10 Min "Just This" with Music Zen Meditation

Welcome to RxChillPill, where you can get your daily dose of the relaxation response, the complete opposite of the stress response. I'm your resilience doctor, Juna Bobby MD, and I'm here to guide you through this short meditation. As you listen, you will strengthen the ability to elicit your relaxation response the complete opposite of the stress response. Each time you listen and exercise your brain in this way, you will strengthen these neural circuits. So find a comfortable and safe place where you can relax just for a few minutes in relative quiet. A pair of earphones are helpful, and optionally sunglasses can help as well if you're not in a completely private setting. So take a seat and get comfortable with both feet on the floor. Feel your feet. On the floor. Whether you're barefoot or in socks or shoes, feel the ground beneath you and feel your feet from the inside. Just notice where they are and check in with how they feel. Now, if you haven't already done so, lower your eyes or close them. The visual input takes a very large space on our brain, and it's helpful to lower the input from our eyes when we elicit the relaxation response. So not breathing in any particular way, just noticing how our natural breath occurs, just noticing how our natural breath flows in and out. On the next inhale, grow taller in your spine. Notice the inhale, and on the next exhale, release any tension in your neck and shoulders, just focusing in that area where we mostly hold tension. On the next exhale, Whenever that may be for you. Release any tension in your hands, each finger, just checking in to see if there's any tension, just loosening your hands, even if it's just a tiny bit. See if you can loosen your palms, your fingers one by one, the back of your hands, maybe even your fingertips one by one. And on the next exhale, again scan from the top of your head down the back of your neck, your neck and shoulders, releasing tension on each exhale. Whenever you're ready, take a deep breath in. And on this next big, slow exhale, release the muscles along your spine. One more time. Slow, deep exhale. Slow, deep inhale. And whenever you're ready, as you exhale, release your spine from your neck down your back, vertebra by vertebra by vertebra, all the way down your spine. Just notice the chair supporting you wherever it may be supporting you, feeling where it touches, supports, and holds you. Now come back to your breath. Bring your attention to your breath gently without changing or manipulating our breath, just letting ourselves breathe naturally. And on the inhale, silently say to yourself, "Just." And on the exhale, "This." On the inhale, "Just." And on the exhale, "This." Continue at your own pace. Inhale just. Exhale this. Continue at your own pace, inhaling just, exhaling this. And now just let it gently drift away. Now just gently release the phrase, just this, just coming back to your breath. Gently. Focusing your attention on your breath. Wherever you are right now is perfectly fine. There is no right or wrong way of doing this exercise. Whatever you experienced is exactly what it was and is. It is just this. Now slowly start to notice Sounds or sensations, the temperature of the room that you're in. Maybe start to move your fingers and toes. Take a deep inhale, growing taller in your spine, and exhaling the tension in your neck and shoulder as you scan down your body, growing still taller in your spine. Next inhale, a deep inhale, growing taller. Maybe bring your arms up over your head. Inhale. And exhale, let your arms float gently down using your back muscles. One more time, inhaling an energetic breath. And exhaling. Now check in with yourself, gently opening your eyes and perhaps feeling slightly calmer or more focused and ready for whatever is next for you, knowing that you've given your mind and body a chance to repair down to the cellular level. Please share, review, and subscribe to this podcast. And you can download these meditations so you can have it anywhere, anytime, without relying on Wi-Fi. And if you want to know more and have some questions about science-backed ways that you could improve your stress management and resilience skills, email me at info@mindbodyspace.com. The recommended daily dose of the relaxation response is anywhere from just 1 breath all the way up to the optimal 20 minutes a day. And if you can 20 minutes twice a day. Wishing you and your loved ones wellness and hope. This is Dr. Juna Bobby MD, your doctor for science-backed resilience and stress management skills. Just This is a Zen meditation adapted from James Austin MD and based on the relaxation response practice from the Stress Management and Resiliency Training Workbook by the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital Harvard Medical School.