Thank you for being here.
Picture the quiet weight of a blanket settling over you.
Not heavy,
Just enough to remind your body it's allowed to rest.
You don't need to hold on to every word I say.
Get comfortable however that looks for you right now.
Sitting with a supported spine or lying down flat.
Let your eyes close softly if that feels good.
And let whatever's underneath you hold your full weight.
And as it does,
Let your breath out slow.
A little longer than it came in.
Fear doesn't always stay in our thoughts.
A lot of time it settles into the body before we've even named it.
It shows up as a tight chest.
A clenched jaw.
A stomach that won't quite unclench.
I know that feeling myself.
There were long stretches where I couldn't have told you I was anxious.
I just knew that my body felt braced most days for no reason.
If that sounds familiar,
There's nothing wrong with you.
Your body is just trying to keep you safe in the only language it knows.
Before we check in with the body,
Let's give your nervous system a quiet signal that you're safe right now.
We'll breathe in gently through the nose for four and let the exhale flow out longer for six.
Nothing to hold,
Nothing to strain towards.
Inhale through your nose.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale slowly.
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
Inhale.
1.
.
.
2.
.
.
3.
.
.
Forward.
And exhale,
Let your shoulders soften.
2.
.
.
3.
.
.
4.
.
.
Bye.
6.
Inhale 1234 exhale fully and let your whole body sink a little deeper into the surface beneath you.
4.
6.
Now let your breath return to its own easy rhythm.
You don't need to manage it anymore.
We often try to think our way out of fear.
Right now,
We're just gonna feel our way through it instead.
Bring your attention to your chest.
Notice if there's tightness there.
Abrasing,
Like something's guarding your heart.
Whatever you find.
Don't push it away.
Just notice it.
The way you'd sit quietly beside a friend who needed company more than advice.
Move your attention up into your throat.
Fear often lives here too.
All the words we didn't say.
The reactions we swallowed.
Just notice if there's tightness without trying to change it yet.
Now your stomach.
Notice if it's clenched or fluttering or unsettled.
This is often where fear speaks the loudest.
Bring your awareness to your shoulders and jaw.
A place where we tend to brace without realizing it.
Notice if they're pulled up or clenched tight.
Let your attention settle down into your hips and lower back.
This is another place the body often stores what the mind hasn't processed yet.
Just notice what's there.
Finally.
Bring your awareness down through your legs and to your feet.
Notice if there's any restlessness or if they feel heavy and still.
Now gently scan back through your whole body.
Chest,
Throat,
Stomach,
Shoulders,
Hips,
And legs.
Wherever you found the most tension,
Let your attention rest there for a moment.
If it helps get curious about it.
Does it have a shape?
Is it small and dense?
Or does it spread out wide?
Is it heavy or light?
Yeah,
I could.
Now try breathing gently into the center of it.
Not to push it away.
Just to give it a little more room to exist without being a threat.
If any part of you says this feeling is dangerous,
You can quietly remind yourself,
This is just a sensation in my body.
It is safe for me to feel this.
Notice if it moves or softens or stays exactly the same.
There's no right answers here.
Just kind attention.
Take one more slow breath right into wherever you're holding the most.
And as you let it go,
Let your whole body soften just a little bit more than before.
Quietly in your own mind,
You might try saying,
I don't have to carry this alone.
I'm allowed to set it down,
Even for a little while.
You don't have to be fearless for this to count.
Just a little looser.
A little further from the edge.
That's enough.
Let your whole body rest now.
Fully supported by whatever's beneath you.
Nothing left to hold on to.
Slowly,
Gently bring your awareness back into the room around you.
Feel the support beneath your body.
Feel the air on your skin.
Take a gentle breath in through your nose.
And let it out with a soft easy sigh.
Start to bring small movements back.
Your fingers,
Your toes.
Maybe a soft stretch if your body's asking for one.
Whenever you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Thank you for spending this time with me today.
Take care and come back as often as you need.
