This is a short practice of nourishing the nervous system,
Bringing calm and connection to yourself through touch.
You can stay with each part for as long as feels good and explore variations,
So sometimes using your whole hand,
Sometimes just your fingertips,
And you can really find the pace and the rhythm that works for you.
I encourage you to explore different kinds of touch,
Light or firm,
Slow or even slower,
Right up to the point of stillness,
And all the way along to notice what feels most soothing for you.
There's really no one right way,
Only what brings comfort for you today.
At any point,
You could pause the recording and spend a little bit more time in a particular place with a particular kind of touch,
If that feels good to you.
So begin by rubbing your palms together to warm them up,
And when you've generated some heat,
Then just let your hands make contact with each other.
Let your hands touch and explore the palms and the backs of the hands.
Maybe you want to run your fingers over each other,
Or explore the spaces in between the fingers,
And then bring your hands up to your face,
And let your fingers trace the line from your forehead to your temples,
Slowly,
In a way that feels soothing.
You can also try using your whole hand,
And smooth down from the middle of your forehead to the temples.
Then you can bring your fingertips to the bridge of your nose,
And stroke across your cheekbones towards your ears.
Again,
I encourage you to explore different pace,
Different firmness of touch,
Doing that a few times.
Next,
Bring your hands to the opposite shoulder,
And then stroke your arms from your shoulders down to your elbows,
Again varying the firmness,
The pressure of your touch,
And playing with the pace.
You can also try tapping a rhythm,
Alternating left and right,
Squeezing,
Or simply lightly tapping from the upper arms down to the elbows.
For a moment,
Resting in that rhythm of the gentle tapping or squeezing.
Perhaps you'll notice that your whole body starts to sway and move with this rhythm.
And then bringing your hands down to your thighs,
The top of your thighs,
And pressing down.
Again,
Alternating left and right,
Walking your hands from the top of your thighs to the knees,
And back a few times.
Pressing as lightly or as firmly as feels good for you in this moment.
Seeing if you really want to engage the feet and the legs as well as you're moving from side to side,
So that you've got this gentle swaying motion.
Alternatively,
You can just smooth your hands down the thighs,
Slowly from the top to the knees.
You could also explore what it feels like if you're moving your hands along the outside of your legs,
From the hips down to the knees.
And when you feel complete,
Bring your arms up again,
Wrap your arms around yourself,
And take a moment to receive the sense of holding and being held,
Giving yourself a warm hug.
You might want to rest your head over to one side,
On your shoulder,
On your arm.
And you can invite a sense of safety or care by perhaps recalling a peaceful memory,
Or visualising a place or a time where you felt at ease,
Where you felt joyful,
Where you felt held.
And if it feels helpful,
You can also add some gentle whispers,
I am safe,
Or any other words that meet you where you are right now.
