Our bodies are the vessel that carry us through life.
Our bodies contain the map of our experiences and emotions.
Joy and pain.
Sorrow and laughter.
And when the body is being asked to hold too much,
It lets us know by signaling pain sometimes.
I'm Leigh,
A meditation guide and somatic coach,
And I'm glad you're here.
So let's begin.
Find a comfortable position,
Seated or lying down,
Allowing your body to be supported.
You might want to close your eyes or lower your gaze.
Take a slow breath in through the nose and exhale through the mouth.
Again,
Slowly inhaling,
Fully exhaling.
Just let your breath settle into a natural rhythm,
Nothing forced or controlled.
Now bring your awareness into your body,
Not thinking about your body,
But feeling your body from the inside.
With your eyes closed,
Notice the points of contact where your body meets the chair or the floor or the bed beneath you.
And as you take your next breath,
Let yourself fully land here.
Nowhere to go,
Nothing to do.
Now start to deepen the breath a bit.
Inhale for a count of four and exhale for a count of six.
And just do this in your own time for a few rounds.
The longer exhale signals to your body,
You are safe.
That's the nervous system soften just a little.
Now bring your attention to your body as a whole and ask,
What is my body trying to tell me right now?
And just listen.
No need to search for the answer.
Just let your awareness slowly scan through your body.
From the top of your head,
Down through your face,
Your neck,
Shoulders,
Down to your chest,
Your belly,
Hips,
Moving into your legs and your feet.
And just simply notice,
Where is there ease?
Where is there tension?
Where is there discomfort or pain?
If there's a place in your body calling for your attention,
Just bring your awareness to that area.
Not to change it,
But just be with it.
Breathe with it.
You might imagine placing a warm,
Gentle hand on that part of your body and noticing,
What does it feel like?
Is it tight?
Heavy?
Maybe sharp?
Or pulsing?
Perhaps it is just still.
Just allow yourself to get curious.
Instead of resisting any sensation here,
See if you can give it a bit more space.
As you inhale,
Imagine you're creating room around this part of your body.
And as you exhale,
Just soften your response to it.
Breathing in space.
Breathing out,
Softening.
You are not pushing it away.
And you are not holding it tighter.
You're simply allowing it to be.
Now ask yourself,
Is there something beneath this sensation?
An emotion?
A feeling?
Maybe something unspoken?
It's okay if there's no answer.
Just notice what arises in the body.
Whatever you may find or don't find,
Let it be okay.
If there is sadness,
Let it be.
If there is frustration,
Let it be.
And if there is nothing at all,
That's okay too.
Now bring a sense of kindness to this part of your body.
And you may silently say,
I am here.
I am listening.
You don't have to hold this alone anymore.
Just let your body feel that as presence,
A softening and a willingness to stay.
You may begin to notice something shifting or you may not.
Both are just fine.
Just remember that healing doesn't come from forcing change.
It comes from allowing.
And sometimes the body releases or it simply softens.
And sometimes it just feels seen.
All of it matters.
Now slowly begin to expand your awareness to your whole body again.
Coming back to the breath.
Feeling your chest rise and fall.
Noticing the support beneath you again.
Just letting everything be just as it is.
Now take a few deeper breaths here.
Let your body rest as if it knows what to do.
Because it does without effort.
Your body is not working against you.
It is working for you.
Always communicating.
Always trying to restore balance.
Before we finish,
Just notice if anything has shifted even slightly.
And take one more slow breath in and a long steady breath out.
When you're ready,
Bring some movement back into your body.
Wiggling fingers and toes.
And slowly open your eyes.
I thank you for being here with me today.
Be well.
