From ABC, this is the 10 percent happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hey, guys, it's Friday, so it's time for a bonus meditation, and this one comes from Orrin Sofer, who's one of the core teachers in the 10 percent happier app. And you can think about this practice that Orrin is serving up today as a kind of antidote to overwhelm. These are I don't need to tell you these are or can be at least overwhelming times. So, Orrin, to the rescue.

Hey, this is Orrin. If you're listening to this, I'm guessing you're in a hard place right now, so before I say anything else, I want to honor the fact that you're here taking a concrete step to seek support with what's happening instead of trying to go it alone. For this practice, find a position that feels as comfortable and peaceful as possible. You can gently close your eyes or keep them open if you prefer. Begin by taking a few slow, deep breaths.

Breathe in through your nose. And then breathe out through your mouth. As you breathe out, let yourself exhale in a thin, slow stream of air. And feel any sense of settling or ease on the exhalation. Then let your breathing return to normal and begin to feel the weight of your body resting. Bring your attention to the simplicity of feeling this steady, solid support beneath you. Stay with these sensations, feeling your body. We all need stability in life.

When things feel out of control, it's as if our fundamental sense of stability gets stripped away. The irony, of course, is that we're actually seeing life more clearly in these times. We were never in control in the first place. Recognizing this is a kind of insight, but if we feel overwhelmed, it's important to re-establish some stability. Another way to find some balance is to root our attention in our census. Let's try practicing mindfulness of seeing.

If you like, go ahead and open your eyes and begin to look around the space where you are. Notice where your eyes are drawn. And begin to describe the actual colors and shapes that you see. You can do this out loud or just silently in your mind. Another thing we can learn to do when we're overwhelmed is to step back and get some perspective, to find some space around the emotions. Imagine a wide open, unobstructed space all around you.

Stretching out in all directions. Remember, whatever your feeling is completely natural. It's the energy of your nervous system preparing to meet a challenge. It's also temporary. However uncomfortable it feels right now, however crushing or overwhelming. This, too, will pass. I hope this has been helpful. When you're ready. Go ahead and open your eyes. Thanks and take care. Big thanks to Oren. We hope you enjoyed this meditation, if you're thinking, you know, I I could have kept going there for another five or 10 minutes.

I encourage you to check out the 10 percent happier app where you'll find this very same meditation in different lengths. The cost of your subscription directly supports our many amazing teachers and allows them to dedicate their lives to teaching the life changing skill of mindfulness as an added incentive. We've got a special discount for anyone new to the app to claim your discount visit 10 percent dotcom bonus. That's 10 percent one word all spelled out. Dotcom bonus if you're an existing subscriber.

Thank you. That does it for today. We'll see you here on Monday with a fresh episode.