Welcome to this somatic practice on releasing anxiety and stress.
So when we experience anxiety or stress,
Our nervous system is stuck in the flight state.
We have this built-up energy of anxiety,
Overwhelm,
Fear,
Worry or even panic.
These practices are designed to help your nervous system release that built-up energy and come back down from the flight state,
Entering in the safety state,
Also known as rest,
Digest and repair.
So let's begin with the practices.
Firstly I invite you to to get yourself really comfortable.
You can lay down or you can sit up straight on a meditation cushion or a bolster or your favorite chair.
Now let's start with our eyes open,
Allowing your awareness to drift to any object in the room that you are in and see if you can notice the color white.
Allow your eyes to drift off to any objects with the color white.
Allow yourself to really drink in the texture,
The color,
The size and the shape.
Become really curious.
Now release your focus on this white object or objects and gently close your eyes.
Begin to become aware of your body resting on the surface below you.
Notice how you feel a sense of support,
Being held,
Being grounded.
Allow your body to become a little bit more heavier and sink in down into the floor below you,
Allowing your lower body,
If you're sitting or the whole back of your body,
If you're laying down,
To dissolve and melt.
Take a deep in here and release.
Feel yourself settling down,
Coming back into this moment.
Start to notice any sounds that you can pick up on right now.
Maybe some birds that are chirping outside,
The sound of distant traffic,
Any sound of neighbors or any electrical equipment,
Air conditioning,
Dishwasher.
Maybe you can even hear the sound of your own breath and perhaps you start to notice now that your body feels a need to take some deeper,
Slower breaths.
This is a sign that your nervous system is already discharging that built-up energy.
So during our practice feel free to take a deep breath,
Take a deep sigh.
We will also practice this together.
Also yawning is a sign of release.
So feel free to yawn as much as you need to.
We will start with what's called a physiological sigh.
This has been clinically proven to be highly effective at releasing stress,
Releasing that built-up energy from the body.
It goes as follows.
Take two inhales,
Followed by one long sigh out.
Let's practice this together.
Inhale one,
Two and sigh it out.
Inhale one,
Two,
Completely filling up your belly and sigh it out.
I'll do that one last time.
Take a deep breath in and the second one and completely sigh it out as if you've just had a big cry and you're now fully releasing it.
Now notice how you feel,
Becoming aware of any sensations in your body,
Any changes in your breathing pattern.
Now continue our somatic exercise.
It's stimulating the vagus nerve.
This is your gut-brain connection and your mind-body connection.
By stimulating this longest nerve in your body,
We cultivate a sense of calm,
Safety and our body's innate capability to rest,
Digest and repair.
So take your two index fingers and place them on the inside of your ears.
Notice your ear canal and start to massage the back of your ear canal.
As you continue massaging,
Notice which pressure you like and what pace feels good for your body today.
Stay present with your index fingers massaging the back of your ear canal.
Stay present within your body with your breath and perhaps now you might start to yawn.
Take a deep breath.
These are all natural signs that your body is releasing the stress,
Letting it out of your system,
No longer holding it in.
Just the last few seconds here and then slowly making your way out of your ears and exploring massaging your ears,
The outside part.
So gently massaging the top of your ear with your thumb,
Your index finger and your middle finger.
The vagus nerve has a branch that directly impacts your ear,
The auricular branch.
Gently making your way down to the sides of your ears,
All the way down into your ear lobes.
Take a breath.
Take your time.
Notice what you like and what feels good for you.
Do you like a soft pressure and slow movements or does today call for harder pressure and faster movements?
Beautiful.
Gently release your fingers and notice how you feel and we'll finish today's practice by chanting VU.
VU is also part of the neuromodulation practices that we've been doing,
Meaning we are impacting a nerve in our body which has a positive effect on our well-being.
The vagus nerve also runs through your throat.
So take a deep breath in and we'll all chant together VU.
Beautiful.
Let's do that one more time.
Take a deep breath in.
VU.
Notice how you feel.
Bringing your awareness back to the contact points of your body and the surface that is below you right now.
Noticing where they touch each other.
Take your time to come back and you might want to take a gentle stretch,
A deep breath.
Make sure you slowly open your eyes and allow your gaze to drift to just one place in the room,
Orienting yourself back before you check your phone or get out into your day.
Take a moment to fully integrate.
I wish you the most beautiful rest of your day or night and I look forward to being with you soon again.
