Welcome to the Toolbox.
This is a guided meditation for releasing what no longer serves.
This is a cord cutting meditation.
A practice rooted in somatic and psychotherapeutic traditions for releasing the energetic and emotional charge we carry from relationships,
Experiences and beliefs that are no longer serving our growth.
Call cutting is not about erasing people from our life,
Forcing forgiveness,
Or severing love.
It's about reclaiming the energy and attention that we're sending outwards to a person,
A past version of yourself,
A situation,
Or a story that we've been holding onto,
And gently returning it to you.
It's important to say that people respond to this practice in many different ways and all of them are valid.
You might feel a profound sense of release or you might feel very little.
Both responses are completely normal.
You might feel emotion,
Sadness,
Grief,
Relief or some tenderness.
Something surfaces that has maybe been waiting to be seen.
You might feel resistance or an unwillingness to let go.
This is not failure,
Sometimes the most important thing.
That the practice reveals is that we're not yet ready and that awareness in itself is so valuable.
You might feel nothing at all during the meditation.
And then notice something shift in the hours or days to follow.
The nervous system sometimes processes at its own pace.
And so we're just going to start by finding a comfortable space.
Just a reminder that you are in complete control at all times.
Nothing in this practice requires you to let go of anything.
You are not ready to release.
Move at your own pace.
If you find the practice activating or if strong emotions arise or you feel overwhelmed,
It's okay to pause.
Open your eyes.
You can take a few grounding breaths and just return when you're ready or simply rest.
And so you might be sitting or lying down.
Allowing your body to feel fully supported by whatever is beneath you.
And if it feels okay,
You might gently close your eyes.
Or you might prefer just to soften your gaze.
You don't need to know exactly what you're here to release today.
Sometimes the body knows before the mind does.
We'll simply create some space together and see what arises.
And starting to just take a really slow breath in through the nose.
And exhale softly through the mouth.
Again just breathing in Breathing out.
Just letting your breath settle into its own natural rhythm.
No need to change anything.
Just noticing.
And bringing your awareness to your body.
Noticing any points of contact.
It might be your feet on the ground.
Your back against the surface beneath you.
And your hands resting gently.
Notice the temperature of the air on your skin.
Perhaps a small sound in the room.
The weight of your own hands.
Just reminding yourself that you are here.
In this moment,
You are safe enough to simply be.
If it feels okay,
You might even imagine roots growing down from your body.
Softly reaching into the earth beneath you.
These roots are really steady.
And really supportive.
And they're not pulling you down.
For holding you.
Take a breath in.
And as you exhale,
Allow any tension to gently drain down through these roots.
No force,
Just a soft release.
And again,
Just resting here for a moment,
Grounded,
Present,
Held.
And now let's just take a gentle scan through the body.
Starting at the top of your head,
Moving slowly down through your face.
Your jaw,
The throat,
The shoulders.
The chest,
Your belly and lower back,
Your hips,
Legs and feet.
As you scan simply notice where you feel open and spacious,
Where you feel contracted,
Heavy or held.
No need to fix anything,
Just mapping your inner landscape today.
Whatever you find is welcome.
And now just begin to bring your awareness to your inner space.
Noticing your emotional or energetic state today.
Without any kind of judgment,
Just simply observing.
At your own pace,
You might begin to sense connections.
Maybe between you and other people.
Maybe between you and certain situations,
Memories or beliefs that we carry.
There's no need to search here.
There's no need to analyze.
Just allowing whatever naturally drifts into your awareness.
And if nothing comes up,
That's okay.
You can just simply rest in your breath.
If something does arise,
Notice how it feels in your body.
Perhaps a sensation.
A color.
Await.
More simply and knowing.
And now gently bringing in an intention.
To notice anything that you may be carrying that isn't entirely yours to hold alone.
If it feels right for you.
You might begin to sense this as an object.
There's no need to define it clearly.
Just allowing it to take whatever form feels true.
This object might have a weight.
The texture.
A colour.
Or perhaps it's simply a sense of something resting in your hands.
Take a moment just to notice.
What it feels like to hold this.
Without judgment,
Without needing to change anything.
Just let yourself simply be someone who has carried this.
For however long you've held it.
Whatever reasons felt true at the time.
You carried it in the best way you knew how.
Allow yourself a moment to really acknowledge for that.
And just being with what you're holding.
We're not trying to release it,
Not trying to understand it,
Simply witnessing it.
Sometimes the most healing thing we can do is allow something to be truly seen.
It's important to know that we don't have to release anything today.
Sometimes simply acknowledging what we carry is the whole practice.
Whatever feels right for you in this moment is the right thing.
Now at your own pace,
You might begin to explore what it would feel like to no longer carry this in quite the same way.
There's no pressure to let go completely.
Even the smallest shift is enough.
You might gently place this object down beside you,
Not far,
Just no longer in your hands.
If it feels right,
You might sense it returning to where it belongs.
To the person,
The experience.
The moment it came from.
Not with anger or blame,
Just a quiet returning.
You might even turn your palms gently downwards.
A small physical gesture of release.
As you do,
Simply notice any shift in your body.
Even the smallest sense of space.
A softening somewhere.
A breath that comes a little more easily.
Let that be enough.
And now just gently inviting your own energy back to you.
From people,
Places and situations,
Past and present.
You might imagine it returning as a light.
I feel warm.
A colour just gathering softly back into your body.
Take your time.
Letting the body receive only what feels safe and right for you.
And just notice your breath.
The surface beneath you.
The temperature of the air.
Perhaps sensing any shifts,
However subtle.
You might place a hand on your heart or somewhere on your body that feels grounding.
Just take a moment to notice.
And just offering yourself a moment of acknowledgement here.
For showing up.
For listening inwards,
For allowing.
Whatever you meant in this practice.
Maybe we can start to just really gently deepen the breath a little.
Gently wheeling fingers,
Toes.
And becoming aware of the sounds around you.
The room you're in.
The ordinary world waiting gently.
Whenever you're ready just slowly opening your eyes.
Take your time,
There's no rush to move.
Let yourself arrive fully before stepping back into the day.
Taking anything that felt supported with you.
And gently leave the rest behind.
