Welcome,
Dear soul.
This practice gently teaches your nervous system how to return to calm,
Safety and balance through understanding the embodied experience.
As you walk this path today,
You'll release self-blame and begin to trust the natural rhythm of regulation that has always been available to you.
Take a moment to arrive,
Getting comfortable in your position.
Before we begin,
Let something important land gently inside you.
If you have never learned how to regulate your system,
It's not your fault.
Regulation is not something we are born to know.
It's something we learn through co-regulation,
Through calm voices,
Safe touch and steady presence.
Many people have never received that,
So today,
We learn it,
Not with effort,
Not with thinking,
But with our body.
So get comfortable in your position,
And let the surface beneath you hold you.
Take a slow breath in through the nose,
And release it through your mouth.
Great.
You are already learning.
Now imagine you are standing at the beginning of a gentle path.
This path is yours.
It has always been there,
Waiting.
On this path,
The air is calm,
The light is soft,
And your body already begins to slow.
As you take your first steps onto the path,
Your breath begins to change.
Inhale gently through the nose,
4,
3,
2,
1,
And exhale through the mouth,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
This is the breath of safety.
This is the breath of regulation.
Keep breathing these slow,
Steady breaths in and out of your body.
You begin walking slowly along the path,
And with each step,
The body listens and softens.
And quietly,
Allow this to land in your mind.
I am learning to regulate my body with ease.
That's right.
You are learning to regulate your body with ease.
As you walk,
The path is flat and steady,
Nothing to rush,
Nothing to fix.
Step,
Breath,
Step,
Breath.
Inhaling through the nose,
Slow and steady,
Exhale through the mouth,
Long,
Slow,
Soft.
Notice the shoulders drop,
The jaw loosens,
The belly releases.
This is what regulation feels like.
Not perfect calm,
But steady safety.
And with each step,
The body learns,
I am safe to slow down.
That's right.
The body is learning it is safe to slow down.
The nervous system is listening now,
Recording this rhythm,
Saving this for later.
Now the path begins to rise gently uphill.
This represents life,
Effort,
Challenge.
And here,
The breath changes slightly.
Inhale through the nose for 3,
2,
1.
Exhale through the mouth,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
That's right,
A slightly shorter inhale,
And longer exhale.
Keeping the body regulated,
Even in effort.
You keep walking,
But you are not bracing.
You do not tighten.
You do not panic.
You breathe differently now,
And the body learns.
Say in your mind,
I can stay calm,
Even when life asks more of me.
That's right,
You can stay calm,
Even when life asks more from you.
Feel how powerful this is.
Effort without stress.
Movement without overwhelm.
And step by step,
You reach the top of the hill.
Steady,
Grounded,
Capable.
Now the path slopes gently downward,
And the body knows what this means.
Release.
Ease.
Trust.
So let the breath slow even more now.
Inhaling gently through the nose.
And exhale with a soft sigh.
The body melts into gravity.
The nervous system lets go.
Here,
Regulation deepens naturally.
And the body learns one more truth.
Repeat this.
I am allowed to relax after effort.
That's right,
You are allowed to relax after effort.
This is the breath of rest.
This is the breath of recovery.
And now,
With each step downhill,
Your system integrates the learning.
And you repeat,
I can regulate calm.
I can regulate effort.
And I can regulate release.
That's right,
With your breath,
You can regulate calm.
With your breath,
You can regulate effort.
And you can regulate release.
The path opens into a peaceful clearing.
You stop walking.
And you sit or lie down,
Supported by the earth.
Your breathing is natural now.
Easy,
Unforced,
Slow.
Your nervous system is deeply regulated.
And quietly,
Allow these final affirmations to settle into your body.
I am teaching my nervous system a new way of being.
I am safe in my body.
I am capable of returning to calm.
That's right,
More and more each day,
You are teaching your nervous system a new way of being.
You are safe in your body.
You are capable of returning to calm.
Let the body rest here,
Absorbing the lessons of the day.
Recording the memory.
Storing the pathway.
This is how regulation is learned.
Through experience.
Through repetition.
Through meditation.
Through safety.
Begin to feel the body again.
The surface beneath you.
The air around you.
Gently bring some movement back into your fingers.
Perhaps wiggle your toes.
And know this.
You can come here again and again.
And you can walk this path any time.
And now,
You carry it in your nervous system.
Take one final breath in.
And slowly release it out.
Blessings to you on your journey,
Dear soul.
Namaste.
