Self-Regulation Meditation A guided practice for coming home to yourself.
Find a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down.
And gently allow your body to gradually settle into whatever is supporting you right now.
Lovingly yielding into support.
And if it feels comfortable,
Allow your eyes to slowly close.
Or soften your gaze downward.
Letting your eyes rest deep in their socket.
Begin by simply noticing your breath.
Without trying to change it.
Just lovingly observing how it's moving right now.
In and out.
Noticing where you feel your breath.
Do you sense it high in your chest?
Or can you feel it in your belly?
Or maybe all the way down in your pelvic floor.
You're simply noticing and being with your breath as it is right now.
Now,
If you'll slowly place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly.
And feel the warmth of your gentle and attuned touch.
Gently inviting your breath to drop a little lower and waiting patiently.
Imagine that you are breathing into the hand on your belly.
Letting your belly softly expand as you inhale.
And beginning to gradually lengthen the exhale to signal safety to your nervous system.
Breathing in to a count of four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
And breathing out to a count of six.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
And repeating in for four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Out for six.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Five,
Six.
And one more time.
In for four.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Out for six.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Five,
Six.
Now,
Simply letting your breath return to its natural rhythm.
Bringing your awareness to your feet.
Feel how they are making contact with whatever it is that is beneath them.
And if you're sitting,
Feel your sit bones.
The weight of your body being held and supported.
Taking a moment to really notice the support that's underneath you right now.
You are being held and receiving support.
Now bring your awareness to a place in your body that feels relatively comfortable or neutral.
Maybe your hands,
Your legs,
Your arms.
And really sense into that area.
Noticing the temperature,
The weight,
The sensations,
The sensations,
Inner activity or movements there.
This is your resource.
The place that brings you home to your steady center,
To yourself.
Now,
Gently shift your awareness to an area that's holding some tension.
Not anything with overwhelming discomfort.
Just a place where you feel some contraction,
Some blockage.
Maybe you sense it in your shoulders,
Your jaw,
Your chest,
Your solar plexus.
Just notice what is there without trying to change it.
Just bringing curious awareness.
And now,
Shift your attention back to your resourced area.
The place that feels steady and comfortable.
Noticing the contrast and sensing how your awareness can move from tension back to ease.
And if it feels okay for you,
Returning one more time to the area of tension.
And then,
Back to your resource.
Gaining a sense for how,
Each time you do this,
You are teaching your nervous system that it can touch difficulty and then return to safety.
Now,
Gently place both of your hands somewhere on your body that feels comforting.
Maybe your heart,
Your belly,
Your thighs.
Feeling your own touch,
The warmth of your hands on your own body.
And slowly beginning to stroke your hands in whatever way feels soothing to you.
Maybe down your arms,
Shoulders to elbows.
Or across your chest.
Or gently on your belly,
Moving both hands in a circular motion.
Letting each stroke be slow,
Gentle.
As if you're offering comfort to someone you deeply love and care about.
And noticing if your breath has deepened.
Noticing if there's any softening in your body.
Especially in the area where you were experiencing tension a little earlier.
This is your nervous system and body responding to the care you are offering yourself.
Now,
Take a moment to acknowledge yourself for showing up for this practice.
For bringing attention to your nervous system.
For learning to work with your body's wisdom rather than fighting against it or trying to force it into being different than it is.
Taking a moment to appreciate the fact that self-regulation is a practice,
Not a destination to get to.
Realizing that every time you cultivate self-regulation,
You're building capacity,
Flexibility and resilience.
One moment of awareness at a time.
And when you feel ready,
Beginning to bring your awareness back to the space around you with a deeper sense of how it might feel different when you're self-regulated.
Gently wiggling your fingers and your toes.
Taking a deeper breath in and gently letting it go with a sigh.
Noticing how much you've let go of during this short practice and congratulating yourself for getting here.
And when it feels right,
Slowly opening your eyes if they were closed.
And with one hand on your heart,
Setting an intention to carry this sense of groundedness,
This capacity to return to yourself with you into the rest of your day.
