Welcome to this somatic inquiry 10-minute stress reduction practice.
Go ahead and let yourself get comfortable.
However you're sitting or lying down is fine.
There's nothing you need to fix.
And nothing you need to make happen.
We're just going to start by landing here.
Whatever you were doing before this,
You can safely let that go for now.
It'll still be there in 10 minutes.
Just notice what it's like to be here right now.
You are here.
You couldn't really be anyplace else.
So we might as well just let ourselves arrive.
Let your eyes stay open and soft.
And just let them go wherever they want to go.
You don't have to look at anything in particular.
Just let your gaze move around the space you're in.
Notice what catches your attention.
It might be an object across the room.
It might be the light coming in.
Again,
Just letting your eyes go where they want to go.
And noticing what it's actually like to be here.
And as you look around,
See if there's anything that feels even a little bit good.
Maybe a color you like.
Maybe something in the room that reminds you.
Of something pleasant.
It doesn't have to be anything big.
Just let yourself notice it and let yourself notice how it feels.
Right now,
You're orienting to being here.
To your environment.
To the simple fact that in this moment,
You're safe enough to look around.
There's nothing chasing you right now.
There's just this room.
And you.
Now we're going to add a simple breath.
It's called the VU breath.
And it's just a way of gently signaling to your nervous system that it's okay to settle.
We're going to make a low,
Soft voo sound on the out-breath.
Like a low foghorn.
This engages the vagus nerve,
Which runs down the front of the body and helps regulate stress.
So it'll be a gentle breath in and then the voo sound on the way out.
You don't have to do this perfectly,
Just do your best.
So when you're ready,
Take a comfortable breath in.
And on the out breath,
Let it out slowly on a low vu.
So here we go.
Home.
Let's do that again.
Breathe in.
And out with a voo.
One more time.
And let this one be the slowest yet,
In and out with a voo.
Mmmmm.
Now.
Just let your breath go back to normal.
You don't have to control it.
And just notice what is it like in your body right now?
Is it maybe a little calmer?
Maybe a little more here.
Whatever you notice is fine.
We're just curious.
Now,
If it's okay,
Let your attention come inward.
Let's just notice what it's like inside the body right now.
And see where you're making contact with the chair,
The floor,
The bed.
Whatever is holding you,
Just feel that contact.
Feel yourself being supported.
You don't have to hold yourself up right now.
Something else is doing that.
Now just see if you can find one place in your body that feels neutral or maybe even a little bit good.
It doesn't have to feel amazing.
It could be the smallest thing,
A warmth in your hands.
The ease in your left foot.
A spot on your shoulder that feels quiet.
Just find one small place that feels okay.
And just rest your attention there for a moment.
Let yourself have this.
This is a place inside you that's okay right now.
You might even say quietly to yourself,
I'm alive.
And just notice what that's like.
Now gently and only as much as feels okay.
Let your attention go to wherever the stress lives in your body.
Maybe it's a tightness in the chest,
A knot in the belly.
Pressure in the shoulders or the throat.
Just let your attention rest there.
We're not trying to get rid of it.
We're just going to keep it company for a moment.
See if you can describe the actual felt sense to yourself.
Is it tight?
Heavy,
Buzzy.
Does it have a shape,
A color?
Just noticing what's actually there.
Often,
Along with a sensation,
There's a story.
Some meaning we've attached to it.
Something like,
I can't handle this,
Or this is too much,
Or something's wrong.
See if you can notice the story that's riding along with the feeling.
And just for a moment,
Let's set the story aside.
Not forever,
Just for now.
Let's come back to the pure sensation underneath it.
Without the meaning.
And here's the key.
Instead of resisting this sensation,
See if you can give it permission to be exactly the way that it is.
It's here either way.
So you might silently tell it.
You get to be here.
You get to feel exactly how you feel.
You're not making it leave.
You're just letting it be met.
And now gently let your attention drift back to that neutral or good place you found earlier.
The hands,
The foot,
The quiet shoulder.
Just rest there again for a moment.
And then come back to the stress and just notice,
Is it exactly the same,
A little stronger,
A little softer?
There's no right answer,
We're just noticing.
And then one more time,
Let your attention come back to the place that feels good.
Let yourself land there.
Let your system feel that it's allowed to have this.
Now let your attention widen back out.
Feel the contact with what's supporting you.
Feel your feet,
Your hands.
Maybe wiggle your toes a little.
Just remembering you have a body and you have feet and you're here.
And let your eyes come back to the room,
Orienting one more time to the space around you.
Letting yourself notice again what it's actually like to be here.
Maybe just a little more settled than when we started.
There's nothing you need to carry from this.
Whatever shifted,
Shifted.
Whatever didn't,
Didn't.
And that's okay.
You gave your nervous system a little space to unwind.
And that's enough.
Whenever you're ready,
Let yourself come back all the way.
Thank you for practicing today.
