Welcome.
The following practice helps you build sensitivity and awareness around the center of your solar plexus at the base of your diaphragm.
This exercise guides you to sense the quality of presence within the area of your solar plexus and essentially the area of your adrenal glands.
So if you are experiencing significant amounts of tiredness or fatigue often,
Then this practice may really help you to find a better understanding on a very felt and visceral level inside of your body and how to navigate this energy better.
Please assume a comfortable seated position.
Create some support for your pelvis if you need to,
Like propping yourself up on a bolster or a cushion.
You might also be sitting up against a wall or a sofa to support your back.
And just begin with a few rounds of easy breaths in and out of your nose.
I'm just softening the body with your breath.
Then relax your jaw,
Your throat,
And your tongue.
And begin to sense the space just below your diaphragm at the base of your ribs at the area of your solar plexus.
And this plexus is essentially a bundle of nerves.
I'm just feeling into this area for a moment.
Notice the breath gently pushing up against the diaphragm into the solar plexus as you inhale and allow it to soften on the exhalation.
Bringing the fingers of one hand to this area just below the base of your sternum,
Which is your breastbone.
And gently palpate into this area of the solar plexus with your flat fingers.
If you have trouble finding this area,
If you follow your breastbone all the way down to its bottom tip,
Where the bony part enters the soft space of your diaphragm.
Just gently palpating,
Moving your fingers around this area without poking,
Just gentle.
Just easy,
Natural breaths.
And then lower your hand.
I'm just feeling into this area of your solar plexus again,
Noticing any atmospheric tension or pressure.
Does it feel tight maybe?
Could be feeling quivery or twisted,
Loose,
Even empty.
And on a more emotional level,
Does it maybe feel like you're on guard in this area?
Are you holding any stress,
Anxiety,
Or tension here?
Relax as much as possible into this space below your diaphragm.
Imagining your breath as a spray of mist diffusing through your belly now.
Aiming to guide your breath into the back of this area,
Towards the area of your kidneys and adrenal complex.
And still imagining your breath as a spray of mist diffusing through this space,
Creating a unity of sensation between the front and the back of your body,
Between the diaphragm,
Connecting its way all the way back to the kidneys and the adrenal complex.
Noticing if there is any quivery,
Clenched,
Or frozen feeling that may persist in the musculature,
Muscular tension in your upper abdomen.
And if you feel a sensation of tightness or tension in your upper abdomen and it doesn't dissolve,
Then just being with this for a moment,
Allow it to be tight.
And with a soft,
Steady breath,
See if you can just bring a little bit more ease and softness into it.
Sometimes we're holding on to tension as a sense of protection and guarding and a response to make us feel safe.
So see if you can allow and feel into this without forcing any release,
But inviting softness.
Allowing the breath to gently move deeply,
Right through the center,
Middle part of your body,
Letting the dome-shaped diaphragm expand,
Right down through the base of your ribs,
Out to its sides,
And touching all the way back to the heart.
Right down to the back of your ribs,
Releasing any grip or tension on the adrenals,
Allowing your upper abdomen in the back of your ribs.
The moving,
Floating feeling of your breath through the diaphragm,
Soften a little bit more with each breath until you can find a sense of ease and relaxation.
Even if there's still a sense of rigidness or maybe anxiety that's present,
Just allowing it the room and space to gently unravel itself without any force.
And with this deeper,
More relaxed sense of self connected to the willpower at your core,
Your sense of self and experience of self,
You can take a moment to close your practice.
And then move out into the rest of your day.
Namaste.
