Welcome,
Dear soul,
To Nervous System Regulation number three,
Alert to At-Ease.
This is part of the Nervous System Regulation series I've designed to guide the body out of constant readiness and into ease.
Through gentle awareness and paced settling,
The nervous system is supported in moving into calm and presence.
Find yourself in a position where your body can be supported,
Seated or lying down.
Bring in the knowing that there is nothing you need to hold or manage.
Let your eyes gently close or soften your gaze.
Take a slow breath in through the nose and release it through the mouth.
Again,
Take a slow breath in through the nose and release it through the mouth.
One more,
Slow,
Deep in through the nose and release it completely.
Keep with these slow breaths.
Notice you do not need to try to calm the mind.
You don't need to slow the body.
When you breathe simply,
You are allowing the nervous system to move from high alert into a more settled state in its own time.
Now bring your awareness into your surroundings.
Noticing the temperature of the air,
The music,
The sounds near you,
Perhaps something further away.
Let the environment do some of the work for you.
Now bring your awareness into your body.
Notice the areas that normally feel braced or tight.
Common places are the jaw,
The neck,
The shoulders,
The belly.
It's different for everyone.
Just notice any areas where you feel braced.
You don't need to change them yet.
Just notice enough to begin the shift.
As you keep breathing your gentle breaths in through the nose and out,
Let your breath become longer if you find an area of tension.
And as you exhale,
Imagine turning the dial inside the body.
Not all the way,
Just a notch down,
One at a time.
From alert perhaps to attentive,
From braced to available,
Breathing in and breathing out.
The nervous system often stays active only because it believes it must,
Because it has learned to stay ready.
And you can acknowledge that now,
Silently say inwardly,
Thank you for trying to protect me.
That's right,
There is no need to push the system into calm.
That would only keep the alertness alive.
Instead,
We allow the body to notice that this moment does not require urgency.
With each exhale,
Feel the weight of your body dropping slightly more into the surface beneath you.
Gravity holding you.
The earth doing its work.
From the top of the head down through the face,
The forehead smooths,
The eyes soften in their sockets,
The tongue rests in the mouth,
Breathing out and letting go.
Move your awareness into the shoulders,
If they have been lifting or pulling forward,
Allow them to fall back and down,
Not forced,
Just allowed.
The chest is free to rise and fall.
The belly moves naturally with the breath.
You may notice a subtle sense of relief,
As if something no longer needs to be held together.
This is the shift from alert to ease,
From scanning to sensing,
Breathing in and breathing out,
If thoughts appear,
Notice their speed,
You don't need to stop them,
Just notice that they too can slow,
Like a stream after heavy rain,
Beginning to run more smoothly.
Now imagine a gentle inner message spreading through the body,
Not spoken aloud,
More like a feeling,
You don't need to be on guard right now.
Let that message settle wherever it needs to go,
You don't need to be on guard right now,
Into your chest,
Into the belly,
Into the hips and legs,
Feel the lower body grounding,
Thighs are heavy,
Calves relaxed,
Feet resting,
Notice that the body knows how to return to a calmer baseline whenever it is given permission,
Breathing in and breathing out,
Notice now how at ease doesn't mean sleepy or disconnected,
It means available,
It means present,
It means regulated,
You are still here,
Still aware,
Just no longer on high alert,
Silently say inwardly,
I can feel activation without being overwhelmed,
Let that be true in the body,
Not as an idea,
But as a felt experience,
Rest here for a few more breaths,
Nothing to fix,
Nothing to anticipate,
Just being,
When you are ready to return,
Begin to come into the room again,
Feel the surface beneath you,
Beneath this surface is mother earth always holding you,
Perhaps some small movements into your hands and feet,
When you are ready,
Open your eyes softly,
Carry this ease with you into your day,
Into your week,
Into your life,
Knowing you can return here whenever you need,
Blessings on your journey dear soul,
Namaste
