Find a comfortable seated position,
Either in a chair or lying down.
If you're seated,
Allow your spine to lengthen naturally.
Almost as if a golden thread.
Is gently drawing the crown of your head toward the sky.
And if you're lying down,
Let your spine rest heavy.
Fully supported beneath you.
And you can imagine that same golden thread extending out from the crown of your head.
Just softening any tightness there.
Let your shoulders soften and release.
Notice how the simple movement creates space across your chest.
Now bring both hands to rest over your abdomen.
Feel the warmth of your palms against your belly Notice the gentle rise and fall beneath your hands with each breath.
Isn't it amazing to think that this breath has been with you since your very first moments of life?
I invite you to close your eyes and just soften your gaze downward.
Allow yourself to take three deep breaths.
Allowing each exhale to be a little longer.
Than your inhale.
And with each out breath.
Just imagine you're releasing any tension.
Any hurry.
Any need to be anywhere but here.
Today this practice is here to soothe and comfort emotional eating.
And to remind you that your body already knows how to comfort you.
And now I invite you to bring your attention back to your hands.
Your hands on your abdomen,
On your belly.
And just consider right now that there is an entire universe at work beneath your hands And we wish to begin to sense the space beneath your palms.
This is a living laboratory where billions of microorganisms are working together in ways that science is only beginning to understand.
Your gut is actually home to more bacterial cells than there are stars in the Milky Way.
Each one of these cells helps contribute to a vast ecosystem that helps keep you alive.
And even as you sit here,
Your digestive system is quietly working away.
And just consider that it doesn't need to be told what to do.
It doesn't need to be managed or monitored.
And take a moment to acknowledge that your gut has been working on your behalf.
Every single day of your life.
Through every kind of day.
And that includes the hard days and the overwhelmed days.
The days where you might have reached for something to make the feelings or emotions stop.
And of course your gut didn't judge you for any of it and it kept doing its work faithfully without asking anything in return.
It's quite a miracle,
Isn't it?
Now I invite you to shift your awareness to the lining of your intestinal wall We can see,
Sense,
Or simply imagine this as a vast,
Intelligent,
And wise border.
And just know that it is thousands of miles long if you are able to unfold it completely.
This is your inner skin and your deepest boundary between yourself and your world.
This intestinal barrier is living.
Breathing.
Discerning.
And in every moment,
It is making decisions about what to let in and what to hold back.
And this is worth noticing because you too have that same discernment.
You have always had it.
Even in moments where it felt buried beneath stress or exhaustion or a need for comfort that arrived faster than you could name it.
Just see sense or simply imagine a warm golden light spreading beneath your palms.
Let it travel along the entire length of this intelligent boundary.
And as it does,
I wish to thank this part of you that has been your guardian.
Your gatekeeper your defender.
Thank you to my gut for protecting me.
Thank you for knowing what I need,
Even in the moments I didn't know what I actually needed.
And notice how this feels in your body.
And I invite you to bring your awareness to the act of absorption happening inside you Your small intestine is lined with millions of tiny finger-like projections called villi.
And each one is smaller than you'd ever be able to see.
Yet together they cover a surface far larger than your skin.
They actually cover an area closer to the size of a tennis court.
So see,
Sense or simply imagine this vast surface reaching toward nourishment.
These little projections will receive what's offered when they trust the process of taking it in.
We're sitting with this for a moment.
And just consider that real nourishment isn't about restriction.
It isn't about numbing.
It's about receiving what actually soothes and comforts you.
And of course food can be part of that.
And so can rest.
Soak being held.
And so can this exact moment,
Hands on your belly.
Breathing.
And it's worth noting that your gut doesn't panic when it's hungry.
It signals clearly and without shame,
And it trusts that the signal will be heard.
Maybe there's something here for you too.
Your emotions work the same way.
A feeling that arises isn't always a problem to solve quickly.
It's just something asking to be heard or acknowledged.
And allowing yourself to place your attention on this now.
Just feel into the idea that receiving comfort real comfort requires you to slow down enough to actually feel it.
Instead of always rushing past the feeling or emotion.
To then have relief.
And as you rest your hands on your belly,
You may wish to thank your gut for teaching you this.
Thank you for showing me that slowing down is not a failure.
Thank you for reminding me that comfort can be simple.
Comfort can be a breath.
Comfort can be a hand on my heart.
Comfort can be a few moments of stillness in an otherwise busy day.
And imagine thanking your gut for sticking with you.
Even in times where you may have tried to outrun a feeling or emotion.
And I invite you to let this gratitude move through you like a warm river.
Notice if there's any resistance or a feeling of relief and just be with whatever arises.
And I want to invite you to consider that your gut has been called the second brain for a good reason.
Right now beneath your hands millions of neurons are firing.
Your gut produces neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine,
Which are the same chemicals involved in comfort,
Calm and reward.
This matters because your body is wired to seek comfort.
I invite you not to stop seeking comfort,
But to widen all the places,
People,
Activities,
And other areas where you might look for it instead.
And you can bring your awareness to this now.
Silently or aloud you can ask what am I actually hungry for right now in this moment and don't rush toward an answer or judge whatever comes up just listen and maybe what comes up is rest.
Maybe it's quiet needs just a little permission to feel whatever's here without needing to fix it immediately and if something specific did come up.
But I'd be welcome.
Your gut is always in conversation with you and so are your feelings You return now to the community living within you called the microbiome.
Trillions of organisms are not separate from you.
They are you,
And they influence your mood,
Your cravings,
Your energy,
And more.
And when you care for yourself gently,
With rest,
With food that nourishes you,
With comfort that isn't rushed,
You support this whole ecosystem.
You can think of it as tending to a garden or even a relationship.
You can feel your hands on your belly.
You are a walking ecosystem.
A collaborative being.
A symphony of life forms working together,
And all of them want the same thing that you want.
To feel safe.
To feel comforted,
To feel soothed.
Feel steady.
Thank you to all of the life within me.
Thank you for staying with me through moments I didn't know how to comfort myself.
I am grateful to be home to you.
And let yourself feel the fullness of this.
And as we prepare to complete this practice take a moment to notice how you feel Has anything shifted or softened?
Is there a little more space between the feeling and the urge to immediately soothe it?
And you can just trust that you already know how to comfort yourself because your body has been showing you all along.
And just before you open your eyes,
If it feels right,
You may wish to gently press your palms slightly against your belly.
And let this touch be a promise.
I will listen to you.
I will comfort you,
Not just with food,
But with attention,
With rest,
With patience.
You're welcome to take three more deep breaths.
And with each inhale draw in a sense of safety,
Of comfort,
Of feeling soothed.
And with each exhale let that safety settle deeper.
Into your belly.
Into your body.
And remember that you have a whole terrain inside you built for nothing but receiving It has been receiving every feeling,
Every hard day.
Every moment you didn't have words for.
It just needs you to slow down enough to let it do what it naturally does.
And your gut has been speaking to you your entire life through comfort and signals.
The quiet knowing behind every craving you've ever had.
And when you're ready,
Slowly release your hands.
Let them rest on your thighs or in your lap.
And gently open your eyes and carry this newfound awareness with you into your day.
