The lion’s den.

There are mornings when you wake and, before your eyes have even fully opened, it’s there.

The racing heart.

The tight chest.

The wave of panic.

It can feel as though something terrible is happening.

Or about to happen.

Almost instantly, the thoughts begin pulling you in every direction.

“What’s wrong?”

“What if this doesn’t stop?”

“I can’t cope with this.”

The mind desperately searches for a reason. It wants to fix it. Escape it. Get rid of it.

But what if, just for a moment, you did something completely different?

You simply notice that it’s here.

Yes, it’s uncomfortable.

Yes, it’s frightening.

Yes, it’s pulling for your attention.

Yes, there’s a belief that you’re in danger.

But you don’t have to believe it.

~

Imagine walking through a pack of lions.

Every one of them is growling.

Their paws are scraping against the ground.

Their bodies are tense.

Everything about them appears ready to pounce.

Yet somehow, from deep within you, there is complete trust.

Not because the lions have become gentle.

Not because they’ve stopped growling.

But because something deeper knows.

~

You keep walking ~ slowly, moment by moment.

The lions don’t need to disappear.

They simply lose their power when there is nothing left resisting them.

Panic can be like this.

The sensations may still be moving through the body.

The heart may still be racing.

The breath may still feel tight, as though you can’t quite get enough air.

The thoughts may still be trying to pull you back into fear.

The feelings may still be lingering.

That’s okay.

We’re not trying to silence the lions.

We’re not trying to fight them.

We’re not trying to make them disappear.

We’re allowing them to be exactly as they are, whilst recognising that they no longer get to decide where our attention rests.

Beneath all of the noise…

There is something untouched.

A quiet knowing.

A deep trust.

The body knows how to breathe.

Life is breathing you.

You don’t have to force the next breath.

You don’t have to wrestle with the sensations.

You don’t have to chase the thoughts.

Just notice.

Allow.

Trust.

Each time panic visits, this is another invitation to remember.

And yes, this may need to be practised again.

And again.

And again.

Not because you’re getting it wrong.

But because, for so long, the mind has learnt to run whenever it hears the lions roar.

Now something new is being remembered.

You can remain.

The thoughts may still come.

The feelings may still arise.

The sensations may still move through the body.

And still…

You are here.

The more you stop running from the experience, the less it has to chase you.

Not because you’ve won a battle.

But because there was never one to begin with.

You are the awareness in which panic appears.

And that awareness has never once been harmed.

🦁

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