Building Safety In Your Body: Somatic Meditation
In this somatic practice, I guide you to explore what safety feels like in your body—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You'll use grounding breathwork and somatic awareness to reconnect with your nervous system's natural capacity for safety. We'll work gently with the parts of you that feel unsafe, not trying to fix or change them, but simply being present with them. This practice helps you build an internal sense of safety that doesn't depend on external circumstances.
Transcript
Hi,
Welcome to this practice of building safety in your body.
Find a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
But if you're lying down,
Bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the floor or the bed.
And this is going to signal to your body that you're doing a practice and not going to sleep.
So when you're ready,
Close your eyes.
And we're going to start with some breath work.
Deep breath to shift you out of your head and into your body.
We're going to do two sharp inhales through your nose,
And then one long,
Slow exhale through your mouth.
This is going to help your body feel safe,
Be in the present moment,
And release some tension that you might have built up.
So the way it works is inhale,
Inhale,
Exhale.
So let's try together.
Keep going.
Inhale twice through your nose,
And then exhale slowly through your mouth.
Keep going.
Two sharp inhales through the nose,
One long exhale through the mouth.
And let your body soften with each exhale.
Let yourself melt out of your thinking and into the experience of being in your body.
Keep breathing in that way.
Feel that it's safe to be here.
Feel that it's safe to be in your body,
Safe to let go of the everyday thinking,
And safe to just rest into yourself.
Feel your body melting more and more.
Aware of your body,
Of your breath,
And feel the safety within that.
Just a few more breaths.
Two sharp inhales through the nose,
Followed by an exhale through the mouth.
Long exhale.
Amazing.
And now let your breath slowly,
Gently return to normal.
And we're going to explore now what safety feels like in your body.
Not just as some concept,
But as a real feeling,
As a real sensation.
And I'm going to guide you through different types of safety.
And your job is simply to notice what your nervous system does.
There's no pressure to feel anything specific.
Just observe.
Whatever there is,
Let it be.
Be present with it.
So first,
Imagine a scenario where you feel absolutely,
Completely,
Physically safe.
Maybe you're in a locked home with locked doors,
Surrounded by people who protect you,
By a beautiful,
Muscular man guarding you,
Or you have a lot of dogs that you trust that they will take care of you.
Maybe you're in nature,
Far away from anyone who could harm you.
Maybe you're in a beautiful castle with all your guards around you.
For me,
Physical safety is being on a remote farm,
Somewhere in the middle of nature,
The middle of nowhere,
Surrounded by really amazing animals.
I have these wolves that are in the forest around my farm,
And they will make sure nobody's coming close.
I have some horses always looking after me.
What's your vision?
Where does physical safety look like to you?
And then notice,
How does it feel?
How does your body feel like being so physically safe?
How do your muscles feel?
How's your breath?
And how's your nervous system?
Can your body actually relax into this imagined safety?
Or does some part of you still feel tense?
And if you don't feel safe,
Even in this imagined scenario,
Don't make yourself wrong.
Just notice.
Notice,
Wow,
I'm feeling unsafe right now,
And it goes really deep.
And even in my safest scenario,
I'm not fully there yet.
But that's okay.
Just notice and be with it.
Acknowledge it.
Take a few more breaths in this safe scenario,
In this physical safety,
Where nobody can harm you.
And then become really aware,
Study what physical safety feels like.
Or notice that you can't feel it yet.
And now,
Imagine a scenario of complete emotional safety.
Being around someone who truly sees you,
Who honors you,
Respects you,
Loves you exactly as you are.
Someone with the emotional intelligence to just be with you.
No matter what.
Not trying to fix you or change you,
But just feeling you deeply.
Someone who fully respects your boundaries,
Your experience,
And your expression.
Someone where you can just be yourself,
Your best and your worst,
And everything in between.
Maybe you have a person in mind,
And maybe that's your vision.
But notice,
What does it feel like?
What does it feel like to be emotionally safe in your body,
In your nervous system?
Notice your muscles and breath,
And any tension that are still there or slowly dissolve.
How relaxed do you feel?
How soft?
And how much do you let yourself actually feel?
How much can you lean into this safety?
How much can you trust?
And if you can't feel this emotional safety yet,
Don't force it.
Just notice.
Notice that your system doesn't feel safe enough yet,
Even with this emotional safety.
And this is just information.
There is no failure.
There's nothing wrong.
Just notice.
For me,
It's really hard to surrender into this emotional safety.
Maybe you can relate,
Even if it does seem safe,
Like you cannot think of anything that would make it more safe.
But maybe you still have a hard time to accept it.
And that's okay.
And if you do feel emotional safety,
Really feel it.
Study it.
Become aware of everything.
The sensations in your body,
The breath,
And the level of relaxation that you are able to feel.
And now imagine spiritual safety,
Whatever that means to you.
Maybe it's this deep belief in an eternal part inside of you.
That can never be destroyed.
Your true essence.
Your soul.
Maybe it's feeling held in the arms of the universe,
Of God,
A goddess.
And maybe it's trusting that consciousness is infinite and you are part of it.
So what does spiritual safety feel like to you?
And then notice what happens in your nervous system,
In your body,
When you imagine being held by something that is bigger than you.
So powerful,
So beautiful,
So knowledgeable.
And notice everything that comes up and acknowledge if you're not there yet,
That's okay.
Just let it be.
And if you do feel the safety,
Really feel into it one more time.
Study it,
Remember it.
Now the most important question.
What would it take to feel fully safe with yourself?
We never think about this,
Right?
So how do you need to be in your own body?
How do you speak to yourself?
How do you set boundaries?
What boundaries do you set?
And how does your own mind treat you?
How kind can you be to yourself?
What loving,
Celebratory,
Life-affirming things can you say to yourself to feel that it's safe to just be you?
And how do you stop fighting with yourself?
How would it feel like to just be there for all the parts of you?
Unconditionally,
Just be there and witness.
Be with these parts that feel hurt,
The parts that straddle and feel unsafe.
What would it take physically,
Emotionally,
Emotionally,
Mentally,
Spiritually for you to be safe to yourself?
And take some slow,
Deep breath.
And if it feels true to you,
Make this your vision,
Your North Star,
Where you want to be,
How you want to feel every day,
How you want to show up for yourself,
How you want to treat yourself.
Envision this reality where you feel physically,
Emotionally,
Mentally,
And spiritually safe,
Safe to yourself.
Choosing this.
And in all the ways you're not there yet,
Continue to show up.
And continue to do a practice leaning into making your body a home of safety for all parts of you.
And now one more time,
Feel into the part of you that already knows safety.
It's already there,
It's already your language.
Let yourself be physically safe,
Emotionally safe,
Spiritually safe.
And feel the softness,
The flow of this,
And the sweetness of being held by consciousness,
By the infinite and eternal.
And now feel a part of you that feels unsafe.
Whatever one,
Whichever one,
Maybe physically unsafe or emotionally unsafe or spiritually unsafe.
Whatever part shows up strongest right now,
Allow yourself to feel it.
And this is the practice.
Don't try to change it or fix it,
Just move towards it gently.
And if this part of you is open to being held,
You can hold it,
Be there.
But if that's too much,
Just be wherever it allows you to be and witness it and love it.
It's part of you.
And from this resourced,
Safe,
Grounded part of you that you discovered,
You can just snuggle up next to this unsafe part.
Get as close as it allows you to be and let it feel you.
No pressure,
No agenda,
Just being safe and present with the part of you that feels unsafe.
Breathe into the safety anchor,
This part of you that feels safe and let it ground even more into your nervous system.
Feel love and connection with the part that has felt unsafe or still does.
You can keep holding this unsafe part if that feels right.
Or you can let it integrate into your energy.
Or you can find a safe place for it to rest somewhere in your body.
Send it love.
I really notice when someone comes to you with an agenda,
Even the most loving,
Caring,
Well-meant agenda.
Something like,
I'm gonna change you,
Fix you,
Heal you,
I know what's best for you.
Do you feel safe?
No,
Probably not.
So notice where you unconsciously or innocently do that to yourself.
Tell yourself,
I'm gonna change you,
I'm gonna fix you,
I know what's best for you.
And see if you can invite yourself out of this pattern and into something like,
I'm gonna be with you,
I'm gonna tune to you and I'm gonna regulate myself and trust the naturalness of what wants to come through from that space.
And now just let yourself rest,
Soften and integrate.
And whenever you feel ready,
You can start to come back.
But take your time,
There's no rush.
And continue to hold this feeling of safety within you as you return.
And whenever you're ready,
You can slowly open your eyes and come back.
