11.29.2024 3 Practices for Anxiety   Anxiety is an inescapable part of being human. As Trudy Goodman reminds us in her teaching in the new January 2025 issue of Lion’s Roar, “As long as we are human, anxiety will arise.” These simple words hold a profound truth: while we can’t avoid anxiety, we can transform how we relate to it. Buddhist wisdom doesn’t deny life’s challenges — anxiety included — but rather teaches us how to meet them with clarity and compassion. With the right tools, we can meet a challenge like an anxious moment and create space to breathe, soften its grip, and even find freedom. The January issue of Lion’s Roar is devoted to exploring these tools. Below, we share three powerful practices from the issue for a calm and stable mind. Whether you’re just starting your meditation journey or deepening an existing practice, we hope they’ll help you steady your mind and open your heart. —Lilly Greenblatt, Digital Editor, Lion’s Roar How to Practice Mindful Breathing for Anxiety It’s a simple, calming meditation that you can do anytime, anywhere. Instructions by Melvin Escobar with Gregory Mengel. As the dharma reminds us, however, we have agency in relation to our breath. The practice of mindful breathing not only reveals that respiration is both automatic and voluntary, it empowers us to choose the quality of breath appropriate to each moment. In times of intensity, as when literally or metaphorically drowning, our breath becomes short and shallow; its purpose is to create the energy we need to get ourselves out of danger. But energy from a fight-or-flight reaction that isn’t discharged can manifest as toxic stress. Practicing mindful breathing can help us metabolize excess energy or preempt the reactivity that produces it. In fact, a growing body of research is revealing substantial benefits for the body and mind when we breathe diaphragmatically or engage in other mindful breathing practices. ADVERTISEMENT How to Practice Lojong for Anxiety Lojong can help you see anxiety as an opportunity rather than a problem. With that shift in perspective, says Susan Kaiser Greenland, everything changes. When we experience anxiety or another difficult emotion, a natural impulse is to push it away. Lojong slogans are designed to help us stay with complex feelings—to open our mind to new ideas and different perspectives instead of shutting down and narrowing our view. Lojong can be practiced anytime, anywhere. While formal meditation is an ideal setting for working with lojong, slogan practice doesn’t require a cushion or quiet room. You can practice while stuck in traffic, on a lunch break, or during a tough conversation. How to Practice RAIN Meditation for Anxiety   RAIN helps us cultivate awareness, self-compassion, and resilience. Instructions by Gullu Singh. In our modern world, where stress and anxiety often feel like constant companions, RAIN meditation stands out as a simple yet powerful tool for cultivating emotional resilience. Developed by Michele McDonald and popularized by Tara Brach, RAIN is an acronym representing four steps in meditation practice: recognize, allow, investigate, and nonidentification (or nurture). The RAIN meditation method can be applied to any experience, but it’s particularly useful for working with difficult emotions like anxiety.