Welcome to Be With Melinda.
Today,
We'll gently explore what it means to return to the body.
Not just for survival,
But for trust,
Safety,
And the embodied wisdom that lives beneath the armor.
I invite you now to find a comfortable place where you can feel supported.
Let your spine lengthen.
Let your breath deepen.
And allow this moment to be just for you.
You are not broken.
You are becoming.
In the wake of trauma,
Whether emotional,
Physical,
Or relational,
Our nervous system learns to protect us,
Sometimes by going numb,
Sometimes by tightening around our tenderness.
We learn to survive by not feeling.
But love,
Real love,
Asks us to feel again.
This practice is about remembering that your body is not the enemy.
It's the vessel,
The sanctuary,
The garden where trust and pleasure can grow again.
Today,
We will gently reconnect with the parts of you that may have gone quiet,
And we'll begin to reawaken the sacred pathways between your breath,
Your body,
And your ability to receive.
There's no rush,
No pressure,
Just an invitation to soften,
To listen,
To let love find its way back to you.
Let's begin.
In a few moments,
You'll hear gentle drumming music begin to play.
When it does,
I'll invite you to rise.
If it feels safe,
And move your body in any way that feels natural.
This is not about performance.
It's about release.
It's about letting your body speak,
Shake,
Sway,
Or stretch in the ways it's been longing to.
Movement can help unbind the tension that trauma holds.
It can reawaken pleasure,
And it can begin to rebuild the bridge between your body and your sense of aliveness.
So when you hear the rhythm,
Let it meet you.
Let it guide you.
And above all,
Let yourself soften into the wisdom that your body already knows.
Now that the drumming has faded,
Take a moment to come to stillness.
Let the movement settle.
Feel the echo of your own rhythm inside you,
Your breath,
Your breath,
Your pulse,
The energy you've stirred awake.
We'll now transition into a gentle body scan.
To begin,
Bring your palms together and rub them vigorously,
Generating warmth,
Energy,
And intention.
Feel the heat between your hands,
The spark of your own healing.
Then place your warm hands over your heart or any area of your body that feels called for your attention.
We'll move slowly,
Guiding awareness from the crown of your head all the way down to your toes,
Inviting each part of you to be seen,
Softened,
And soothed.
This is your time,
Your body's time,
To feel,
To release,
And to remember its rightful place as a home for love.
Take a slow,
Conscious breath in and exhale gently.
Let this breath be a bridge,
A soft landing into deeper awareness.
Let's begin at the crown of your head,
The place where spirit meets form.
Imagine light pouring gently into you,
Reminding you that you are held by something greater.
Bring your awareness to your forehead,
The space of vision and inner knowing.
Soften your brow.
Release any pressure to figure things out.
Trust what you feel over what you think.
Now bring attention to your eyes,
Your windows to the world and mirrors of your soul.
Let them rest.
Let them receive.
Move now to your jaw.
Where unspoken truths and unshed tears often reside.
Soften,
Unclench,
Breathe.
Bring awareness to your throat,
The channel of your truth.
You may place your hands here if it feels supportive.
Invite your voice to rise without fear.
You have nothing to hide.
Now your shoulders,
Heavy with things you've carried far too long.
Inhale and imagine that weight dissolving.
You don't need to hold it anymore.
Let awareness move down your arms,
Through your elbows,
To your hands,
Your tools of touch,
Work,
Giving and receiving.
Are they open?
Can they rest?
Now bring attention to your heart space,
The center of love,
Grief and longing.
Let it expand gently.
Let it breathe.
Let it remember.
Move now to your solar plexus,
Just above the navel.
Your seat of power and boundaries.
Acknowledge your right to take up space and to say yes and to say no.
Down to your womb space or lower belly.
Whether you are wombed or not,
This is your center of creation and sensuality.
Rest your hands here if you wish.
Breathe into any shame,
Pain or numbness.
There is nothing wrong with you.
This space is holy.
Shift your focus to your hips and pelvis.
Your roots,
Your grounding.
Rock slightly if you feel called.
Let your body remember it's safe to be here,
Fully in this moment.
Now your legs,
Your pillars.
They have carried you through so much.
Thank them.
Breathe into your knees,
Your calves and finally down into your feet.
Feel your feet anchored,
Supported by the earth,
Rooted,
Alive.
Let yourself rest here for a few more breaths.
Your body is not a battlefield,
It's your home.
Now place your hands somewhere that feels intuitive.
Your heart,
Your belly,
Your face or along your hips.
Let the warmth of your touch be a reminder.
This body is yours.
It has always been yours.
You might wanna gently trace the edges of your arms,
Cradle your face or hold your womb or chest with reverence.
Let your hands say what words never could.
As you do,
I'll offer a few affirmations.
You may repeat them softly or simply let them wash over you.
My body is a sacred vessel.
I am safe to feel,
I am safe to receive.
I am open to love gently in my time.
I trust my body's wisdom.
Pleasure is not a threat,
Pleasure is a prayer.
I belong in my body.
I belong to myself.
You are not performing,
You are remembering.
Take your time here.
Let your hands and your breath offer the final word before we close.
When you feel ready,
Begin to bring awareness back into the space around you.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
Notice the support beneath you.
If your eyes were closed,
You might slowly flutter them open.
Taking in your surroundings as if for the first time.
No rush,
Just notice.
You've walked through a sacred doorway,
One of remembrance,
Not perfection.
Let whatever arose be enough,
Let it be holy.
May the parts of you that have been silent begin to sing.
May the places that were guarded begin to soften.
May your body remember its wholeness and may love meet you right where you are.
You are worthy,
You are welcome,
You are home.
If you feel called,
Take a few moments after this practice to journal.
What does it mean to you that pleasure could be a prayer?
What would it look like to trust your body again just a little more today than yesterday?
Thank you for being here with me,
For returning to your body and for remembering your sacred right to feel,
To receive,
To trust pleasure and to be loved.
If this practice resonated,
I invite you to revisit it anytime you need support or safety or softness.
This is Melinda Bernstein and you're always welcome to be with me here on Insight Timer or wherever your journey leads you.
Many blessings on your path.
