Somatic Grounding For Safety And Calm

Explore the sensations where your body meets the surface beneath you. Relax into the feeling of being held by the Earth. This is a great practice for chronic tension patterns of muscle holding and for anxiety and hyper vigilance.

Transcript

So this will be a grounding somatic meditation where we tune into the sensations of the body as we connect to gravity and as we connect to the earth. So you can do this sitting or laying down, Both are fine as long as you're in a position that feels comfortable to you. And I would encourage if you're able to sit with in a chair where you can lean back, Then that can be a nice way to kind of relax into this meditation. So if you want to start by just closing your eyes, Feeling yourself in this space, Just getting comfortable. Maybe you need to move your position a little bit to get just 10% more comfortable. And then beginning to notice the sensations of breath. As the breath moves in and out of your body, Wherever you feel it most easily, Most effortlessly. And on this next exhale, You might imagine that you can drop down into the surface beneath you a tiny bit more. Just imagine that you could sink into, Relax into, Whatever you're sitting on or laying on, Letting a little bit of tension go. And I'd like you to notice now, Where are the places where your body is in contact with the surface beneath you? So if you're sitting, Maybe your feet are on the floor. You can feel the soles of your feet touching that surface. And if you're laying down, Maybe it's just the heels of your feet. So feeling into that connection, Feeling the right foot, Maybe pressing that down a little bit. Feeling the left foot, Feeling where the contact starts and stops, Where the edge is. Feeling the texture. Can you feel the inside of your shoes or socks? How hard or soft is this surface? Is it cool or warm? And as you press the right foot in a little bit, Notice how the sensations change. Now try pressing the left foot into the floor, Into the bed. And again, Just noticing, How do those sensations change? Is there a difference from one foot to the other? And then we're going to continue this exploration of places we connect with the surface beneath us. Perhaps with the backs of the legs, If you're laying down. Or with the sitz bones, The seat, The tops of the thighs. Noticing here, Where are the edges of this connection? What's the surface area? How much are you sinking into this surface? Is it hard or soft? And again, We're going to shift our weight a little bit. We're going to shift our weight onto the right. Right side, The right sitz bone. How did the sensations change? And then very slowly, Shifting over to the left. Slow enough that you can feel the sensations in your hips, Your sacrum. As you sit on the left side now. How does that feel different from the right? And go ahead and find your way back to center. Wherever center is for you in this moment. And notice what you feel now. How the sensations here changed or stayed the same. We're going to continue to notice the connection between the back and whatever is supporting you. So if you're laying down, You might feel this along your whole back. Maybe into the shoulders and the backs of the arms. And if you're sitting up, Maybe it's just a part of your back that's resting against the back of your chair. Or maybe there's nothing behind you and you can just feel the way your spine is stacked over those hip bones. So noticing again the surface area, The points of connection. What does this surface feel like? Is it hard or soft? Can you sink into it or is it firm? Does it feel cool or warm? Just noticing. And then lastly, We'll notice the head. So if you're laying down, You might feel the back of the head on the cushion. Where does that sensation start and stop? What's the surface area? Or if you're sitting up, Just notice if you can balance your head. Perfectly over your spine. So you might need to move it a little bit forward. A little bit back. A little to one side. And then the other. And doing this slowly enough that you can feel it when your body says, Yep, That's the spot. That's the centered spot. And when you find that centered place, Just resting into it. Just feeling how effortless it is to let your head rest here on the top of your spine or into the pillow. Feeling the weight of the head. Feeling the edges of that balance. Some little micro-movements. Perhaps rolling the head against the pillow just a millimeter to either side. Now we're going to tune into the whole body. Just feeling the size of the body here. Noticing all of the places where you're in contact with the surface beneath you. Feeling the weight of the body as gravity just gently draws you towards the surface of the earth. I like to think of this as a hug from Mother Earth. She holds us close. And noticing that she also holds us up. The surface of the earth is always here. It's something we can always rely on. So just paying attention to how you're being held by the earth through the building, The floor, The chair, The bed. This planet isn't going anywhere. You can trust it. So see if you can let it hold a little more of your weight. If you can relax just a little bit more into this support. Maybe you can release 10% more tension from your shoulders, From your belly, From your hands or feet. And practice just feeling for a moment. What is it like to be held? What is it like to be held here? To be held by the earth? By gravity? Maybe you even want to put a hand on your body or wrap your arms around it. Just feel what it's like to hold yourself too in this moment. If you feel your mind starting to wander you can always come back to one of those points of connection. A place where your body meets the surface beneath you. And again, Just imagining giving over a little more of your weight to be held by that surface. You don't have to hold yourself up against it. You don't have to brace for anything. Just let yourself relax into being held. As we sit with the mindfulness of these sensations you might again feel into the breath. Maybe noticing that as you breathe those sensations change. That surface area might increase decrease. Just noticing that for one or two more breaths. And once again becoming present to the whole of your body here in this space being supported by this surface. Opening up to an awareness of this space around you. The room that you're in. And then gently on your own time opening the eyes again.