Welcome.
This is a practice that can help us create safety and support for ourselves.
It can help us to come back to our window of capacity,
Which is also sometimes called the window of tolerance,
And to anchor us in the ventral vagal part of our nervous system.
You might find it helpful if you're dealing with stress and overwhelm in your life right now,
And it's also a great exploration for when nothing in particular is going on,
But when you just feel like exploring your own inner world and the wisdom of your body and your nervous system.
It's a great practice for getting out of our busy minds and into the body,
Into the present moment,
And to have an awareness of our interconnectedness and the support that's available to us.
So,
Find or create a nice quiet space for yourself,
And stand in the centre of your space so that you've got room around you.
Take a moment to orient with your eyes in the space around you,
To move your head,
And let yourself notice what is there with you.
The left,
And to the right,
In front of you,
Behind you,
Above your head,
And below your feet.
And for this practice,
You can close your eyes,
Or you can keep them open with a soft gaze,
As you like.
So,
Give yourself a moment to arrive here,
To simply sense how you are.
With your exhalation,
See if you can let your weight drop down towards the ground,
And maybe your face and your belly and your knees and feet can soften a little as you do so.
And now become aware of the space around you,
Not through your eyes,
But through your felt sense.
How is it to be here?
And then bring to your mind a person,
Or a non-human being,
An animal,
A tree,
Maybe even a place that you love,
Something that feels safe and supportive.
And then place this being,
I'm just going to call it a being to include all the different possibilities of who or what it might be,
So place this being somewhere on your left side in your space,
At a distance that feels good to you.
With all your senses and your imagination,
You can bring this being alive and really feel their presence next to you on your left.
Take your time to notice how this feels,
What happens in your body as you imagine this supportive companion there on the left.
Do you notice any particular sensations arising?
Any micro-movements?
And now bring to mind another being that you feel safe with.
Place them somewhere on your right,
And you can just feel into where you would like them to be.
Again,
Imagine them in all the details that you can conjure up.
Good,
And then sense yourself between these two supportive companions on either side of you.
Take some quiet time to notice what happens in your body in terms of sensations.
Maybe there are images or thoughts,
Memories or emotions that arise.
Maybe there's even some movement in your body.
I'm going to be quiet for a few moments so you really have some time to experience this.
You can always pause the recording if you need more time.
For now,
I ask you to choose a third being that you love,
That loves you,
Where there's trust and safety in the relationship.
And choose a place behind you where you would like them to be,
At your back,
At a distance that's good for you.
Bring them here with you in all the ways that you know how to.
Then take a moment to get used to this new configuration,
Where you've got support at your sides and at your back,
Where you're in this half circle almost.
And again,
I'm going to give you some time now to notice what happens.
How does this feel in your body to have this configuration of support around you?
Notice the sensations.
Notice your breath.
Notice any little movements or big movements.
And also what feelings and thoughts and images arise.
And then I'm going to invite you to think of a fourth being that you want to place in front of you.
Picture them at a distance that feels good for you.
Sense them there,
Right in front of you.
And now you're standing in the center with support in each of the four directions,
The left and to the right,
Behind and in front of you.
So again,
Pause and notice how this feels.
What is happening in your body?
What are the emotions,
The thoughts,
The images,
The movements that emerge?
And if there are any movement impulses,
Then follow them,
Explore them.
Really lean into whatever is there.
Perhaps there are sounds that emerge.
Nothing to make happen.
Just let yourself be open to what arises and follow what unfolds.
There's really no right or wrong here.
You might find there are words that go with your experience,
Words that feel supportive.
Or they may just be quiet and a felt sense of things happening inside of you.
Maybe there's a pulsing or a swaying,
Some kind of rhythm that emerges.
Maybe there's internal movement,
Really barely visible from the outside.
Maybe there's yawning or a shift in your breathing.
And notice the quality of your being in this moment.
Whatever is happening or not happening,
Really take some time to explore here.
Not forcing anything,
Simply being open and curious to see what arises.
And trust yourself to know when this process is complete.
At the end,
You can rest for a moment.
Take a moment to feel the space.
Take it slowly as you make your way to some pen and paper,
Your journal.
And you might like to take some time to draw or journal about your experience.
Alternatively,
You can simply let yourself rest and digest this process.
