Hello there,
And welcome.
My name is Teresa Destrovak,
And I am the founder of Emerge Book Circles.
And today I have a special guided practice for you that's focused on the work of Brené Brown,
Specifically her work around shame shields and work that she shared in her book Braving the Wilderness.
Please find a comfortable place for you to sit,
Where you feel grounded in your seat or to the earth,
With your feet planted,
Your back supported,
And your head free.
Ensure that your hands and feet,
And actually your whole entire body,
Is not clenching or tense.
And now we will begin.
Here you are.
You have uncovered your shame shields.
Look down.
See them in your hands.
The moving away.
The hiding.
The staying silent.
The withdrawing.
The disengaging.
The moving toward.
The pleasing.
The appeasing.
The perfecting.
The humor.
The kindness that's not really kindness at all.
And finally,
The moving against.
The proving.
The judging.
The criticism.
The righteousness.
Now normally,
You wouldn't be carrying all of these shame shields at the same time.
But for now,
I invite you to hold them.
To get to know them.
To bring awareness to the weight that they carry.
Feel them in your hands.
The heaviness that they hold.
The burden that comes with holding them and carrying them.
You may notice that they may be different sizes.
Different shapes.
Different weights.
Perhaps there is one that you hold more frequently.
I invite you to just be with these shields for a moment.
I know it's uncomfortable.
And I also know how strong you are.
Now,
Let's start putting some of this weight down.
It is exhausting.
Choose your least used shame shield and lay it down beside you.
Watch it slowly disappear.
Next,
Choose your second least used shame shield and lay it down,
Watching it also slowly disappear.
And now,
Here you are,
With your strongest,
Most sturdy,
Most trusted shame shield.
Feel its weight in your hands.
Feel the protective energy that it offers you,
While also feeling the burden that it holds.
Lift it up a little higher so you can inspect it more closely and see it more clearly.
As you do so,
Watch it transform into a ball of energy and strength and protection that sits comfortably in your two hands.
Be with this ball of energy.
Feel its strength,
Its protection.
Give it a color.
Give it a texture.
Maybe it's pulsing.
Maybe it's still.
Maybe it's shining outward.
Maybe it's keeping its energy inward.
You decide.
This is your strength.
Now take your two hands and place them across your chest.
And watch this ball of strength and protection make its way through your body and into your spine.
Feel this energy and see this energy extend downwards towards the earth and upwards towards the sky.
Feel its light strengthen your spine.
Feel yourself and see yourself standing a little taller,
A little stronger.
This is your strong back,
Your courage,
Your bravery.
Now focus your attention on your front,
That area that now feels so exposed.
Feel its softness.
Feel its kindness,
Its willingness to be vulnerable,
Its willingness to let people in,
Its willingness to love and be loved in return.
And finally,
Focus your attention on that wild heart of yours,
The passion,
The compassion,
The light and energy that shines out of you and into others.
Because you,
My dear,
Are worthy.
You are enough.
And when you lay down your shields,
You step into courage,
Compassion,
And connection.
You show your strong back,
Your soft front,
And your wild heart for all the world to see.
And they love you for it.
But more importantly,
You love you for it.
