Hello,
Thanks for joining me in today's practice.
Today we'll be exploring the concept of neuroplasticity,
But through metaphor.
Neuroplasticity is essentially our brain's way of changing and adapting to external and internal stimuli.
We can think about our neural system like pathways in woods.
Neuro means anything connected to the brain or nervous system and plasticity is that ability to be multiple,
To be changeable.
So,
Allow yourself to just begin by settling in,
Let your body rest in whichever way feels really comfortable for you today.
You might choose to be lying down,
Snuggled in or sitting upright.
Sense and feel what is the best position for you in this moment and then allow your body to rest.
See if you can sense and feel the downward pressure of where your body meets the earth,
The chair or the floor beneath you.
Let yourself give in to the gentle pressure of gravity that holds you.
Allow your breath to flow in an easy way,
In a natural way.
No need to change anything about your breath in this moment.
Maybe just observing how it is.
It's simply the invitation to become aware of your breath of this moment.
Inside your mind is a forest,
A rich living landscape of paths and patterns.
Each thought,
Each feeling,
Each habit,
A trail your nervous system has walked many times.
Some paths are well-worn,
Almost automatic.
You could walk them with your eyes closed,
You know,
Every bump,
Every lump,
Every stone,
Every branch.
These have become easy,
Familiar,
Safe.
Even if some of these pathways no longer serve you,
Maybe you know what's at the end of it.
A habit,
A loop,
A pattern.
But there are also trails less traveled.
Maybe even ones that are not as visible to your eye.
New thoughts,
New responses,
New ways of moving,
New ideas.
Subtle clearings in the woodland,
Maybe waiting to be discovered,
To be walked down.
This is neuroplasticity.
Your forests,
Your inner forest's ability to grow new paths and to let old ones grow over with new grass and to fade away.
Each time you draw your attention into this practice,
Each time you practice a new way of thinking,
Being or moving,
You are gently imprinting fresh footprints into new earth.
It's as though you're gently telling your brain,
This is a new way that I want to go.
So ask yourself gently now,
What path am I walking most often?
And is it leading me where I want to go?
There's no judgment here,
It's just a noticing.
You hold that inner forest within you and you are also the walker within the forest.
Sometimes we might feel stuck,
Like we're standing still at the fork in the woods.
Maybe we've been looping the same trail again and again.
But even in that moment of stillness,
Where you stand in front of the fork in the woods and start to recognize that you've been on this trail before,
Start to feel that sense of stagnation or stuckness.
This is also part of the map.
It might be a kind of sign that something in you is ready to find a new way forward,
A new path through the woods.
So it's less of a wall in front of you and more of an invitation towards curiosity.
It might be helpful to take a pause,
A gentle invitation to listen in words,
To look towards your internal compass.
Now allow your awareness to drift from the forest of your mind into the landscape of your body.
Where do you feel that invitation to change?
Where is there a sensation?
Maybe tension,
Warmth,
A sense of movement or stillness.
We'll begin to scan gently from your head to your toes.
Allow your attention to gently scan over the scalp,
Sensing and feeling any movement here,
Any tightness or tension.
Maybe inviting a sort of softening,
Scanning over the right ear,
The left ear,
The inner ear on left and right.
Notice as well your nose,
Your nostrils,
Your lips,
And inside your mouth,
Maybe sensing and feeling the sides of your mouth,
The roof of your mouth,
And the bottom of your mouth,
Your throat,
Your neck,
Your shoulders,
Your right arm,
Your left arm,
Your hands,
Your fingertips.
Notice the palm of your hand.
Notice if there's any sensation there,
Any movement,
Any flicker.
Come back up the arms towards the chest,
The ribcage and nestled inside of that,
Your lungs and your heart.
Notice the feeling in this space as well around your heart.
Allow your attention to move inwardly towards your belly.
Notice any sensations or feelings in this area,
Even just gurgling.
Maybe there's nothing at all.
That's okay too.
Notice around the area of your hips,
The front and back,
The lower back,
The front of hip flexors,
Down your left and right leg.
Notice your knees on both sides.
Notice your ankles,
Left and right side.
Notice the tops of your feet,
The soles of your feet,
And your big toe on your right side and your big toe on your left side.
All the toes of the right side,
All the toes of the left side.
Notice any whisper your body might have for you.
Notice any direction that it feels like moving,
Even if it's a sense of wanting to move deeper towards rest.
Maybe there's a breath that wants to happen,
A deeper breath.
Maybe there's a small shift or adjustment,
A softening,
A letting go,
A tiny gesture of yes or no.
Let yourself follow it just for a moment,
Allowing your body to be the compass that leads the way.
Remember that today doesn't have to be the day that you carve out a new trail.
Sometimes it's enough just to take one small step,
And that small step might just be a recognition,
A noticing,
A listening,
A new idea.
Maybe it's just one small step to place one foot on unfamiliar earth.
Every breath,
Every pause,
Every act of gentle attention is a way forward.
We're often not stuck,
Not really.
We're rewiring,
Preparing to walk a new path.
Allow yourself to take one more slow breath.
In through your nose,
Out through your nose.
And then this time,
In through your nose and out through your mouth.
When you're ready,
You can gently prepare to move into the rest of your day.
Gently opening your eyes,
And remembering that inner forest,
That inner landscape that you are walking on.
The paths you take,
The paths you don't,
And the paths that you have not yet walked.
