Somatic Practice: Tending To A Vulnerable Place Within

This seated guided practice invites you to bring to mind something that is causing some vulnerability, distress or anxiety and to notice where you feel it in your body. You turn towards the felt sense of it, let your body find a shape or posture for it and ask what it needs, then offer care through a gesture, movement, self touch or kind words. It closes with thanks for what you noticed and a moment to feel where your body meets the seat, and suits people who can stay with difficult sensations without becoming overwhelmed. This content is educational and is not a substitute for one to one professional care. Please do not listen while driving.

Transcript

Beginning with closing your eyes so that you can turn your attention inward. And bringing your awareness to your breathing. And feeling your back supported, Perhaps just sensing your spine. And where your body meets your chair, Your seat, Whether your feet are on the ground. And taking a deep breath in to fill the belly. And then breathing out slowly through the mouth. And you may want to place one hand on your belly. To breathe into. The space, And then placing the other hand on your heart space. I'm inviting you to breathe in through the belly. And then breathing out through the heart I'm just taking a few. Deeper breaths with this focus Just watching that natural contraction and expansion of the breath. And you may also imagine how the heart expands and contracts as you breathe. And then my invitation is to bring to mind something that you would like to explore that is currently causing you to feel some vulnerability, Some distress or perhaps anxiety. And just as you bring that to mind and you're thinking about that I'm starting to notice the felt sense of this How does this feel in your body? And where in your body are the sensations most intense or focused? And just allowing those sensations to be there. So that you're turning towards them rather than away. Pushing them down. Or moving away from them. And just exploring those sensations just a little bit more. They may be very subtle, Perhaps quite strong, But notice the quality of the sensations. Is there a constriction? Or a heaviness. Or something else. Do these sensations have a colour? Or a shape to them. And then let your body find the shape. For the sensation, So perhaps the posture or the facial expressions You're going into this a little bit more. If these sensations were a part of you. Just having a sense of that part. If you're visual you may see this part. Just notice how big or small this part is. So that you're also witnessing there's a witness here as well. And as you tune into this feeling. In this part. Asking what does it need? What does this part need from you? And see what words come Almost as if you were to offer this part a healing balm. What would the quality of that be? And then through your body offering what is needed. So finding the gesture. The movement and maybe self-touch, Placing your hand on your heart or somewhere else on your body. Your body may need to move to find this somatic resource. So just follow, Follow your body's wisdom. Name any words, See if there are any words. That this part needs to hear from you now. And just noticing. If this part can receive your words. And then asking, Is there anything else that needs to happen? Anything else that this part needs before? You complete this. And then taking a moment to Show your appreciation. And thinking. Thanking this part of you for showing you. How it feels and what it needs. And then feeling where your body makes contact with your seat. Noticing if you are more in your body after this exploration. And feeling the length of your spine.