When we have something in our lives holding us back,
Something that doesn't serve us,
We feel stuck or any challenge in our life,
There's the thought processes around the situation and there's the somatic experience of it.
Although the thought processes are hard to be with,
The somatic experience in the body is what can really embed the issue and we really feel it.
So if we allow those sensations and feelings in the body to soften and open out,
Allowing the stuck energy there to be released,
It can slightly shift our relationship with the issue,
Even if only for a moment,
And also help us to get unstuck from being entangled with or overwhelmed by whatever is the challenge.
So in this practice we're going to connect to the somatic sensations in the body,
Allow it to gradually and gently open out and release and see how that feels.
So take a moment to get yourself comfortable,
Whether you want to sit up or lie down,
That's up to you,
As long as you feel supported and comfortable enough so that your body can fully relax.
To deepen into self-awareness it's important that your physical body is relaxed and start off by noticing your breath.
You can breathe naturally if you prefer or you can slow the breath down,
Having a nice easy smooth inhale and exhale,
Noticing the rise and fall of your belly,
Lungs and ribs as you breathe,
Letting yourself be curious of all the sensations you feel as you breathe in and out and letting your awareness really rest there.
Of course it's normal to drift off or get distracted,
So if you do,
At any time during this meditation there's no need to self-judge or try change it,
Just leave it where it is and gently bring your awareness back to the breath,
Back into the body and back into what you're doing in the moment.
Now noticing the support of the sense of ground below you,
How the surface below your body kind of pushes up from below you and holds you steadily and safely,
Noticing all the sensations of where your body comes into contact with that sense of ground,
Again letting yourself be curious of what's there and maybe even noticing something that you've never noticed before and each time you breathe out allowing your whole body to really relax into that ground.
Now start to move your awareness up into the body,
Noticing all the sensations and feelings and energy you feel in the body.
You might feel comfortable opening out into the awareness of the whole body and its vibrations and energy or you might prefer to slowly feel around the body into all the little corners even and notice what's there,
Trying to stay inquisitive and really allowing whatever you notice to just be as it is.
You might find that you get caught up in stories about what you notice or you might notice that you try to stop or change what's happening for you,
See if you can witness with an open heart and just allow,
Noticing for a moment if you feel the vibrations and energy in your body,
A sense of aliveness,
Also noticing if you can feel these vibrations in the environment around your body,
Letting the separation between your body and the space around you slowly dissolve away and become one.
So allowing yourself to gradually expand and become spacious.
As you rest there in this awareness,
Take a moment to invite or think of what it is that doesn't serve you,
That is holding you back or a certain challenge that you feel.
As you think of this thing,
Drop the stories of it for a moment and notice where it is in the body that you feel this issue.
Notice the sensations of it,
The bare sensations just as they are.
Notice its apparent size and shape and vitality.
So what's its vibration?
Maybe even a specific flow of energy.
Notice its texture.
There might be images or colors or emotions that come up.
Just let them come up and move through as they need to and gently bring your awareness back to resting with the sensations in the body.
As you breathe,
As you inhale,
Breathe into that area in your body.
Bringing gentleness and softness to the area,
Letting it gradually soften,
Release.
So maybe take some slow deep breaths in,
Breathing into the area and allowing it to soften and release.
As you breathe a long,
Slow out-breath,
That softened area could open and expand out.
You will probably notice your whole body relax as you do this.
So as you breathe in,
You breathe into the area,
Letting it become soft and loose.
And as you breathe out,
It slowly opens out,
Becoming more spacious.
It might feel as if its particles are dissolving away slightly as it opens out.
If you notice any tension or holding anywhere else in the body,
Just let that also soften and relax.
After a while,
You might notice a shift in the area.
Notice how it feels now in your body.
Noticing any shifts in relationship with the original issue.
Doesn't mean that the problem has disappeared.
But you might notice a transformation with how you relate to it and how it's experienced in the body.
So hold that with love.
Allow yourself to be grateful for and enjoy the experience of the present moment.
Very often when we get triggered somehow or an issue arises in our life,
We tend to freeze or contract around it,
Which brings tension in the body and eventually causes us to get stuck in a loop with the issue.
So as you go about your day and you notice yourself getting caught in this entanglement,
You can breathe,
Notice where it is in the body,
Allow that to gradually soften,
Releasing tension and notice any shifts in how you feel.
Thank you and see you soon.
