care for yourself through life paying attention to your breath. This is another one of many examples of the difference The Livingness makes to our lives.

158. Agree Gill, I can remember huge anxiety as an 11 year old, being tasked with the job of correctly balancing the school banking every Wednesday before the school bus left, whilst all the other kids were already on the bus waiting for me to complete this. Even the slightest pressure of time or the expectations of others sent me into an anxious spin for many years after.
     It is only since learning to reconnect to my body instead of scrabbling away from it at similar moments, to feel what is going on, realise that what I am feeling is not true, is what has given me the grace to turn it around and heal.

159. ‘There was a sense of hopelessness and I would fear being embarrassed whilst I was out in public.’ – We are carrying so much worry about what others might think of us, imagine being free of this worry and the difference it would make, not only for our own state of being but the impact it would have on the over all choices we make.

160. Learning to live with anxiety and not get caught in its destructive web can be simple when we can bring a focus back to our bodies and there are many simple, practical tools and techniques that have been presented through the on line course by the College of Universal Medicine and as this course is so amazing as it explores so much plus it is open to us all, so for more go to;
     Understanding Anxiety in Men – ONLINE COURSE
     http://study.coum.org/enrol/index.php?id=14

161. It is very important to be open and honest about the fact that living with anxiety is not normal and that it does have an impact on our physiology and well-being.

     1. I was totally resigned to the idea that anxiety was something I was stuck with and was a normal feeling to experience and drinking alcohol or smoking pot was a good way for me to keep it at bay by not dealing with it.
        Knowing now that doing that wasn’t even a good bandaid for it only made matters worse in the long run and now I know that just because many people suffer from something doesn’t make it normal.

     2. Yes, and not to be identified with it in any way as being anxious is very involving and has its own identity – even though the identity is very negative.

162. It makes me ponder why some children and adults delight in scary movies such as horror? Is there a part of us that wants to avoid absolute presence and steadiness?

163. Imagine never having feelings of anxiety? It seems so rare now that this is even possible. Its so commonly experienced for people. We have almost lost the fact that this is not part of who we are.

     1. And there are so many strategies to deal with anxiety – from eating to distraction to drugs to psychological support. It does seem a common affliction and seems particularly present among graduate students, i.e. Masters and PhD students.

164. Anxiety has a huge effect on our lives and prevents us from living the full lives that we deserve. We certainly can’t think our way out of anxiety, it simply doesn’t work. Focusing in on my body, my breath and/or the way that I am moving is the only thing that has worked for me when I feel this way.

165. It makes sense that if we connect with our divine particles, which constitutes our body then we are going to feel less anxious about life in general.

166. I agree with the point that anxiety affects our relationships, as it makes you so focussed on your own stress/insecurity that you are unable to actually connect with other people. You may be able to ‘interact’, but connection requires a connection with yourself first, then with others.

167. Anxiety is so common in the world that we don’t fully open up or explore why and what’s behind it. There is such an opportunity to heal our relationship with anxiety and see this as something outside of ourselves.

168. Choosing anxiousness means playing only being human.

169. If we’re not in our bodies, as in allowing ourselves to be with whatever we’re feeling, we’re in our heads, ideas, pictures. Allowing ourselves to be with whatever is there to be felt, however uncomfortable, is what supports us to feel it and move through it. When we avoid our feelings, we’re avoiding dealing with an issue that is coming up for us to look at and let go of – and so avoiding the potential healing on offer.

170. Our bodies have a great way of letting us know that something is not right, we seem to have a habit of ignoring the signs or symptoms, or we may explain them away… it’s my genes! So we tend to ignore the body, relieve our symptoms rather than find the root cause.

     1. Relying on genes is a great way of comfort. You can stay in victimhood and have an outer reason of a situation or disease instead of claiming that all my choices led to the illness.

171. Sometimes, when I know I have to get up early to do something or go somewhere, I don’t sleep well because I’m already in the expectation of the anxiety of getting up early. When we put too much focus on what’s coming rather than where we currently are, it leaves a huge gap in which we can feel unsettled and unprepared.

172. There is so much we can do to support ourselves simply by caring deeply for ourself.

173. It’s amazing how the body supports the mind. The mind can get so out of control and lead the whole body to race and feel anxious and stressed, but by being with the whole body and focusing on our breath we can bring the mind back in line with the harmony of the body.

174. Sometimes, I get this underlying feeling of anxiety for no seeming reason, I will be at work and suddenly realise I’m feeling anxious. I have found it is often because I have let my work start to overwhelm me, or thoughts about the past of future, whatever it is, I’m not with me in what I’m doing.

175. The best antidote for anxiety? Presence in the body. As the body is equipped to handle any situation that we are confronted with.

     1. Well said. Presence is the key. I keep hearing about research that shows that people having an attention span shorter than a goldfish (its something less than 10 seconds) it is no wonder that anxiety is now the most common mental health condition.

        1. Everything in this world is created to reduce our attention span, as it seduces us to not stay focussed with one thing at a time. Without presence in our body you can then become a champion in multitasking, which you get rewarded for in this society. But how do you feel and how is the quality of all the products you are producing? All the technical devices that constantly draws attention to the outside. It really needs a set rhythm in ones life to stay focussed with what you are doing at a time without getting distracted with anything else.

176. I always wondered why you do thinks like skydiving. It does not make sense to me, to put my body and my nervous system under such a stress. How far away of feeling our body are we, that we need these extremes?

     1. I noticed the same thing with movies, if the movie was tense like a thriller, or scary, my body would experience all the adrenaline as if I was living what I was watching. It’s actually a lot of stress on the body but I wasn’t really aware of this until my health became fragile and these things were magnified to me. In many ways we put our bodies under a lot of stress and often in the name of ‘fun’.

        1. It is like this big relief from taking away the edge of life. May it be through alcohol, skydiving, getting totally drawn into movies or doing excessive sports. It is always a relief. A relief from the tension we are creating through not living us in full and needing to handle and avoid feeling the gap that results from that.

177. I agree. In my mind things feel tight and constricted. In my body there is space for real clarity.

178. Being present (aka connected to our bodies) keeps us in the moment, untroubled by the past or future, and from here there is a simplicity and clarity to life that makes sense. And the quality of this moment informs the next, so the future is taken care of.

179. Yes the ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ is denying what we are feeling rather than understanding why we are feeling what we are feeling and building a different relationship with it.

     1. I agree and feeling the fear and doing it anyway is by no way a fail safe way either, feeling the fear and realising why we are frightened is far more useful and we’ll probably live a lot longer too.

     2. Yes, ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ tends to leap-frog over the ‘Why?’ which robs us of landing on understanding. Once we have understanding the hold of anxiety has no hold over the body, thoughts or behaviour.

     3. Kevin, I agree. Understanding why we are frightened is way more supportive than living with the fear and getting on with it. For myself, I find that nominating why I am fearful, staying connected to my body by maintaining awareness of my breathing and moving, supports in every which way to deal with what is in front of me. I find it lessens the anxiety and I feel much calmer.

180. I love how you connected to the fact that you knew your symptoms of anxiety were not ‘you’. It is not easy to remember that when there is so much that could feed the belief that your anxiety will define you for the rest of your life.

181. I find it so interesting how I can recreate the physical symptoms of anxiety when I remember particular events. The memories are in my body and until I address this my physical responses become less and less logical.

182. Anxiety – thinking that life is bigger than we are; a very human phenomenon when in disconnection to the multidimensionality we come from, belong to and are imbued by.

     1. When you choose anxiousness you actually think you have to do it on your own and deny the greatest support you can ever have. Heaven.

        1. When you look at the bigger picture, anxiousness is indeed a reaction to the thought you have to do it on your own. Whilst the invitation is there to realize we are held by a greater support. That is worth a deep in and out breath!

183. Anxiety can so quickly enter our body if we become caught up with thoughts and pictures in our mind and forget that the body is where we will feel the true wisdom that is all around us. We no longer need to be tantalised by something outside of ourselves when within we can connect to a source that comes straight from heaven.

184. Anxiety can feel overwhelming, like there is nothing we can do to control it but the more we observe our breath and remain present in our bodies the more the anxiety disipates.

185. Sometimes we try hard to get rid of something and thereby miss that what we want to let go of only exists as long as we feed it instead of feeding (giving to ourselves) what we are missing in the first place. In the case of anxiety we miss presence with our body, i.e. mind and body as one, hence to overcome anxiety we need to re-develop conscious presence for anxiety to not be fed anymore.

     1. Well said, Alex. We often focus on the symptom rather than making choices to address the cause.

186. I find that reconnecting to my own breath is a great support if I feel any sense of anxiety creeping in, as it simply pushes that tension out of my body and dispels any negative thoughts that may be lurking in my head.

187. We all have the absolute right to be here and to be ourselves. Any avoidance or doubt to be that we may feel very anxious.

188. When I was at university and into my first professional job I remember that when public/audience speaking I’d get so anxious that I’d feel spacey as if I was going to faint. The Gentle Breath Meditation has really supported me to re-connect to my breath, to myself inside and holding this breathing steady, instead of breathing the outside stresses and other people. It’s been a life-saver for me personally to learn to breathe this way/quality; to breathe my own breath.

189. When we let ourselves feel deeply, we accept and surrender to the way life is. Fighting the world and trying to run away can only lead to an anxious swirl we get stuck in.

190. To learn to stay with one‘s body in any given situation is something so very worth practicing as one is able to see so much more what is going on.

     1. Yes, I have found that staying with your body enables you to be a far greater observer of what is going on, both within and outside yourself – this practice certainly builds insight, awareness, self-responsibility and ultimately mastery of life.

     2. Absolutely so and it builds the confidence that we are so worthy to be here and in fact so precious this world is to have our presence and to evolve together.

191. Yes presence and connection to our body builds confidence and anxiety does not get a look in.

192. Yes I have noticed that confidence and anxiousness go together and the less anxious I feel the more naturally confident I am in situations.

193. I have noticed the more I stay connected to a gentle natural breath and stay aware of the feeling of this breath in my body, the less anxious I feel.

194. Absolute appreciation for the body in letting us know that even one small diversion of the body with the mind, is deeply disconcerting to feel. Thank you to such a sensitive barometer we have as our body and thus our care for it should also be deeply sensitive and delicate.

195. To inspire with ones own breath. Breath our own breath. Then we can be in, be with and feel our body and its fiery sparks that ignite and show our true way forward.

196. It is ridiculous that we have such a magnificent body as our living instrument, each and every on of us, and yet we reduce ourselves to one tiny little part of it, the brain, and champion it as if it is the be all and end all. From my own experience the whole body is so much wiser than any cell of our brain can muster.

197. Being present builds my inner confidence which in turn leaves less space for anxiety to take hold. And I find that being present is not a mental activity but an awareness of my body – how my breath feels, my heels as I walk, the openness of my shoulders… I often do a body scan when I am walking to build this awareness of, communication with and feedback from my body.

198. Inspiration is actually breathing in, and true inspiration is breathing gently in life so as to inspire your breath/yourself and hence not breathe in a situation outside of yourself. This in itself can then inspire another to do likewise!

199. So many of us are so super sensitive to what is happening around us, and the reality is that there is so much that is happening around us that is ready to pull us out of a steadiness and excite us or rattle us in some way. How simple is it to learn to breathe gently so that we do not breathe and absorb all that is happening around us – and instead can breathe our own gentle breath and stay steady in the eye of the storm. This gentle breath is so powerful yet so simple – the hardest part really is remembering to do this as the simplicity of it is just so mind blowing!

200. When we skydive or do anything with such a level of disregard for our body, such as riding a motorbike or extreme adventure sports we have to choose not to be present with our body, for if we were consciously aware of everything it was feeling we would not be able to go through with what we are doing.

201. Nice blog!

202. Talking to ourselves with love is so essential, we do have a conversation going on in our head every day, so what is the quality of those thoughts and how are they speaking about us. We can choose if we entertain them and allow them to lodge.

203. I have become more and more aware of those thoughts in my mind that lead to anxiety, and I am working more and more on cutting those thoughts off before they start a ball rolling that leads to out and out anxiety. Those thoughts aren’t me, and i don’t want them to rule my approach to a situation

204. I used to feel unsafe around people all the time. That’s when I lived in my thoughts and had eyes out on stalks, ready for flight or fight. I had no connection to my body so I could be blown about by the slightest thing outside of me. Over time connecting with my body, I have felt much steadier and certain about who I am. I find when I am anxious, it is when I have left my body and gone off into worries and thoughts.

205. Anxiety is taking us away from our body. Being with and from our body takes away anxiety, ie. leaves no space for anxiety to be.

     1. This is true. Anxiety is a mental activity. Our bodies hold no anxiety naturally, so when we are with them, connected and aware, there can be no anxiety.

206. The understanding of anxiety shared here is very relatable to and a great support for us all to value our breath our connection to our body feeling everything and building a steady foundation of ourselves from here.

207. We need to ask why we would choose to live with anxiety rather than with ease, simplicity and present in connection with our body, knowing that will unlock bring us back to a way of living where anxiety does not fit in.

208. And when you are connected to your body and fully present there is no fear.

209. I have noticed that if I stay connected to my body and my breath throughout the day and therefore develop a stronger connection with my inner heart, then there is a steadiness, solidness and wisdom within that can be accessed and can deliver whatever is needed in the moment in front of me. This means I don’t have to rely on my mind to try and figure out what to do or try and predict or avoid anything in the future.

     1. So simple and so powerful, and spot on Andrew – There are times when I can feel an anxiety creeping in and if I can get myself to simply focus on my rib cage and the gentle movement of the ribs up and down as I breathe gently in and out then this alone can bring me back to the body and feeling more steady and then there is no space for fear.

210. Thanks Gill, this is exactly what happened this week, I let in thoughts of not knowing what to do, how to deal with a situation at work and it made me anxious and I lost the connection with my body and I put an enormous pressure on myself and my mind.

211. Just considering the parallels between tandem skydiving and experiencing anxiety in every life. There are many parallels and despite one being more extreme it’s principal is the same in that it is our lack of connection with our inner self that is leading to an inner instability we call anxiety.

212. Anxiety – not knowing who we are and thus not being present with who we are but overwhelmed by everything that life brings to us instead of us bringing ourselves to life.

213. Anxiety, like all illnesses and conditions of ill health are created by us as a result of what we choose and therefore are healed by us and our choices also – it really is up to us.

214. Anxiety can feel like it is a part of us, and therefor that it owns us and we can’t get away from it. But we are not the anxiety, it is simply a reaction in the body from not feeling secure, safe and confident in ourselves, all things we can support ourselves to feel more of and become free from anxiety

215. I have experienced one panic attack in my life and appreciate that panic it has shown me the madness of my mind, it can conjure up anything while disconnected to my body. But when I feel settled in my body, these thoughts would not be there. It was the best gift to me.

216. The gentle breath meditation brings us back to our bodies without a doubt. So many other meditations I’ve done have been about being in the head or imagining myself someplace else. But this one asks you to feel every part of your body and stay with it. It is so amazing.

217. It is unbelievable how many ailments exist and we accept as a ‘normal’ state of being to go through life with. And the crazy part is that we feel so alone with it all the while hundreds if not thousands are struggling with the same. So thank you for sharing and opening up the conversation and showing that anxiety is not something we have to live with.

218. A lot of anxiety can sometimes come from already having looked ahead and imagined how something will play out, and then feeling unprepared for that future possible outcome, rather than simply staying with ourselves and meeting the future as it unfolds.

     1. When we are busy in our mind with how the future will look like, we set ourselves up for anxiety. and feeling hopeless. I had this a lot in my life and even this week I had the feeling I had no choice other than going into anxiousness and being stressfull about a certain situation at my workplace before I had to work and yes it was a challenge and I did override everything I know to be true which caused a terrible headache the day after.

        1. I agree, pictures kill us because also i have found they suck out all the possibility of enjoying something because you have agonised in anxiety over a possible outcome and you can’t enjoy how it actually turns out

219. Our body needs us to be present and responsive to it’s messages so we can always follow the optimal route and be prepared for all that comes our way.

     1. Think about it, we have the most advanced, refined and super sensitive vehicle at our disposal, one that communicates to us non stop about everything around us and what is ahead, about which fuel to take, about the speed in which to travel, which route to take and how to prepare for any obstacles on the way. And we get to be the driver of this. Will we sit back and surrender to all this vehicle offers us and the road it will show us to our final destination of love and soul, or will we step out and try and walk our own way, pushing and kicking the vehicle along the way, feeling more and more stressed and anxious, seeing the car break down and the road going nowhere?

220. “…..if I disconnected from my body the anxious thoughts were able to flood in.” It is this connection to the body that is so key. When we lose it, there is no end to the thoughts that our mind will run away with.

     1. The moment we recognise anxiousness creeping in, we can recognise it as a ‘red flag’ moment, to recognise we have disconnected from the body, and therefore re-establish this connection.

     2. Absolutley Jane. And as long as we keep this connection, we will always know truth.

221. Anxiety is a choice, it is not something that just happens and we have a choice in every moment to come back to being fully present.

     1. It’s interesting how so many of us can feel like we are victims of such issues, yet within this, we can really empower ourselves by nominating that it is something we choose. I have been working with a SEND child recently and have observed that when he wants to he displays no ADHD or ASD traits (he has been diagnosed as mild ASD). Rather than meting out labels that allow us to become entrenched in a behaviour we need to be going deeper and simply asking why we are choosing what we are choosing and what we gain from it.

222. It’s interesting that we put ourselves in such situations as skydiving when we already have the knowing in our body of how it will affect us. We have to override our body to make these choices and then in doing so too – when we have negative experience such as this there is a greater sense of honesty than those who profess to the great thrills. What they are truly liking is not the experience of jumping from a plane but rather the dominating and overriding of what they feel through massive adrenaline spikes.

223. Today’s pressures to conform, fit in, be successful, popular and liked are horrendous! These are the pressures that pre-teens are suffering. In the UK the lack of NHS funding and staff to support this hidden problem is still wanting. What if, the Gentle Breath Meditation was part of the start of the school day that started in year one?

     1. It starts so young, the moment children go to school the pressure to be like the other children and fit in is so strong. What if we supported each child in their own unique expression to be who they are, that they are amazing not because of anything they do but simply because of who they are.

224. I often feel my anxiousness stems from the fact that I find it challenging to accept things as they are, in all their dysfunction, disharmony and disarray. By letting myself accept the world as it is and staying more deeply connected to myself I get a sense that I really can, at last, begin to react less to the mess that is in every which way, no matter which angle we look at it from.

     1. Acceptance of the mess we see out there comes with an understanding of why things are as they are. With understanding comes love and opens us up to receive the ‘what is’, rather than reject it because it does not fit our internal pictures. I’m reminded of the saying “Swim like a fish in water without getting wet”

        1. Yes, understanding is the key to acceptance… and to get to understanding there needs to be an impartial observation of things first, without any emotional investment. Clocking the investment and emotional need is the 1st step because after that it becomes easier to observe and not absorb. So there really are many steps needed to get to acceptance… it takes work and commitment.

225. It is helpful to know that so many of us get anxious but even more helpful to know it is not in our DNA and there is something tried and true to overcome it and we simply just need to breath and reconnect.

226. So much in life can be explained by us simply disconnecting from our bodies. The chaos, issues and brutality that exist are just details of what follows. The true evil and poison here is us abandoning our ship.

227. ‘Over time I could feel how staying with my breath supported me to feel a steadiness in my body;’ this is such a great reminder. I’ve been in situations and have felt ill at ease. I then remember to check in with my breath – am I breathing my own breath or the situations? At that point more often than not it’s the situation. It can feel so uncomfortable staying present and reconnecting with my body and re-introducing my own breath because I get to feel in full detail how yucky having the situation circulating around my body is. I used to berate myself for having let that happen or for still choosing to put the situation’s energy as more important than the quality that connecting to my essence brings; but now I understand I am moving away from such an old habit that it is a transition from one way of being to another and to be loving with myself in the process which will be a lovely reflection for others.

228. Beautiful sharing, Gill – self-doubt fuels the fire of anxiety, connection with our body gently extinguishes the flames.

229. We don’t do ourselves any favours when our go to place for stress and anxiety can be to seek medication to ease our symptoms without stopping to look at why we are feeling this way. If we don’t unearth the root cause of where our anxiety/stress is coming from, nothing can truly change.

230. I think often a reaction to feeling anxiousness in our body can be to try and dull what we’re feeling and be less in touch with our body so to speak. But what if there is a way as you propose here whereby we can actually stay more connected with our body and work through the anxiousness rather than try and bury it…

231. Could anxiety be a mentally contrived picture of what we think is going to happen, an anticipation of how things could be… whereas feeling our body and simply connecting with our breath brings us back to the present moment, the reality of our current situation which takes away fear of the future; it connects us to the steadiness of our bodies rather than the waywardness of our minds.

232. I find anxiousness is like an intruder that can take over if I let it… and it leaves equally as easily if I don’t give it any power. When I come back to my body, to how I’m breathing, I feel the truth of a situation which brings understanding and I can move forward without any anticipation of what might happen.

233. Anxiety attacks can be so crippling and often leave us feeling so helpless. What is so stunning with The Gentle Breath Meditation is that it is not a technique that helps us cope or manage stress, but a tool that steadily unwinds the original tension and re-unites us with our warm and stilling inner essence.

234. Anxiety arises when we feel ill equipped to handle what lies in front of us. Therefore it stands that to overcome anxiety, we need to feel better equipped within us. Feeling equipped does not come from ‘toughening up’; it comes from developing true settlement of our being within our body. It is this inner steadiness that allows us to weather whatever storm may approach, for we would never set sail on the high seas with a leaky vessel.

235. Knowing that I can breathe my own breath, in other words, can determine the quality of my breath, has changed completely how I go through life, or more aptly breathe through life.

     1. Yes Esther to know we can change the quality in our body by breathing our own breathe has be super supportive in my own life. By using the simple technique of The Gentle Breath Meditation we empower ourselves.

236. Yes, Anna, consistency and steadiness are super important for me too, and the more I develop these qualities the less anxious I feel. There is so much we can do to support ourselves in daily life, and Universal Medicine has provided us with many amazing tools.

237. In fact, your life possibly changes completely, when you let your body sit in the drivers seat.

238. Anxiety is so prevalent in our society, we can get anxious about so many different things, and medication may help in the short term, or counselling, but understanding the underlying energetic causes is essential if we are to fully eradicate it.

239. This is a great blog, dealing with a big problem that especially a lot of young people have. I find that love is the key to move from anxiety back to our body and back to knowing how to respond to our awareness which is the opposite to anxiety where I don’t know what to do with my awareness.

240. Thank you so much Anna for sharing your experience with anxiety, it helps a lot. I haven’t had it as bad as you describe but it certainly has limited me as I haven’t always been someone to feel the fear and do it anyway or breathed gently to stay connected to myself.

241. It can be so easy to get caught up in what is around us, for most that has been what we have only known so when we are reflecting that it can be another way it can be a very significant turning point in our lives. Serge Benhayon is an exceptional reflection as he lives everything he presents. When I tried the Gentle Breath Meditation as Serge shares it was remarkable the difference I felt and I could feel myself dropping back into my body instead of being in the uptight anxious state that I was in. You could say yeah, so what, loads of meditations out there and I’ve tried a fair few. What is different with The Gentle Breath Meditation is how it supports direct connection with our Soul. From here we have the ability to simply be, can feel how powerful and steady we truly are.

242. Wise words Ariana nothing could be more true that the depth of importance in connecting with our bodies, it is simply the basis for life.

243. It is really useful to read this blog and the comments that are here. It supports that me to know that if I am feeling anxious then I have lost connection with my body and empowers me knowing that if I choose to be present then I can stop the anxious feelings.

244. Someone I know has lived with anxiety for over forty years propped up by prescription medication, their medicine of choice. The consequences are many, including a life lived in tension, damaged internal organs and inability to sleep – leading to more medication. We cannot truly heal if we do not get real and explore the source of our pain.

     1. So true and with our propensity for using drugs to take away the tension of how we are feeling, this pattern of behaviour is passed on to our children who are also resorting to medication for their anxiety at a rapidly increasing rate and decreasing age.

245. I have found also that focusing on my breath helps to dissipate anxiousness.

246. The wall of protection we all build for ourselves may protect us from getting hurt by attacks from others but also stop us to express freely who we are and that possibly hurts more than the attacks from the outside we try to avoid.

247. While our spirit may look for pleasure and excitement – to not have a boring mundane life – our body mostly has to suffer the consequences of these pursuits.

248. Two particular bits I really appreciate about this article are being reminded that anxiousness has not always been there, it is a learnt behaviour adopted to cope in some way and that it is therefore not who we are, and two, that we can build a relationship with ourselves which means we have our own backs. Thank you, Anna, for going there and sharing so openly.

249. Thanks Anna, yes, when we are in presence – connected to our body – we can respond to life instead of reacting.

     1. Yes, when we live with anxiety, we are often in the habit of ‘reacting’ to things around us .. a constant stimulation of our nervous system which over time, the physiology of stress tends to rule our body, compared to when we live with an awareness and be in connection to our body, we are more settled, at ease and can then ‘respond’ to situations.

        1. This then makes sense of the term “nervous breakdown” for it is a constant wearing away. Mental illness is very common now and I can see how chronic anxiety could lead to this. Reacting leaves us unstable mentally and emotionally but with the steadiness that is found from the Gentle Breath Meditation and the reconnection with our body that follows, if we bring our focus there, can really support us to stay stable and over time build an inner confidence.

     2. Very true and with a bit of practice we can then respond to life with joy.

        1. Yes, I am finding this to be true that it is possible to stop reacting, it’s a retraining out of reacting through choices, the main choice I have made recently was to stop doing what my brain or taste bud desire and doing what supports my body.

250. The Universal Medicine healing modalities such as Sacred Esoteric Healing, Esoteric Yoga and their Gentle Breath Meditations are indeed very supportive to build connection with your own body. It is a bit crazy that we live in our bodies 24/7 but spend very little time truly ‘in them’ or connected to them. The more solid you are in your body, the more steadier you are in life.

251. Your simple description of how you have felt when you’ve been anxious describes 4 very common, everyday states of being “I know the times in the past when I have experienced anxiety I have felt overwhelmed and powerless, unable to feel clear or be at ease with myself.” We are a society of anxious people but haven’t really acknowledged the fact because these traits are so normalised.

     1. This is true, Rosanna and we are getting used to anxiety, normalising this dysfunctional state of being… this is not a path to wellness for ourselves or society.

     2. I agree Rosanna, the real sickness is lack of awareness and inability to connect to our bodies.

252. Reading this blog and the resulting comments it is clear that so many people have been affected by anxiousness to some degree at some point – so important that these conversations are brought to the fore to understand collectively why we are living this way.

253. The gentle breath meditation is so simple to do, it is easy to write off as being ineffective. But if we brush it aside, we miss out on the incredible power that lies in something so simple and which acts as a bridge to a very deep part of ourselves, which is a real gift to access.

254. Panic and anxiety have come into me in the past very easily and once they ‘take hold’ it is easy to spiral off with that and allow it to get worse and worse. However, the simple act of breathing gently and being in the body is a very powerful way to off set this from happening and I have found this super effective in staying ‘cool calm and collected’, not in a fake way where it looks fine from the outside, but in a way that feels more solid in my body and less likely to be swayed by the things that happen around me.

255. The Gentle Breath Meditation has been a profound piece of audio that has really supported me to come back to my body. And when I am with my body there is no anxiety – only the next choice in front of me.

256. Esoteric yoga is so supportive when I feel anxious and not connected to my body. I woke up this morning feeling anxious in my body about a dream I had. After I had an esoteric yoga session it was all gone and I felt ready for a beautiful day to come and boy did everything in the day flow.

257. We shouldn’t have ‘safe zones’ and unsafe zones based on the people present in them during our day, such as work being an unsafe zone because we are scared to walk or talk in front of a particular person. Walking on eggshells is always a sign that something isn’t right, and we shouldn’t settle for anxiety or hiding away but can instead address an issue/raise it so it can be dealt with.

258. I used to feel that anxiety was just something that ‘happened to me’ and that I had absolutely no control of: external situations would trigger it, and all I felt I could do was to remove myself from those situations to not have to deal with it. When a Universal Medicine presenter offered that absolutely everything is a choice – we choose how to respond or react to every situation – it felt difficult to understand, such was the ingrained nature of the pattern. But having decided to look at this more closely, and with tools like the gentle breath meditation and the yoga, I started to feel for myself how true this was: that even though something like anxiety might be such an old ingrained pattern of responding, there is a point where we choose how we’re going to deal with it, and whether to let it in and run our body, or not. As my awareness of my body and what I’m feeling has deepened, so too have the choices to perpetuate old behaviours become more apparent – they actually feel like choices now.

259. What I wasn’t aware of until it was lovingly pointed out by Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon was a low grade anxiety that I was living in constantly. I had got so used to my body being in this state I actually thought it was either normal or just ignored it because I was used to it being there all the time. It wasn’t until this was presented to me that I then felt of course this is not normal!!! So how many of us in the world are constantly living in or with a low grade anxiety and just either accepting this or ignoring it? 😶😐

     1. Very true Vicky. I know that I started to feel the very ordinariness of situations where I would react with anxiousness. Often I could recognise it was a situation that had not gone well once upon a time, and that anything close to it could trigger the same feelings of anxiousness and unpredictability, and other times that I had been sensing something but not be conscious that I was sensing it.

     2. Great point, Vicky – just because something is there so often that we’ve normalised it, doesn’t mean to say, it’s normal. Anxiety is definitely not normal, it’s a consequence of how we’re currently choosing to live – a warning from our body that things are out of kilter and needing our attention.

     3. When normal becomes standing on our toes in the swamp, so our nose is just above the water, it is time to remember our job is to drain the swamp, before we drowned in our anxiety.

260. Thanks, Anna. With the support of the Universal Medicine teachings I too have been able to address the low grade anxiety I have had for most of my life, in ways as you describe here – ‘By focussing on my breath I was able to stay more connected to my body and to stop any stories that started circulating around in my head, for if I disconnected from my body the anxious thoughts were able to flood in.’

261. What I appreciate about this blog Anna is that when we force our bodies to do un-natural things like jump out of planes or off bridges, we actually take them over the edge of their natural expression, hence the trapped anxiety. It is a true marker of the power of The Gentle Breath Meditation in how it supported you and your body to move on from such a traumatising event to being able to restore equilibrium through consistent practice, a real and genuine self help tool.

262. The pictures, ideals and beliefs we use to put pressure on ourselves are numerous and will not cease unless we bring back the connection with and in our own bodies. From there we can, breath by breath, unpick all that is not true for us and return to feeling confident and present, and therefore capable of dealing with all that comes before us.

     1. The Gentle Breath Meditation is an everyday, as many times a day as is needed, technique to re-connect us to our bodies from where we can build a sure and steady relationship with ourselves and life.

        1. This is my experience too Mathilda, I like to refer to it as our personal coach, one that shows us exactly where we are in relationship to our own body.

263. Thank you Anna, for this very open sharing of your anxiousness. At the moment I can see around me how anxiousness and especially panic attacks are on the rise even in teenagers. When I grew up I did not know this existed, now I hear about it often. And the medical world does not really have an answer for it. In your blog you describe both the cause and the remedy..a gift for many in this world to start to understand themselves and their own anxiety.

264. Why do we put our bodies through such extreme pressure by such activities as Sky Diving, or bungee jumping? Why is it we have such a total disregard towards our bodies? Where does this come from? Is it at all possible that we are run by a spirit who doesn’t care one jot for the body it inhabits as long as it can indulge in the creation it has made for itself?

     1. And does the spirit know it’s on borrowed time, that, in truth, we are all on our path of return back to re-claim the divinity of who we are. So, it’s working very hard to indulge as much as possible while it still can?

265. When children are themselves naturally, connected to their bodies and living life in the moment, it is very clear to see how joyful they are. We have millions of living examples of this around us every moment and yet do we really stop and appreciate what it is they are reflecting back to us and offering? When we lose connection to this it really is understandable as to why we can get anxious.

266. One of the debilitating things I find about anxiousness is not being able to communicate effectively exactly what I feel because of jumping straight into my head, getting spacey, and talking from there. One of the best remedies I have found for helping with anxiousness is The Gentle Breath Meditation that connects us to our breath, and also the Esoteric Yoga that connects us to our body through movement. Speaking from the body is the true confidence so many of us miss.

267. It is those moments of unexpected events that throw me but I now know that the more present I am with my body the less likely I am to wobble and not know how to handle the situation. The gentle breath meditation is an amazing tool for those moments as it brings you right back to your body and calms everything down.

268. Knowing now that we are fed these thoughts that cause the anxiety and they are not our own is a big for me as well because sometimes I have to laugh at the ridiculousness of the thoughts I have and ask where the hell did that one come from? It certainly wasn’t my soul!

     1. I can relate to that one, Kevin! There are so many thoughts/suggestions in my head that my soul would never say to me and that is actually a perfect marker. Also when others say things that my soul wouldn’t say like yesterday when someone told me it would probably take a while for me to get a new assignment, I could instantly feel this is not a soulful expression, the soul would put it differently and with absolute love.

     2. It is the path of true understanding and exposing of the two sources of energy. The soulful that expands our being and the one that keeps us in contraction about our Self. The tiny moment we entertain a thought, that feels familiar because our spirit loves the identification and motion that comes with it , we said Yes to self centredness and dis-empowerment. Observing every moment and energy that makes us think is an ever developing process. Soulful thoughts will always expand us, under this aspect it is great to look deeper into, what we entertain every day and every moment.

269. When an anxiety attack occurs if we stop and observe it as something separate from ourselves, instead of identifying with it, we can instead connect to our breath. This brings us back to our body, we feel steady and back in control..

270. Of course we have to prepare ourselves for something to come but when we do this from the body instead this will be of a complete different order and will not result in any anxiety. Preparing therefore could be to rest deeply on the day before for instance we have to travel a long distance instead of being busy the whole day to get you suitcase packed.

271. Only the idea to prepare myself for something to come later on the day already brings anxiety to my body as in that moment I am somewhere in the future with my mind, a place and space my body is not able te enter and therefore creates this anxiousness that is tangible in the whole body.

272. To live in the sea and not get wet can at times be difficult for our sensitive being, though anxiety is not ‘natural’ for us; rather a re-action or move away from the still foundation that is within us, and from this connection there is a greater depth and breath of understanding.

273. As a society many of us are living in constant distraction, which makes it impossible to stay connected with the body and its movements. When we are ahead of ourselves it causes tension and anxiety as we are seeing increasingly. Coming back to the body is key.

274. This is beautiful Richard – when we are connected with our body, there is no right or wrong when we are sharing how we feel – we are honouring our bodies by sharing this with others, this is true support, not holding anything back, just being open, honest, trusting in and appreciating all that is revealed – it’s for everyone, not just us.

275. We all need to develop a deeper connection within ourselves for therein lies truth, not the lies our minds circulate.

     1. Indeed Carmel, how often do we think our relationship is with our minds yet when we open up to feeling our body we not only have a relationship with all of us but all of the universe as well.

276. I have not suffered with anxiety as you describe it but know very well the low level exhaustion and raciness of not being connected. It feels great to be moving on from this way of living to a clearer more steady way of living day to day.

     1. Indeed the disconnection that occurs when we give up on ourselves in life can lead to anxiety and overwhelm of not being able to cope. It is however the space that is created by our withdrawal which leaves a space for self doubt to enter.

277. The moment we are present with our bodies anxiousness has no chance. As anxiousness only takes place when we are disconnected from our divine will through our body. Our body knows truth and power instantly if we choose so. The moment we check out from that, everything but that can take place. It is a simple choice to which you align.

278. The Gentle Breath Meditation of Serge Benhayon is life changing. It gets you out of the hamster wheel of life, that always wants to keep you in motion and drive. This loving Stop that it brings is simple, cheap and works without any further assistance. Why is it not known worldwide? As it is not profitable and everyone can do it, by choosing.

     1. you can say it is all in the breath, does life breath us or do we breath life. Something to ponder on.

        1. The moment you breathe life and the situation you are in, you- your soul- is actually not present anymore. You become the energetic puppet of the energy that is around you instead of your own connection to your quality of breath that confirms you by every in and out-breath.

        2. It is such a simple and yet powerful message, breathe our own breath and we instantly connect with the all rather than being at the mercy of life.

        3. The key is to breathe through life. That is, to breathe our own breath as we move through life so as not to inspire the false breathe into our lungs. In this way we live the true self that is the Soul and not the imposter known as the human etheric spirit that has paraded in place of this.

279. Many of us hide away from life and committing to living it in full, I know I have to some degree, some time hermit like…this half life, okness is not living full, but so many of us hide but call it normal. I want to live a life where I express my truth, feel vital and fully committed to everything I choose, anxiousness is with you when you don’t follow your truth.

     1. I was hiding my whole life and yes, somehow I thought it was normal but at the same time I also did not talk about it, as if I deep down knew it was not representative of who I truly am and not wanting to expose myself.

280. Why would we desire to do something so thrilling that we end up having panic attacks and anxiety for months. I am sure you are not the only one Anna. Do we want to proof something for ourselves, that we are capable of doing those things? I don’t know but it definitely is not loving and coming from a disconnection with our body as our body would never be up for these scary experiences.

281. The moment we forget about our body and retreat to the mind, we are in effect puppets of the collective consciousness.

282. I’ve never felt anxious about things which have happened, only ever things which potentially may or may not happen in the future. Being present with our body keeps us in the present and not ahead of ourselves and therefore support us to not run a body with anxiousness.

     1. When you wash a greasy pan and put a drop of dish soap on the surface, the grease rapidly runs away unabated. Could it be the same thing our mind does when we ponder the future and its outcomes?

     2. Yes, when we are not in the present but are in the future, the future can only be composed by pictures, beliefs, expectations, as the moment is not actually there yet. Where we are in relationship to ourselves is what determines these pictures, but however ‘bad’ or ‘good’ the pictures are..they are still that..pictures and this is what takes us away from being present with ourselves, in our body at every moment.

283. To breathe our own breath as in the Gentle Breath Meditation is to connect to our own breath, rhythm and body, and in this, by not giving our power away to the random thoughts that otherwise invite themselves, we once again regain ourselves and our natural confidence.

284. That’s key what you say Anna, that it was an inner-confidence you regained. So often confidence is perceived as an outward thing, but clearly, connecting to you breath, to your body and providing yourself with the space to move inwards in that way, allowed that inner connection and inner confidence, from there, out. A true and foundational quality.

285. I have had days when I feel totally anxious about things that on later reflection are not big issues at all, my mind expanded them for no reason, and that’s what happens when we give the mind free rein. The body is absolute, as someone commented earlier, the body only knows NOW although it can often hold tension from our thoughts back THEN. WE make ourselves ill by our thoughts especially when we disregard our bodies.

286. The Gentle Breath Meditation is so simple and yet so very profound – for thousands of people worldwide.

287. The more we hold focus within our bodies, the less space there is for anxiousness or self-doubt to creep in.

     1. Yes, the more we occupy the space with full presence we do not leave any opening for anything else to enter.

288. What is so beautifully revealed here is how our expectations can set us up for anxiety when life does not occur to our pictures. We can feel like we are not equipped to deal with the challenges that present.

     1. When in fact, what we are being offered is the opportunity to consider that there is more, that these ‘pictures’ do not serve us as they are not real. By re-connecting with our body we are reminded of everything that IS true – a very confirming place to be.

289. We don’t associate, or even begin to make the connection that we can support psychological and emotional anxiety by connecting to the body. The gentle breath meditation is a great first step that builds a marker of settlement in the body, after which a quality can be maintained through greater awareness of presence and movement. This is so simple, yet extraordinarily powerful in terms of supporting our mental wellbeing and overall health generally.

     1. The Gentle Breath Meditation changed everything for me and was a great first step towards a relationship to my body . Although I am now more connected to my body than ever it is still a great tool to bring myself back to the quality that I now know and live. As we never reach an end point, rituals like taking a moment to breathe very consciously, when things get a bit speedy/ too much, are gold for me and will never get dismissed, no matter how advanced and stable I will be one day. As the stability comes from the consistency of the rituals.

290. This is the beauty about the work of Serge Benhayon, it empowers us to see where we are at and inspires us to take responsibility over our own life.

     1. So true, Esther, that in itself is so empowering as in taking responsibility for our own life, there is no one else to blame, it allows us to feel the purpose in why we are here and what we are contributing through how we are choosing to live – this not only affects us, but everyone and everything else also. When we understand this, we move to a deeper level of responsibility and so it continues.

291. I agree, Ariana, that a connection to the body is key at all levels of health and wellbeing, as it provides us with a true reflection of how we are living and therefore with constant opportunities to learn and make better choices.

292. This is gold, Anna – ‘I had learnt to be more loving with myself and to talk to myself in a more tender and respectful way, as I would to a young child. This has been valuable in building a relationship with myself and my body.’ I feel that the key for me also in addressing anxiety has been to treat myself and my body with the utmost care, because it gives me confidence that I am supporting myself in my choices no matter what.

293. When we allow the walls of the maze in the rat race of life close in on us and force us to crawl, what happens if we; stop, stand and take a breath?

294. I feel anxiousness when I do not want to feel my body that is when I’m not present with myself. I can relate to the panic attacks they were once a reminder to me to be more gentle and accepting of myself—as I allowed myself finally the permission to feel my choices, didn’t like what I felt but I can still behold them. This love for myself too started to allow myself to settle in my body.

295. Imagine living life owning a house, but not realising you could go inside. This sounds absurd yet this is how so many of us are with our bodies in this world. There’s a depth of connection that’s possible and so worth exploring.

296. Anna thank you for sharing your experience, I am sure many of us can relate. amazing that you found the Gentle Breath Meditation so helpful, I know many people who have changed their life around through discovering this simple tool to help bring them back to their body and from there re building a foundation of love and trust for oneself.

297. ‘By focusing on my breath, I was able to stay more connected to my body…’ so simple but yet so profoundly powerful.

298. Anna, I love your honesty and openness. Thank you for sharing your experience of anxiety, this is really helpful to read and is written in a beautifully simple way that makes sense and is very relatable.

299. From my experience when I am connected with my body and not thinking in my head, then I feel steady, confident and well. If I go into my head I can feel anxious, tired and lacking in confidence, so I would say from my experience that connection with the body is definitely key.

300. From one who has lived with low to medium grade anxiety during my life time to not having it figure in my life anymore is quite miraculous. I used to feel anxious when travelling, or standing up to speak in front of a room full of people, I would be anxious about getting my work done, or worry about what others thought of me. To live with steadier presence is a gift from me to myself thanks to the support of Universal Medicine and The Way of The Livingness teachings.

301. When we are with our bodies there is usually no anxiety unless we have raced it so much by foods or drinks that the momentum has to first run out. It is going in our heads thinking about what could happen or what has happened that causes anxiety because the body does not know later, it just can deal with now.

     1. A great point – why attempt to control the future and past when the body can only relate to here and now, presence.

302. Anxiety is like being in a constant state of shock – When we are in shock, we are operating from an outside stimulus as a source that continuously feeds this heightened state, not from feeling that lovely, warmth, settled ease feeling of being connected to our body.. The antidote to anxiety most definitely is reconnecting to our body’s natural state of being.

303. The anxiousness we experience perhaps in an area of life can be so subtle that it can go unnoticed and left unchecked. We can find many excuses to avoid what we are being asked to do all because of our unwillingness to deal with an anxiousness that is running through our body.

304. I know I have a underlying anxiety about what someone will think of me, and this often leads to curt or measured expression.

305. It is great to know there is a counter to anxiousness and that it is a matter of choice not to get sucked into it. Like many other illnesses and diseases it is plainly on the rise so we really do need to look at it more honestly and bring it out in the open and share what works to reduce it.

     1. Yes, and to acknowledge that anxiety is as a disorder in ourself and that we do not have to live that way is an enormous start already to be able to change what we sadly too often take as normal.

306. It is so simple to come back to the quality of our breath and what is so lovely about it is we can do it at any point during the day and it feels incredibly stilling when we do.

307. Serge Benhayon has supported so many of us to unearth a deep and life changing understanding that we are all MASTERS of how the breath enters our body.

308. There are times when my mind has been totally overwhelmed by crazy thoughts, scenario planning, going over past events of he said I said she said and it has felt like a roundabout I can’t get off until I’ve remembered movements – to move with tenderness, to breathe gently, to reconnect with my body and everything blows away. No blame, no judgement of myself or anybody else, just a simple recognition that I have aligned to an energy that was not serving me or anybody else. When we make it about energy everything becomes clear.

     1. So true, Carmel, in connection with our body, understanding that everything is energy first allows the clarity for us to see things for how they truly are. In connection with our body, we can feel what doesn’t belong, nominate it and let it go – it’s only energy, it has no hold over us, unless we allow it to.

309. There cannot be enough written or discussed about anxiousness because most of us suffer from this condition whether we talk about it or not and it can be very debilitating. I wonder why we pretend that everything is okay in our lives when we actually know it’s not and for the most part the majority of us are struggling.

310. Is anxiety, bricks that others offer us and we gladly carry them around till we collect so many we can no longer move?

311. When it comes to anxiety, the connection to our body is key. At times, though, what we experience as anxiety may actually be vulnerability which may actually be fragility, with fragility actually being a good thing.

312. My level of anxiousness is a very accurate barometer for where I am at. And it is not something that is always instantly readable in that I can go through the day in drive and function, totally disconnected from my body and then when I stop during the day or at the end or whenever, and feel, that underlying anxiousness is very present and exacerpated by the over-ride that I have been in.

313. “Anxiety – could Connection with our Body be the Key?” I’m beginning to see that you could replace the first word of this sentence with pretty much any emotional or mental problem, disease or illness and it would still ring utterly true.

314. Connection to the body and breath definitely gives us that solid sense of being steady as opposed to flighty or spacey, and I agree the Gentle Breath Meditation does wonders to support this re-connection.

315. Universal Medicine teaches us that confidence comes from the body and thus, it makes total sense that you managed to regain your equilibrium and poise by connecting to your body via the Gentle Breath Meditation and taking that connection into your everyday life.

316. I agree staying with us is the key. It is like learning to take ourselves by our own hand and not abandon ourselves in moments of anxiety and fear.

317. Anxiousness can only exist when we are living from our mind. When we connect to our body we connect to a steadiness that does not wander away like the mind but instead is present in the there and now and leaves no space for a spot of anxiousness.

318. I have had that too, that I wanted to do a skydive, or bungee jump to prove something that even at this moment I cannot clearly define. It was an idea that by doing these scary things you conquer the fear you are living with. Once I had the opportunity to do a duo delta wing flight by which you start off from the top of a high hill by jumping into the deep. When we were at the top of the hill I was afterwards lucky that the weather conditions where not good enough for such a flight and it was cancelled. Standing at the top of the hill I had no bad feeling that the flight was cancelled, I was actually relieved as standing there and looking down into the gorge there was nothing in me that actually wanted to jump, nothing to prove.

319. Anxiety can be very debilitating as you have highlighted Anna. I had it to a degree related to my nursing work. I used to work in charge of hospital on night duty and would often have to assist in the emergency department when it was busy. This was not my area of work normally, so felt very out of my depth. With that I would get very anxious before ever shift I would work. I ended up reducing my hours to as little as I could afford to live on. We tend to adjust our lives because of the anxiety and its implications are for the whole of our lives, not just the area where we feel anxious.

320. It’s of note for us to consider why it is that anxiety is increasing at such an alarming rate, particularly for children. Could it in part be a dis-ease brought on because the societal pressures we are feeling all around us are asking us to be something we are not? Understanding that our greatest support is re-connecting with our body and feeling all that we are is, therefore, an absolute godsend.

     1. I would say it is very much in the level of disconnection children are feeling in the adults around them due to ‘dumb phones’ cause they sure aren’t ‘smart phones’. It’s had a devastating impact on daily lives. But supply and demand dictates that we want this level of distraction, the question next would be why?

321. Loved reading this Anna. My greatest fear was going blank in stressful situations (any situation where I thought I had to perform in some way which was basically most of life but more heightened would be being at work and being unsure as to what to do, in front of an audience even of 1 etc. ) I have memories of having no words come out and feeling like a fool to feeling a wash of shame. The more I’ve stayed present with my body the more I’ve experienced being given the words, the responses with clarity. There have been times where staying present and feeling very uncomfortable hasn’t been pleasant. I’ve had to lovingly feel and dismiss all the overlays (like I’m stupid or good for nothing if I don’t know what to do or say, I can never make a mistake etc.) to reconnect with the intelligence within that never lets one down.

     1. The crazy bit is that it’s totally normal to go blank if you feel stressed as it’s what the brain does, it focuses on the body response to get away from the stressful stimuli. So we should just not load that moment with critical thoughts of stupidity but rather with deep care and understanding.

     2. There is something very liberating in surrendering to the body and not feeling like you have to have all the answers.

322. When we are fully connected with our bodies, there is literally no space for anxiety to exist.

323. Anxiety is so horrible the body is our greatest tool for connection and our mind is our greatest enemy when we are disconnected.

     1. Yes, our body is naturally connected to all that is around us but with our mind we decide that that is not important and that we can go and wander off wherever we like.

324. Panic attacks are an awful thing to experience. I have had my fair share in the past. But I love what you have shared here Anna which is the understanding that when you develop that relationship with your body and natural and innate rhythms of a gentle breath, this leaves no space for anxiety, let alone panic attacks. When we are in the body and supporting it with our full presence, we know every part of the body and area like a fully inflated balloon. However, if we deflate the baloon and are not fully in the body and feeling the body, this allows the opportunity for another energy such as anxiety to creep in and take over. So the answer is quite simple – stay in your body and keep feeling it all of the time, and keep feeling that natural beautiful rhythm that it holds when it is left to be and do its natural thing.

325. Anxiety is a lot more common than we realise. Many of us have a low level of underlying anxiousness about being who we are in the world, even if we have done something 1000 times anxiousness can still play out. It’s really great to see that anxiety can be overcome Anna, and this blog would be a great healing tool for many people.

326. Anna – thank you so much for sharing what you have shared. Anxiety and panic attacks are often a hush hush topic and people are often embarrassed to talk about it especially if they have or still do experience them. I too have experienced panic attacks in the past and a level of anxiety as you have shared. And similar to your experience, I managed to not let it spiral and take over. However the residual anxiety and unease was not really dealt with until such time that I came across the very powerful yet super simple Gentle Breath Meditation – and it is something I still use today when I feel even a low level of angst in me. So simple and incredibly powerful – when most people read about the gentle breath or hear about it, it sounds so simply they feel this cannot be it, that it cannot be that easy….The gentle breath is not a guided meditation, it is not a mental meditation, it is not mindfulness, but what it does do is bring your body alive and truly deeply honours it (the Body) like no other I know. And the fantastic thing is that once you have learned this, then you can do it anywhere at any time – no need to uncomfortably cross your feet and do sounds or go to a meditation place etc. It is accessed with ease through you and your body anywhere anytime. I would not be where I am today with the amazing life I have if I had not embraced the Gentle Breath Meditation more than 10 years ago).

327. I also went through a period of anxiety and panic attacks about 19 years ago. I remember that i was given some amazing advice by someone close to me just a panic attack was developing. The advice was ‘just let it wash over you’ and with that the panic attack came and went in a matter of seconds and I could feel that it did not have the grip on me or my body that I previously felt it had.

     1. That is so true Michael and such great advice also. I have never experienced a panic attack myself but have seen others in the midst of attacks and they always seem to tense up and tighten their bodies in response, adding to the tension and, it always seemed, holding onto and prolonging the attack, whereby letting it wash over you allows the body to relax and the anxiety to pass through much quicker.

     2. Interesting. When we learn how to surrender to the body and not fight what is going on inside us, we allow the body to release the tension much faster. When we attempt to fight our anxiousness, we double its power.

328. I have noticed that when eating anything salty or slightly sugary my adrenal system kicks in giving my body a heightened feeling of unease and quicker heartbeat. Considering the amount of sugar and salt in our diets I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a contributing factor… adding another layer on top of the anxiety we already feel in life about life, compounding the experience of anxiety we feel day-to-day.

     1. I have noticed this too big time. The thing is that I found this food-induced anxiety is not so easy to shake once I’ve eaten the food, I just have to wait for it is finished. And feeling very uncomfortable because of that. Just was wondering if I am seeking that feeling, even though uncomfortable, so I don’t have to deal with things in life and am less clear because of the raciness.

329. I have come to appreciate when we connect to our body it will guide us through life. All the signs our body communicates to us are there to support us, are we prepared to listen or ignore them?

330. This saying I’ve heard many times and if we buy into it, it encourages us to override what we are feeling. What would be more supportive is to feel the fear and assess by listening to our body as it would always guide us on what to do. I find it is our mind that could lead us to do some crazy, harmful and scary things whereas our body is always wise and sensible.

331. Being taught how to connect to my body by breathing gently has ignited a myriad of changes, in my health, well being and awareness. The consequence of which have empowered me to make new and very honouring choices in my life that previously were unattainable due to the tension and stress trapped in my body.

332. I was just talking with a colleague of mine about this yesterday. It was a great reminder to both of us and that if we are feeling at anytime not capable of dealing with a situation then we get the support we need.

333. If we function just from the mind it can take us anywhere to the detriment of our body. We only need to look at the increase in stimulating activities, drinks, food, extreme sports to see that. Staying connected to our body is key, which you’ve so openly showed Anna in your blog, because it reveals all the unease and symptoms the body is going through with anxiety. For me I can so relate to your story and before Universal Medicine I thought I would never live a day without experiencing it. Anxiety was there from the moment I opened my eyes in the morning to the moment I fell asleep at night. A big turning point for me was understanding that I was feeling and picking up on energy around me but not trusting or verbalising it, therefore holding in my body instead.

     1. And in the not being with your body the energies have free play with it and in that the body is suffering while the body naturally is very well capable to live in the world of energy if we do not interfere with our mind.

334. “I know the times in the past when I have experienced anxiety I have felt overwhelmed and powerless, unable to feel clear or be at ease with myself.” Indeed, and I would say this is not uncommon for many of us. However to be free of anxiety is so incredibly empowering and allows so much to be shared from all of who we are.

335. When we separate from who we truly are, our divine essence, the floodgates open for anxiety and everything else. Connecting to one’s body and being fully present in all that we do makes a significant difference to our lives, and our relationships with others.

     1. Another step that can really support with anxiety, when we re-connect with our body, is to allow the space to build our appreciation for all that we are – even if it’s simply to appreciate that we’ve chosen to re-connect with our body. That one choice is pivotal in re-claiming the power of who we are.

336. Sadly it is very common in our modern day society that we allow pictures and ideals to define who we are or who we should be.

     1. Oh yes Eva, for such a long time I had a picture of where I should be in life in relation to work and finances, and because I did not meet the picture, this created a lot of tension and stress, trying to ‘get there’, that is, to the picture. I feel so much lighter having let that go!

     2. When we are who we naturally are then all of our pictures and ideals about who we think we should be, simply fall away.

     3. And then we forever strive for the unrealistic and unattainable – and turn into mere shadows of ourselves, not living who we truly are.

     4. So true, Eva, and in doing so, we step away from the glory and stability of who we are – and the vicious cycle of lack of self worth begins. It’s like chasing a rainbow – we are trying to be something we are not, failure is inevitable, as it’s a false ideal that we have created – a distraction to reduce us, when in truth, by choosing to claim who we already are, we are everything.

337. Anxiety is becoming a very common illness and it is powerful to share your story so that others can see that it does not have to own us.

     1. I agree – real and honest sharings like this, that offers a deeper awareness of what is at play, is what we need to break the ill trend.

     2. I agree. Indeed I would say that there are large swathes of humanity living with a high level of anxiousness that they would consider to be the norm, thus are not seeking any support. We need more transparency around this subject and for people to start feeling that it is OK to talk about it if they can’t cope or are feeling that it is all too much.

338. It is very cool that you do this Gill .. catch an old behaviour and stop. I am still learning this one (the stop is not as quick as I would like it to be!). Which I guess is why we are forever students as we are always unfolding and learning.

     1. With this comes the understanding that there is no perfection whether we are aware before or after the awareness is the key factor.

339. Yes, Anna, I feel that anxiety is through the roof with young people in particular these days, because they are losing connection to their bodies and more and more, by retreating into their minds and virtual reality.

     1. So true, on-line communication is becoming the norm where responses are often in reaction to what has been written and received as opposed to feeling what’s going on for the other person and your self and sharing from a place of true connection.

     2. The simple activity of going for a walk, I find is a great way to return awareness to my body whenever I am retreating into my mind.

     3. Yes, one university reviewed its postgraduate students and found that 40% of them have anxiety issues, compared ot 8% in the general population.

        1. I’m surprised that the percentages are so low, however, I guess it depends on what ‘definition’ is being used in terms of what qualifies someone as ‘having anxiety issues’, and how severe this needs to be.
           Any level of anxiety is not ‘normal’, however, because of it’s prevalence in our society, slight anxiety from time to time may well be considered as ‘normal’.

340. The introduction of mIndfulness classes in schools is being applauded but what if it is bodyfulness classes that we really need ?

     1. I have seen this too. There has been a rapid increase in this kind of stuff with meditation and mindfulness classes being introduced to schools. As you so wisely say and as this blog brilliantly illustrates, it is the body that we need to be connecting too – and that doesn’t mean more sports!

341. Rather than becoming insular when something occurs which makes us feel anxious and unsettled, what if we spoke out and sought support? Bottling things up has a proven negative impact on our health, especially our mental state of being.

     1. So true Susie W. I know from personal experience we can buy into the belief that we should be able to cope with everything and not show our vulnerable side to the world, withdrawing instead as a way to cope. Seeking help and support should be a natural course of action when we are feeling unsafe and anxious, as automatic as going to get a sticking plaster for a cut finger.

342. If I notice I’ve become anxious it’s a reminder to deepen my connection with my body.

343. For most my life I accepted that anxiety was normal, I saw others in life who didn’t seem to be suffering from anxiety and the ups and downs of life the way I was but had no idea how to change it. What I didn’t realise at the time is that almost everyone suffers in silence, carrying on, portraying a picture of ‘I’m OK’ as that’s just how it is. Practicing the Gentle Breath Medication has been life changing for me to reconnect back to my body and support me to let go of the layers of anxiety.

     1. Great point that you raise here, Fiona, about how our perception can be that we’re the ‘odd one out’, the only one suffering in silence, when, in truth, the opposite is true. It’s time for us to get real with each other, to let our guard down and actively support our selves and each other.

344. If we can allow ourselves to drop from the head and surrender into our bodies and connect with ourselves, the anxiousness will begin to dissipate – if we can maintain this, or continue to bring ourselves back to connect within when anxiousness encroaches, it will then will become less of an issue in our lives.

345. Allowing the mind to take hold, pulling us away from our inner centre, is, in my opinion, what lets doubt and anxiety enter.

346. It is easy to feel faulty when you feel anxious but actually anxiety is a great marker from your body telling you that something is not right in how you are approaching life.

347. I definitely would agree with you Anna that the body is the key in supporting reducing anxiety levels, because for myself, the more I connected to being with my body [not escaped inside my head, in any day dream for example] and the quality of being present with myself, i.e. developing an aware presence, the less anxious I felt.

348. Anxiety can create huge tensions in our body and often we are not aware, for example I sometimes chew the inside of my mouth (you’ve heard the expression ‘chewing it over’ – I do it literally!) and then it is only when my inner lips or my inside cheeks are sore that I realise I’ve done it. Breathing gently and relaxing my jaw helps to release the tension.

349. I have noticed that anxiousness is becoming more common in children, it is great to know that we can support children to connect with their bodies, rather than be thinking in their heads, and that this can support them to deal with the anxiousness.

     1. We get anxious precisely because we are not in our bodies. More and more of us are checking out in our heads not just when we are doing things but when we are on the computer/devices, watching TV etc. The levels of anxiety society are experiencing is a real headache and a real drain on resources, but the antidote to anxiety is really beautifully simple; breathe gently, feel your body and walk paying attention to it checking in with it as you go.

350. Anna, thank you for sharing this; ‘I had learnt to be more loving with myself and to talk to myself in a more tender and respectful way, as I would to a young child.’ This is a beautiful way for us to be with ourselves – tender and respectful, rather than self-critical.

     1. Yes, I agree. I’m learning this too and what I notice is it takes a constant gentle reminder to change the way I communicate with myself as the pattern has been to speak so harshly. I clock it and then adjust it to bring a more loving and tender communication to myself, again and again.

351. Recently I painted the front of my house and was up a ladder for four hours and I hate being up ladders and am really quite scared of heights and this was really quite high. Through gently breathing through the tip of my nose throughout the exercise I was able to paint with a steady hand and manage my fear quite well. I’m not sure how I would have done it otherwise, although having said that next time I might get someone else to do it.

352. The more blogs I read about anxiety the better as far I’m concerned, it is as though I went through life in the illusion of thinking I was the only one to suffer from it. I was never got it really bad but it did stop me doing stuff in life that would have probably put me in a better position. Exams used to make me anxious so I avoided them, speaking in front of more than a few people did also so I avoid that. Maybe now with a better connection to myself I no longer need to avoid situations that bring on the anxiousness.

     1. You make a good point here Kevmchardy that anxiousness dominates and controls many people so much that it changes what they do in their life – it can limit and reduce what is possible.

353. It’s great to be honest about anxiety and get it right out there in the open as you have done here Anna, so it has no where to hide and spring back when we least need it, I used to constantly cover up mild doses of it but it doesn’t effect me so much anymore unless there is a chance that I have to speak publically in which case it is back in a flash. Something I still need to deal with.

354. ‘By focussing on my breath I was able to stay more connected to my body and to stop any stories that started circulating around in my head, for if I disconnected from my body the anxious thoughts were able to flood in.’ – this feels such an important point for us to realise and accept, unreservedly, that the swirling, erratic thoughts in our head are stories, it’s not who we are. So, when the anxiety creeps in, it’s a trigger for us to re-connect with our body and be reminded of everything that is is true.

355. When I feel anxious I know I have been in my head focusing on things outside of me and haven’t been honouring of what I feel in my body and what I need to do or say.

356. When we deeply nurture ourselves and honour our body’s innate and natural rhythm there is no need to be anxious… because all our body’s have an innate rhythm that is harmonious with all others.

357. Anxiety is driven by our minds focusing on something external to us, so when we truly connect to our bodies – feel what is going on and come back to our body’s innate harmony – the anxiety falls away.

358. Having done similar ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ things like skydiving, hang-gliding, rock climbing, etc., and thinking that if I did those things I would be recognised and it would ‘check the boxes’ of life accomplishments that others would admire. Perhaps in trying to overcome fears through these dangerous activities we are avoiding overcoming a deeper fear of being accepted for who we truly are in our true being-ness and amazingness without being rejected by society as it is constantly telling us we have to prove ourselves in so many ways to be accepted without honouring the being within.

359. “… how key it is to stay connected with our body so we are aware of any anxious feelings, not letting them take us away from this connection and not allowing the mind to take over with any crazy thoughts….”Yes, staying with the connection to the body, to a known consistent and tangible presence, physically and practically is like an anchor that stops you from drifting off away with distracting thoughts.

360. If ever I am having a crummy day, focusing on my quality of movements, how I walk and even how I wash up the dishes all helps to bring me back to my joy. The Gentle Breath Meditation is a very effective tool in the process, re-turning us time and again to the quality of the moment and our greatest ally, our flesh, bones and heavenly particles.

361. Anxiousness is endemic within society and increasing evidenced by the ever increasing dependence upon distractions in all the myriad forms, eg alcohol, sport, TV, illegal drugs, pornography, etc., in order not to feel the tension and disharmony within.

362. Let the Kingdom of The Body reign supreme.

363. ‘Any problem in the world – could Connection with our Body be the Key?’

364. “No matter what happened I would have my back” – when I read this I asked myself, is this true for you? And to be honest I am not 100% sure it is true for me. I have my back far more than I ever have before and yes that has brought much more steadiness into my life, but there are still pockets where I abandon myself. This is good to get honest about and explore (with love and no judgement) why and where I do that as I do much prefer it when I have my own back.

365. The more present I am in my body the less that anxiety can take hold.

     1. Agreed Fiona, it took me a while to understand what “more present i am’ meant – a sure sign i was anything but present!

366. Again, I appreciate reading this blog and the reflection it offers. I can feel what anxiousness does to me and remarkably how much I live with it . . it feels like if I don’t ‘unleash’ my feelings they build up which eventually can come out as are hurt – a hurt that has involved not being me.

367. There are times when I start to feel anxiousness in my body, the tapping foot under the table or the biting of my nails and from this I know that my body is communicating that this is happening. Listening to it further then shows us the way to be present and then the anxiousness simply dissipates.

368. There is a great wisdom we can connect with through being more aware of our body, one that supports us with all the challenges we can face in life.

369. During a gorgeous role play exercise in one of the Universal Medicine workshops I got to feel how when I had my eyes closed and I was not entertaining any thoughts or expectations about myself or the other person, I naturally felt drawn towards whoever I was facing. It had nothing to do with age, sex or any other categories I previously had!
     Such moments are a great wake up call about how important it is for us to find ways of healing our issues and ignoring the noisy commentator in our head, and instead, paying far more attention to what we feel at a much deeper level, in our inner heart.

     1. If we took our heads out of the equation and simply let our hearts lead the way, then we would be walking around with our arms around everyone’s shoulders all of the time. We quite literally wouldn’t be able to stop ourselves embracing people, because our head, (which is the bit that tells us that we ‘don’t know someone’ or that ‘it’s not appropriate’) would be silenced and our heart, (the bit that recognises everyone as us) would be pulling us back into the One United Whole that we actually are.

        1. The truth of this is huge and the graphical description beautifully expressed.
           Would make a gorgeous little cartoon.

370. The ‘walls of protection’ we often build to keep us being hurt by the world, are simply an illusion, when in fact they are actually harming us even more than the perceived hurt we are hiding from. We end up holding onto the hurt behind the wall, so any healing that is possible has two barriers to break down, the hurt and the wall. I know from my own experience it can be very challenging to deal with what is causing us the anxiety but life becomes even more challenging when we don’t.

371. Whenever I have felt anxious, but connected to my body I have felt the anxiousness recede or go altogether. The more I am connected to my body the less anxiousness I feel.

     1. When we start to feel that anxiety is absolutely not part of who we are but is a choice and something we create and have to put effort into continuously recreating, our relationship with it changes: it’s easier to disentangle ourselves from it, not be owned by it, and to commit to the antidote to it: building our connection with our bodies.

     2. So simple yet so true – perseverance is the key.

372. Anyone who has has anxiety knows how painful it is.
     Anxiety is a widespread issue in our world with many solutions, medications and meditations to try to cope with it but nothing has supported me to understand and heal from it as the Teachings of the Ageless Wisdom have.

     I now know that I have everything I need to stop anxiety coming on or to pull out of it if I go too far.
     My anxiety attacks used to feel like I was drowning in big waves that pulled my feet off the ground, I would feel out of control like being in a washing machine and my heart would be full of cold pins and needles, I would have insomnia… but now all I need to do is stay close to my body; focus on my breath and what my body is doling and I can plant my feet on solid ground.

     This is huge.

373. When I was presented with that fact that the anxiousness was not who I was, it was a profound teaching for in that moment I could let it go; a marker in my body that would support me in the future when I experienced anxiousness.

     1. It took me a while to detach from anxiety, to accept that it wasn’t me and that I had a choice whether to be anxious or not because back then it felt like the anxiety I was experiencing was all consuming. It is a miracle how much this has changed and how I rarely feel anxious these days and when I am it takes me by surprise as it feels so unnatural and out of place.

     2. With the understanding and acceptance that anxiety isn’t who we are, it no longer has the same hold over us, allowing us to address it as the imposter that it is, something that does not belong.

     3. This is amazing Caroline and inspiring us to understand that we do not have to be identified by any conditions. Once we discard any form of identification, we begin to discover who we really are, love.

     4. We identify with everything that we are not, as opposed to everything that we are, and therein lies our downfall.

        1. Well said Alexis – that is very true, identifying with everything that we are not, destroys us; simply through sensing what is true in our body from a reflection of truth presented, we in an instant change our movements.

374. Anxiety is on the increase and giving it is such a debilitating dis-ease in the body it would serve us very well to look at the root cause of it.

     1. The dramatic increase of anxiety in schools affecting children of younger and younger ages is a reflection of how chronic the situation is. How supportive it would be for Gentle Breath Meditation to be offered, empowering children to understand and feel how they can support themselves to work through their anxiety.

        1. The schools that have had the Gentle Breath Meditation introduced to them that I have heard of have had such positive results but the school systems seem hell bent on making children more anxious with more tests that are more difficult and at a younger age as well. We do have to start to understand the energy behind it all that wants to keep us in our heads and away from being totally in our bodies.

        2. It is true that school kids are anxious, this is not normal, it maybe what is happening but it is not how children should be. It is a sign, but are we really paying attention.

375. It is startling just how many people are affected with anxiety… ranging from low grade, subtle to the debilitating. Your sharing of how to claim back that sense of you, and reconnection with your body offers is hugely supportive.

376. “anxiety wasn’t who I was ….” This is an insightful step to realise … by staying with and giving yourself a pause, a moment, to feel your breath moving in and out the body is very settling and connecting… it brings you back to what you know as being you …

377. ‘From this experience I can understand how anxiety and panic attacks can take a hold when we begin to perceive that this is who we think we are.’ – Yes, we can easily become a prisoner of our own thoughts.

378. I have been committing a lot more to doing a daily meditation and love how much more connected and sure I feel in myself. This medicine is available free ! There does need to be a willingness to commit though and that it requires consistency.

379. There is so much anxiousness at play and you have the extreme as you share Anna which is full on and then you have the subtle level just slowly chipping away and keeping us small. Connection with our body and dedication with this has also been life changing to the levels of anxiousness that I used to live with, and sometimes still have. A forever deepening process.

380. Panic attacks and anxiety are becoming more and more common for children and young people and it’s important we don’t let this become a ‘normal’ part of being a kid; to feel scared to express yourself or be out in the world

381. Anxiousness is so debilitating – the whole body goes into raciness and contraction. The Gentle Breath Meditation is a powerful and simple tool to bring more awareness to being present within the body and emotions begin to settle and dissipate.

382. The more that I have paid attention to my anxiety the less it is present, but it has become dangerously more subtle in its low level underpinnings.

383. With realizing and accepting that my body actually is my most important instrument to know, observe and feel the truth of everything it made even more sense to me how harming it actually is to make sure I don’t connect to the stillness there is inside from which I can discern and work in a completely different way than when I am anxious, racy or emotional. No wonder there are so many ways to distract us to make sure we don’t have access to this super powerful navigation and decision making instrument.

384. Anxiety has become so normalised that for most of us it is not until we stop and rebuild the connection with ourselves that we begin to see the extent of anxiety we have said yes to.

385. A very honest sharing. While I’m not someone who experiences anxiety very often, it seems to me that hushing the mind and listening to, respecting and responding to the body is the solution. There may be many coping techniques, but surely being more in your body – or with your soul – is a way to address the issue at its root.

386. Anxiety, even a low grade running through the body, is something I would say pretty much everyone in the world has, had or can relate to. What I love here is that you bring it back to the body. Simply. And that supporting our connection with ourself and our body can actually start to reduce anxiety. Making it about being present with ourselves. The Gentle Breath Meditation has really helped me with this in having a place to start in re-connecting and bringing it back to the body http://www.unimedliving.com/meditation/free

387. It is interesting the relationship we have with anxiety and then how we live our lives. Sometimes I feel that it can give us an excuse not to do something and can be used to not move forward. After all, the fear of the panic attack becomes bigger than the actual task at hand.

     1. Yes Julie, I can see that in my times of anxiousness, often quite severe, I used how I was feeling as an excuse ‘not to move forward’; it simply felt too hard and I was too exhausted to make any other choice, so I stayed stuck in this very debilitating way of being. But what I found amazing, was that when I finally was able to move forward, I realised that it was actually much harder and much more exhausting to stay stuck than it was to make the choice to move forward.

        1. That is the key point, Ingrid, choosing to stay stuck is more exhausting than making little steps to change things.

388. Given so many people talk of the anxiety they feel and live with, I know that whilst I’ve certinly transformed my life this still comes up for me, how life-changing your experience can be for people. What if we had a world where anxiety was considered an illness, one that was rare? How different would the quality of our life be?

389. It feels significant that at work you were less anxious because you were focused on other people’s needs . Self worth comes from considering our own needs first, saying no to abuse, and not letting negative thoughts dominate our lives.

     1. It’s also to do with purpose and when we consider ourselves our true purpose here is to offer a body that is vibrating in alignment to the harmony of the universe then it brings a new level of purpose to taking care of ourselves as it’s not about us but the all.

390. Anxiety tends to be measured from the extreme examples we see in society (eg the neurotic person we just saw on the street) but all this does is allow this low level anxiety to become normal and be overlooked. In that case it’s pertinent to wonder who exactly is worse off? The person who think they are free is so trapped because they think ‘I don’t have that’.

     1. It’s the same with addiction if you’re not using hard drugs you’re not addicted but if you’re workaholic or sports-aholic you are held in awe rather than the addiction to cover up the empty feeling. We basically need to get a lot more honest at how our normal is actually counter to true wellbeing.

391. Anxiety reminds me of skiing! When we’re feeling out of control on skis, what stabilises us is the opposite of what we think we want to do – it’s to lean forward, when what we want to do is lean back, which actually makes you go faster! With anxiety, we feel out of control and want to bring control, yet what truly supports is to let go, surrender and deeply re-connect with our body.

     1. ‘what stabilises us is the opposite of what we think we want to do – it’s to lean forward, when what we want to do is lean back, which actually makes you go faster!’ – Or it makes you fall on your bum, which is just the other end of the extremes.

392. Being anxious feels like being in a straight jacket, it’s incapacitating and prevents us from feeling all that we are. We allow another energy in that takes us away from our self, actively choosing to re-connect with our body, feeling our feet on the ground as we walk, the delicateness in our finger tips as we type, is what brings us back and dissipates the anxiety.

393. “For if I disconnected from my body the anxious thoughts were able to flood in”. When we disconnect from our bodies then we leave a gaping whole through which any-thing can flood in.

394. “What supported me greatly was to take the time to check in with my body and to notice if there were any pictures or ideals about how my day should play out”, Anna this line is great because it has really supported me to see how my recent spike in anxiety is as a result of the pictures that I have around what I should be achieving in my day.

395. I have never thought of myself as being an anxious person, however, the times when I have felt anxious I’ve also been acutely aware of my lack of support and care for myself, how I’ve let myself down, which comes back to my lack of connection with myself. It’s through our connection with our body that we build a foundation of love and this then feeds us back and supports us to bring our all in everything that we do.

396. Feeling unable to deal with life – many people are feeling that, I find. But if we look at the way we live by numbing, dulling, stimulating our body, and consequently are in exhaustion, obviously we are not in our optimum state to be in the world most of the time.

397. “Learning to become more consistent and steady in my life has given me a solid foundation that has supported me throughout very challenging and difficult times”

     This is one of the best gifts we can give ourselves. And the Gentle Breath meditation is free and a supportive way that you can give yourself some consistency and steadiness.

398. Having a panic attack is not fun at all, but I found it more difficult to admit that it was actually me and the thoughts I had that created the attack in the first place. The pressure we can put on ourselves and our bodies are not healthy at all, so connecting to the breath and our bodies is most definitely of great support.

399. I have found that my anxiety arises because of a lack of connection to myself and an inner self- confidence and, like you Anna, connecting to my body and the practice of the Gentle Breath Meditation™ I have found incredible supportive to build that inner-confidence.

400. I can relate to what you share about anxiety. I’ve been experiencing it for almost two decades but I have also discovered that I am much stronger that IT, in fact it has nothing on me when I claim myself in my space instead of letting it rule me. Sometimes when it shows up, not so often nowadays, I just say welcome, and I’m starting to actually enjoy it, because I know this is a moment for me to grow and expand and a chance to be more of myself. That for me is claiming my space. There’s a lot of people not wanting to be or feel anxious or have angst but for me it’s a great thing to have because it shows that we are alive and still willing to evolve, rather that than not having it and becoming stale in life. This was a long comment and perhaps shows that this is a great topic to bring to the table so thanks Anna!

401. It has taken a while, but finally coming to understand that the panic attacks, the anxiety and the fear of what would happen next, were all allowed free rein in my body as I was in no way connected to it and to me. I was simply off in worry land and not present in my wonderful body. To slowly begin to re-build this connection has been more than amazing, and as the connection grows stronger all that used to take centre-stage in my life no longer has a role.

402. Understanding that anxiety, is our body communicating to us that it is not equipped to deal with the situation, has helped realize that it not a bad thing. It is just a more intense level of communication that is needed because I have not listened to earlier messages.
     If I can listen to what my body is telling me it can support me to work on areas in my life that need it.
     Also when I listen to my body it deepens the level of trust it has in me, then it will not have to “speak” so loudly in the future.

403. The body is an extraordinary anchor which can hold us if we hold it.

404. I love what you shared about how you could handle the crazy or anxious thoughts when you were feeling your body. It is so key to have this know feeling in our body of ‘us’ so we can discern if our thoughts are actually true or not.

405. Some of the things we say to ourselves we would never say to another. So why do we beat ourselves up so much? “I had learnt to be more loving with myself and to talk to myself in a more tender and respectful way, as I would to a young child.” Beautiful Anna – treating ourselves with love and tenderness is so much more respectful and caring of ourselves and we can then grow and evolve.

406. “What supported me greatly was to take the time to check in with my body and to notice if there were any pictures or ideals about how my day should play out…” Staying with my body has supported me so much in situations where I may feel anxiety creeping in, for example speaking up in a large group or in public.

407. I never thought of myself as an anxious person but looking back I was and occasionally still am. For me it is my thoughts running away with me, setting up scenarios that could or might happen. I was creating pictures for the future instead of feeling my way moment by moment, which is what I am learning to do now. Our mind sets up such complications whereas focusing on breathing gently and feeling the body are all we need to do to stay connected and still.

     1. Wow Carmel, your experience sounds just like mine. I used to have very fearful thoughts running through my head and they used to stop me from making certain decisions. I didn’t know that was anxiety at the time and thought it was just normal. Now I don’t experience this anymore but occasionally I can sense a fearful thought wanting to come through and I am able to dissolve them almost instantly and can feel they have no power over me anymore because my connection to my body has deepen and I now live in a way that no longer invites these thoughts into my body.

        1. ‘occasionally I can sense a fearful thought wanting to come through and I am able to dissolve them almost instantly and can feel they have no power over me anymore because my connection to my body has deepen’ – The body’s ability to reset, to withstand fear or other imposing thoughts, thanks to truly caring for ourselves, listening to our body’s messages and honoring it as opposed to dishonouring and pushing our body beyond it’s natural limits, is mindblowing and it never ceases to amaze me.

408. I noticed a few years back that there are all sort of energies that I experienced that I labelled as anxiety and it was important to feel a little deeper and discern exactly what was going on and not to put the incorrect word to the experience. For example is it more along the lines of excitement, anticipation, fear or even perhaps an increase in awareness. Reading what is the underlying trigger releases the energy.

     1. In relation to the increase in awareness, I discovered that whenever my awareness increased I felt anxious because I was feeling and becoming aware of all sorts of things that I was not sure how to handle and live in day to day life. Once I become aware of this and embraced that form of anxiety as being a confirmation of an increase in awareness (which is something I welcome), it suddenly became a completely different experience and not one I was anxious about.

        1. A point of inspiration to observe what it is we’re actually anxious about and to read it on a deeper level, building a relationship with anxiety and awareness instead of reacting to it.

        2. Yes, so true Nicola, change our interpretation of a situation and our reality changes.

        3. I like that Nicola, a refreshing way to look at a form of anxiety. I will take this into my life.

        4. Yes indeed Bryony, observation and awareness are transformational and inspirational 🙂

409. Its not a good feeling in the body to feel anxiousness. It is a way to withdraw from people, a protection in truth. The willingness to accept yourself in the qualities you are supported me to build a base of love. It starts with self-love by nominating any thought or emotion that is not clear and still in the body.

410. Anxiety is a huge issue world wide as many of us are nervous to express who we are. What doesn’t help is the extreme consumption of sugar and caffeine, I get anxious just thinking about that!

     1. So anxiety is revealing to us we are moving outside of our natural rhythms. Feeling we need to be something other, something more.
        I use to find that coffee definitely fuelled a level of tension in the body too.

     2. So true, Rachael – expressing who we are can feel like putting ourselves in the firing line, historically this has literally been the case. Whilst we may not be at risk from being shot or tortured, many of of us still hold a deep seated fear of being attacked ‘energetically’ for revealing the glory of who we are in full, myself included.

     3. I agree Rachel sugar and caffeine are the worst things for anxiety yet are consumed on a mass scale
        daily. No wonder our anxiety levels are going through the roof and becoming a world issue yet we it seems the penny hasn’t fully dropped with this one yet .. strangely!

411. Thank you for sharing your experiences of anxiety which seems to be becoming more and more prevalent and debilitating. It is interesting that you were still able to go to work and function there because you had a purpose and it feels like the structure of that supported you whilst the more you built your connection with your body the less the mind was able to take over and feed the anxiety.
     The Gentle Breath Meditation is an amazing tool for building our connection to our body and one that I have found of great benefit having previously often been plagued by self doubt and anxiety when I have ‘gone into my head’ about whatever problem was preoccupying me at the time whereas I can now feel that we always have the choice to come back to ourselves and connecting to our breath supports this beautifully.

412. This is such a powerful story for anyone to read, but especially those who experience anxiety. This can overtake and debilitate people’s lives so it is very empowering to know that staying steady with your body and not letting crazy thoughts take over can get under this.

413. When we take deep care of our body we learn to love ourselves and start to understand our own worth.

414. Anytime theres a picture or belief that something will happen I feel anxious. It really is disturbing because the mind expects one thing and always in the picture is me not feeling or being equipped to handle the situation. Yet if I remain connected to my body it is super chilled and assured that I will be able to handle everything that occurs.

     1. So true Leigh, so true. That is my experience as well. Both in what my body assures me and when I look back at my life, I have been able to handle everything that has come my way.

415. We massively underestimate the importance of our quality of breathing; it’s something the body does naturally but how we breathe can be dramatically different depending on our state of being.

     1. Yes Susie and it is when we take awareness (through our breath) about what state of being we are in, that we have the opportunity to choose the quality that best supports us.

     2. Agreed – it instantly connects us to how we are feeling in our body and shows the truth of how we are in any given moment. Such a simple check in to what is really going on.

416. I am glad you share this Anna as anxiety is such an accepted and normalised part of our common reality. Yet it need not be and as you rightly say it leads to the adoption of other behaviours we know are not truly of our nature. The danger is when we think the adopted behaviours are part of who we are. Then we have normalised anxiety and are constantly overriding what it is sharing with us.

417. Anxiety is something we all experience at some point, to what ever degree. For some it’s life debilitating and for some, it’s low grade but what ever the level we experience, to know we don’t have to put up with it, that there is a way to live without it, is quite something.

418. Anna I know anxiety so well, and throughout my life what has come up is that the more I am in connection with myself, focusing on love and care for me and how I am living, the less anxiety i have. To the point that now it is also a rare thing and not my normal everyday.

419. Anxiety can be like a drug – that we willingly consume to avoid feeling the underlying tension. If we are in the reaction and buzz and overwhelm – which is kind of the cocktail of anxiety, then we are so focussed on the drama that we deny the fact that we created it in the first place.

420. ‘When it came time to jump from 14,000 feet I was incredibly scared but was encouraged to jump with my skydiver, and suddenly this didn’t feel like fun at all.’ It is interesting to observe the choices we make that come from the head rather than simple connection with the body. When we are connected to the body we are much more anchored to truth and what is real for us.

421. ‘…the powerful Gentle Breath Meditation™, a practical and simple meditation that has supported me to feel more steady and present in my body – especially during the times when I feel anxious or stressed in any way.’ Someone once told me that anxiousness is simply a lack of presence. In having worked on my presence more and more I have come to understand the truth of this and how empowering being with the body is. The gentle breath meditation has been one of the most valuable tools I have learned to support with this.

422. Anna I wonder if your experience with the free fall while sky diving had an adverse effect on your body? I know that we love the extreme sports and extreme adventure rides but something tells me that if we were to ask our bodies they would ask us not to participate. If feels to me that the sudden dropping is very disrespectful and actually harmful to our bodies even if we think it is thrilling at the time.

423. I know from personal experience that the Gentle Breath Meditation supported me through an intense time of change, enabling me to navigate situations with an internal steadiness that in the past would have caused me a huge amount of distress. This is such a profound tool so freely given by Universal Medicine, one that empowers us to turn the tide on the stream of negative thoughts that can have such debilitating effects on our well being and confidence. Being shown how to keep returning to the quality of tenderness within us initiates immense and beneficial change in our minds and our bodies.

424. The Gentle Breath Meditation has been a godsend to me in those moments when I have been in a state of anxiety.

425. When we isolate ourselves from others and us, we allow the thing between our ears to run rampant. As you have said, it is hard to find someone that has not; been there, done that got the tee shirt and experienced first-hand what the mind can conjure up. What if, we bottle this energy up, it can implode or explode or, bury it and leave hidden like a landmine to step on later! All of this because we have lost our connection with our self. How much of this process is started by outside forces that have allowed us to paint our self into an imaginary corner, we created? The Gentle Breath Meditation can be the first step out of out of the minefield.

426. “this anxiety wasn’t who I was and it didn’t need to control me and my life.” When we realise that anxiety, or any other heightened emotion, is something that we have taken on it is the first firm step to letting it go and being free of the imposition.

427. Building a relationship with ourselves is key in dealing with whatever it is that comes our way. A friend of mine said something to me a couple of years ago: “After all, you are the person who you will spend the most time with in your life”. something which has stayed with me for a while because if you don’t trust the person who will always be in your life (i.e. you) who can you trust and how can you let go of anxiety if that trust is not there?

428. The relationship with our body is such a key ingredient to our everyday health, and that is not just about exercise and fitness, but actually taking the time to feel what is going on and respond to what it is telling us.

429. Reading this blog and taking a deeper look at anxiety I realise how many decisions I have made in my life to avoid it. Taking what I thought was the easy way out instead of addressing it, like going to the pub and smoking instead of feeling and addressing it, or leaving school because exams made me anxious only to find life out of school could be far more stressful.

430. It is quite crazy when you think about it, that we actually create our own anxiousness, sure people can stress us out but it is actually us that cause our own anxiousness by being ruled by the mind when we lose connection to our bodies.

     1. And like you said in an earlier comment could it be we are anxious because we are not wanting to truly feel what we are feeling or deal with situations we are not comfortable with. Instead of having the tools to truly address these issues we live in anxiousness. I would say this would be quite an important thing to teach first instead of maths and english!

431. Wow Anna what a great turn around – with your commitment and choices you have got your life back! What you have shared in your awesome blog is absolutely fantastic. You have to speak to others about this openly as there are so many people suffering from anxiety or panic attacks – man and women – as it would be a great invitation for them to chance too.

432. Anytime I allow my mind to wander and am not choosing the quality in which I move and live can instantly sends me into a state of anxiety. Living in stillness has become my way now and anything that is separate to this is felt acutely and has made me aware of the years I lived with anxiety and had no idea that this was a way I accepted and never questioned but tried to manage. What you have shared here Anna is so powerful and will support others to know that it can be simple to understand anxiety and that by choosing absolute connection to our own body and essence is what is true – this is the love we truly are and not the imposing anxiety we can get sucked into.

433. Anxiety can be so crippling and reading your story of how you worked steadily and consistently with your body and how in doing so you came to understand more of how you could live without anxiety is deeply inspiring Anna, thank you for sharing.

434. I have known several people who have had similar experiences to yourself and I know how debilitating it can be. I feel this condition is not always taken seriously enough and if it is it is often only medication that is offered. It is great to hear how being aware of your breath and your body has supported you to get a handle on these situations and the way that you are with yourself. The Gentle Breath Meditation is a very simple yet powerful tool for bringing us back to our natural way of being.

435. Imagine a car without a wheel, a boat with no sail or plane flying with one wing. No wonder we experience anxiety when we attempt to live disconnected to our body ~ the most essential thing that we need in every moment we are alive.

     1. How many people willfully choose to live this way, on a wing and a prayer?

     2. Great point Joseph, any sign of anxiety is simply our body telling us we are missing something very important, connection to our body, it is like a silent alarm bell from our body.

436. Having been someone who used to suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, I can relate to much of what you share here Anna (only I would never willingly throw myself out of a perfectly good aeroplane!) When anxiety takes over it can feel like a crippling of the whole body and the being within it. I have learnt that the key to arresting this is to become more settled in the body. For me this meant dealing with my ‘fight or flight’ nervous system reaction to life by developing a more heart based response to life, one where I am able to stay far more open and loving and not living in constant fear that something was going to ‘go wrong’ and I was not going to be able to handle it. Only then could I begin to surrender the fortress walls I had built around my heart and only then did I realise that it is love, not the shunning of it, that is our greatest form of protection. Like you Anna, the Ageless Wisdom teachings offered through Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine have been fundamental in me be able to make this change. No doubt I would still be a blithering mess without them!

     1. eek I would never jump out of a plane either – that would be enough to make any body anxious or you could say anybody’s body anxious or over stimulated into excitement which is also a form of angst for the body.

     2. In fact if I jumped out of a plane I would most likely jump out of my body in fear too so if connection to the body is an antidote then jumping out of a plane would not be very supportive. Also as Liane shares LOVE is always the answer and again it is not a very loving thing for the body to jump out of a plane!

437. Often people share that ‘anxiety has a hold on them’. They feel trapped and owned by it. Thank you Anna for sharing how a simple understanding that ‘we perceive that this is who we are’ is the game played here. A game that leaves us crippled and not living the true vitality that is offered when we live our true expression that has ‘no hold’ more a beholding of others.

438. I have experienced how debilitating anxiety along with panic attacks can become, where you lose a sense of your self and where you feel you become the anxiety. These days I am learning through doing the gentle breath meditation how to bring myself back into my body and away from the anxious thoughts which helps to quell the anxiousness that i am feeling.

439. Thank you for sharing your story Anna, anxiety is not pleasant to experience whether it is mild or severe. Your words about simply staying with yourself and your breath and the support of the Gentle Breath Meditation have been inspiring, it’s a simple approach which anyone could apply. Understanding that the anxiety is not who we are, just something we are experiencing also feels important.

440. True confidence without the rah-rah of pumping oneself up and resorting to the mind for solutions, begins and ends with our body and our connection to it.

441. Staying in connection with the body and not ahead of oneself allows us to be with what is. When present with the body we have a steady foundation, which holds us. I find if there is any push, drive or projecting ahead an underlying anxiousness can come through.

     1. So true Victoria. We aren’t all that good at resting and being content where we are with the body. We give too much voice to the mind and follow its lead into the past and future more than we do to the body’s natural state of presence.

        1. So true Rachel – we give far too much attention to our mind. I find Esoteric Yoga so supportive and gives me a practical tool that enables me to practise staying with my body – this I can then take out into everyday life.

442. This is an important article to write as anxiety is a crippler for many many people and quite often the remedies that are on the market only last as long as you are doing it/taking it (i.e. medicine, yoga, meditation). What you share here Anna is a very similar story to my own and it was only through building a more loving connection with my body did the anxiety lessen and now like you I have it from time to time but have the tools to steady myself again.

443. We think things like tandems skydives etc are fun or exhilarating but it would be really interesting to know what this actually does to the body energetically .. as we were not made to throw our bodies out of a plane! I agree from experience what you are saying in when we are more present with the body or even just focus on one thing to do with our body if we are feeling something like anxiousness like our breath (Gentle Breath Meditation https://bit.ly/1MUxIxT) or feeling our feet on the ground and how this feels this can bring us back to ourselves and our body easing any anxiety, nervousness or tension. It’s about bringing in that self-love and self-care and taking time throughout our day to reconnect with ourselves. We really do hold the power in our hands regarding our health and wellbeing it is just what choices do we make to care for ourselves.

444. This is such an important article because anxiety is huge across the globe – no matter from which culture or nationality we are – everyone is experiencing increased levels of super-intense anxiety these days.

445. The more we connect to our body, the more we come to know that feeling, the more solid that foundation becomes and we are less and less likely to be disturbed by outside influences.

446. Anxiety is increasingly common for younger and younger children, and it makes me question why this is happening. Could it be that children are being exposed to more and more ways to disconnect from their body than ever before? I have observed how technology has been commonly used to substitute children’s play time. Instead of going outside to play, most children are sitting in front of a screen, disconnected from their body either watching a movie or playing games on technology. Could the increase of technology use for children have a correlation with the increase in anxiety rates?

447. Staying focused on one’s body lessens the space for ‘anxious thoughts’ which in time become replaced with ones of appreciation and, as you have shared Anna Douglas, the Gentle Breath Meditation™ is a great foundational tool to support this.

448. The Gentle Breath Meditation is a simple tool that when consistently applied resurrects a deep steadiness to our bodies that over time can overcome the strangle hold that panic attacks can have on us. Your experience here Anna is living proof of just how powerful a meditation it is and how it can be applied to all and every situation in life.

     1. The breath is an awesome tool of connection as it is with us every moment of every day. A lot can be felt in the quality of our breath and brings a focus to the body and being.

449. Wow, what a great blog Anna. Anxiety is so common, most people feel they are not equipped to deal with it and feel they have to just live with it for the rest of their life. What you’ve shared is very supportive and showing us how powerful it is to connect to our body and how it is possible to heal our body to be free of anxiety. The Gentle Breath Meditation is amazing for reconnecting us to our body and to its innate stillness.

450. Yes Anna, focussing on my breath has also helped me enormously to stay connected to my body. i love what you say about the storytelling circulating in your head feeding the anxiousness. I know before I learned the Gentle Breath Meditation and started to do courses of Universal Medicine I had the idea the thoughts were stronger than me but that’s not true now I know I call them in and choose to play this game of not knowing how to stop this non supporting thoughts flooding in.

451. Anna, I feel that this is key; ‘Anxiety – could Connection with our Body be the Key?’ When I used to be in my head believing all of the thoughts, such as I was not good at this or that or that I was not likeable for whatever reason, then I felt really anxious. Now that I have stopped listening to the negative thoughts – knowing that they are not true, I am instead being more aware of how my body feels and enjoying being present and I now rarely get anxious.

     1. Recognising that we have a choice to listen to the negative thoughts is key to not allowing them to take over our lives and building our connection with our bodies supports us to stay present with ourselves and thus lessen the hold that our thoughts can have over us.

452. Anna, thanks for sharing your experience of anxiety and panic attacks. Reading this reminds me that I used to get anxious about socialising and that I would drink alcohol to give myself a false confidence. It feels lovely now that I no longer drink and instead have a natural confidence in myself. Staying present in my body and not going off into negative thoughts has supported me to feel naturally confident.

453. Wow I didn’t realise what it’s like to live with anxiety – it really does control your life – so I appreciate you sharing so that we can have an understanding of how it plays out and what is behind it.

454. This is a big blog. Anxiety is rampant and here is a blueprint how to get out of it.

455. Anxiety shouldn’t be our ‘norm’, and it’s incredible to hear how your mental health has been transformed as a result of looking at your wellbeing on a whole and implementing changes into your rhythm that support you to feel settled rather than stressed.

456. I too have jumped out of an airplane when I was much younger and I too hated every single minute of it. Our bodies are simply not meant to be subjected to such trauma.

     1. I agree, our bodies would never do such things it is our minds that drive these follies. I never jumped off a plane but did bungee jumping and can confirm that the body does not do it willingly, I had to force myself to jump.

        1. What are we trying to prove anyway or is it the stimulation that is addictive, or the elation when you make it through the ordeal alive… to prove you are alive? If we asked the body honesty beforehand it would not be so willing….I’d certainty rather ‘jump in’ than out.

     2. Totally. I was a roller coaster junkie – not because I was going along with others, but because I was seeking short-term thrills and elation. I don’t jump out of planes anymore or do anything that extreme, but there are still small moments when I catch myself contemplating putting my body into tension for a short-term buzz or relief – food is the most obvious example, but there are many others. It’s a constant refining and the simple question “would my body want to do this?” can deliver the truth.

457. Thank you for this very honest account. I have recently watched two children get big frights in different scenarios (one from taking a fall on a bike and one from seeing a big spider) and in both cases it was fascinating to watch their bodies and how unsettled and anxious they were, and in both cases they were supported to take it very easy, sit, gently breathe and allow their bodies to recover from the trauma. These were minor frights compared to the sheer horror of jumping out of a airplane but it’s very clear to see the effect that this events had on the body and now I’m wondering if actually there is a deeper, longer-lasting unsettlement that may not be quite so visible?

     1. Could it be that these fights that are not dealt and just glossed over, become trap doors for us later?

     2. I couldn’t imagine myself jumping out of an airplane for fun because I was never one to even get on a funfair ride. I knew I would not be able to handle the stress from any form of extreme sports or rides because I felt it would be too traumatic for me. I used to feel anxious just walking past the long queues of people waiting to get on a rollercoaster ride. I saw the looks on people’s faces when they got off the ride, all pale and full of fear.

458. Anxiousness as far as I have experienced is really a key in itself, it tells you something and if we are willing to listen and stop trying to make it normal that we feel so uneasy, there is lots we can learn about life and yes listening and connecting with our body can result in us feeling a lot less anxious. Wisdom from the body.

459. Anxiety can feel like a totally debilitating condition and one that so many people are just putting up with, but what you’ve shown here is how it doesn’t have to be that way- and that the way out of it is simple and free: no expensive courses or hours of therapy needed; but a commitment to consistently build a steady and solid relationship with our breathing and body. To stay with our body and whatever we feel, no matter what- and with no pictures of what that might or ‘should’ look like.

     1. We think we are in a stormy sea with anxiety when it is a bath that we create the waves. When all that is needed is some stillness to abate the storm, we have created in our teacup.

460. I can very much relate to what you are sharing Anna, the anxiety to go out into the world and then creating a life where I had to interact and be with people as little as possible. Through the courses offered by Universal Medicine and the many presentations and healing modalities I have turned my life around and now love to work and be with people. And in moments where anxiety creeps in I too can very much confirm that connecting with myself and seeing where I am at, simply by feeling my body, is key to not let it take hold of me.

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