Welcome,
I'm glad you found your way here to this SOS grounding practice intended for those moments where you need an immediate relief,
An immediate help with coming down out of a really dysregulated space,
A really activated space.
As a reminder,
These meditations are never meant to replace or be a stand-in for therapy.
So finding a comfortable place to either sit,
Lay down,
Stand if you prefer,
Whatever your body is needing in the space that you're in.
And we're going to cycle through the five senses as a means of grounding to place and time,
To being in your current surroundings,
Reminding your body that it is safe,
That it is in a safe place,
Assuming that it is.
So we will begin with eyes closed if that's comfortable,
Or simply gazing down at knees,
At the ground,
In a fixed point if it's not comfortable to close your eyes.
Noting sensation in the body,
Beginning by checking in with the breath.
Maybe you're holding your breath,
Maybe your shoulders are tense.
Begin by releasing and just noting that body sensation,
And then working with the sense of touch,
Starting with feet,
Ankles,
Legs,
Noting any points of contact.
If you're in cross-legged position,
Noting all the points of contact with ankles,
Feet,
Calves,
Legs,
Against the floor,
Against a couch,
Whatever surface you're on.
If you are laying down somewhere,
Noting the points of contact along the whole backside of the body,
And just allowing your mind to drift from the feet all the way up the spine to the top of the head,
Noting any sensation,
Any points of contact,
Any touch.
And moving on to the sense of smell.
Is there any lingering smell in your surroundings?
Maybe a meal has been cooked recently,
Maybe coffee is brewing,
Whatever is lingering,
Even if it's just in your imagination,
Even if it's just in your imagination,
Allowing your mind to wander to your space and what has happened,
And the sense of smell to be grounding,
To be locating in this place,
In this time.
And the sense of taste,
Similarly,
Is there a lingering flavor in your mouth from a meal,
From coffee,
Tea?
Taking a moment to be curious,
To note what was the last thing that I've eaten today,
What was the last drink that I had?
Being curious.
And then moving to the sense of sound.
What sounds can you hear in your direct surroundings?
Are there kids in a few rooms over that you can hear playing?
Is there TV?
Is there music?
Are there colleagues talking outside your office door?
What can you hear that allows your body to recognize where it is,
What's happening?
Noting a few of the sounds you hear mentally.
And as you're ready,
Just gently fluttering the eyes open and looking down first at the floor,
Whatever surface is beneath you,
With a gentle gaze.
And then just allowing your peripheral vision to expand,
Keeping a fixed gaze in one location,
Down at the floor,
Down at your feet.
And then noting,
What can I see in my periphery?
Noting a few objects,
Allowing your sense of locatedness to expand a little bit outside of your body through the peripheral vision.
And then as you're ready,
Gently bring your gaze and look straight in front of you,
Allowing your gaze to rest on an object.
And again,
Allow the peripheral vision to expand a little bit farther,
Noting a few objects that you can see in your space,
Noting your body's reactions.
Is it calming?
Is the heartbeat slowing?
And gently turning the head to the left.
And again,
Finding a fixed point and maybe this time allowing the eyes to just gently meander.
And maybe landing on a few objects and noting those objects mentally to yourself again.
Taking a few breaths.
And then bringing the gaze to the right side,
Doing the same,
Allowing your eyes to gently wander.
Landing on a few objects.
And coming back to center,
Doing that as many times for as long as you need.
Always coming back to breath.
Growing the breath,
Accessing and enhancing the access to parasympathetic system by having a longer exhale than inhale.
And I hope that this has at least helped you begin this journey of grounding,
Of coming down out of this activated place.
