Hello,
I'm so glad you're here.
I'm Elizabeth Cush and I am a therapist and life coach for highly sensitive women.
And I find that meditation can really help me feel more settled,
Help ease my anxiety,
Help me better get to know myself and feel more comfortable in my body.
And I hope that your journey with meditation has been a positive one.
In this particular meditation that we'll be doing together today,
We will be focusing on presence,
Presence in our body.
And for some of you that may feel uncomfortable,
Especially if you have experienced trauma in the past,
Especially trauma focused around your body.
And if this in any way feels triggering or unsafe,
I ask that you stop and find a different meditation.
But if this feels okay to you,
We'll get started.
And again,
Like I said,
This will be a body focused meditation.
Finding safety in my body has been very,
Very important and critical for me as a trauma survivor.
So I do want to honor your experience here today.
Take a moment to get comfortable.
Maybe that's adjusting the pillows in your chair or how you're sitting in the chair.
Maybe it means finding a cushion to sit on the floor,
Or you could even do this laying down and supporting yourself however you need it.
And when you're comfortable,
We'll take a few slow deep breaths just to center us here now in this moment.
So taking a slow deep breath in,
Filling your lungs and your belly and allowing all the air to flow out from your belly,
From your chest and out into the world.
And taking another two more like that,
Slow deep breath in,
Exhaling it all out,
Emptying the belly,
Emptying the lungs till there's no more air left inside.
And one more just like that,
Deep breath in and exhaling out.
And if it feels comfortable for you,
Closing your eyes,
Or you can just softly focus in front of you if that feels more comfortable for you.
And we're going to start at our feet.
And I just want you to bring your attention to your feet,
Bring your awareness to your feet and notice where they touch the ground,
Whether it's your heels if you're lying down or the bottoms of your feet if you're sitting in a chair,
Or they may be touching you and your body if you're sitting on a cushion or cross-legged.
But just notice the sensations in your feet for a few moments.
And now bring your awareness to where your body makes contact with the chair or the cushion or the ground below you.
Just noticing the points of contact on the backs of your legs,
Your back,
Your bottom,
Maybe the backs of your shoulders and arms,
Wherever you feel that contact,
Just keep your awareness there for a few moments.
Now shift your focus to wherever your clothing meets your body and the sensations that you feel there.
It could be the texture of the material.
It could just be softly,
Gently touching your skin.
Just notice that.
And now if you would shift your awareness and your focus to your head and your face,
Including your ears,
The back of your head,
The crown of your head,
Your face,
Your eyes,
Your lips,
And just notice whatever it is,
Any sensation,
Maybe your hair on your scalp,
Maybe your eyes feel clenched or your jaw,
Noticing the air as it comes in and moves out of your body through your nose or your mouth and just being with that awareness for a few minutes.
And can you bring your awareness to the air that surrounds your body?
Is it cool or warm?
Is there a breeze or is the air still?
Just noticing where the air touches you and your skin.
And now I want you to bring your attention and awareness into your whole body from your head down through your neck and your shoulders,
Through your chest and your arms and your back and your belly and your pelvis and your butt and your organs and your legs through down to your ankles and your toes and just feeling your whole body sensations from the top of your head to the tip of your toes.
And now as we prepare to bring this meditation to a close,
Moving your body in any way that feels comfortable for you,
Maybe taking another deep breath,
Stretching,
Moving your fingers and your toes,
Coming back to the space around you,
Opening your eyes if they were closed and coming back here.
Thank you for being a part of this meditation with me here today.
And if you found this helpful,
I hope you'll come back to it to help you bring presence to this moment through your body,
Through the body sensations,
Getting to know your body from head to toe.
Again,
I'm Elizabeth Kusch,
Therapist and life coach for highly sensitive women,
And I hope you will explore some of my other meditations here on Insight Timer.
