Hello,
Everyone.
I want to do a practice with you today called clearing space backwards.
So,
You know.
Sometimes we're just so.
.
.
Overwhelmed,
We're feeling really maybe dysregulated.
In our nervous system.
Too much sympathetic flight fight energy.
Or maybe more of a kind of shutting down in that dorsal branch of the vagus.
And it's really difficult to be in our body.
And when that happens,
We want to find ways to be able to.
Work with that,
To titrate that,
To.
.
.
Begin to Feeling a little bit inside.
And at the same time to really honor where we are in our nervous system,
That it just doesn't feel safe or comfortable to connect deeply into the felt sense in the body.
It can actually,
When we clear space forwards,
It can feel just worse,
Like we don't want to make a list or name all of the things that are coming between us and feeling.
Okay.
We want to get away from all of that.
And so.
Clearing space backwards is a way of taking Eugene Gendlin's focusing steps when we start with clearing space.
And turning it on its head.
So instead of naming those things and putting them to the side,
We ask the question inside.
Is there a place,
A moment?
In my life.
An experience,
A moment I can hold on to.
Or is there a part of my body?
That feels okay.
To begin to bring my attention to.
And so often it's the extremities of the body that begin to feel a little more comfortable to approach.
Like the tip of your nose.
Maybe your ear lobes.
The tips of your toes.
Places where or your fingertips where you can just start to feel gently into that part of the body.
And if that really doesn't feel accessible to you or OK,
The other way to do this clearing space is to imagine a time.
Just a moment,
A little.
.
.
Snapshot.
Of a place or time where you felt all right,
Nothing fancy,
You know,
Maybe you remember seeing a beautiful flower in your garden or when you're going for a walk.
And reminding yourself consciously too.
Pause.
And to notice it.
And so we're looking for these.
Little moments in time.
Where we can come into the moment and be present.
In a way that is difficult to do when we're feeling dysregulated in the nervous system.
Alright,
So I'm going to.
.
.
Invite you then to Just begin the process.
Bye.
Slowing down a little bit.
And you might just start by kind of orienting yourself to the room that you're in.
Noticing what's around you.
This is a wonderful way to start clearing space backwards.
Just noticing and you may just stay here.
With your awareness through this whole practice that we do.
And that's fine.
That's a place of just bringing yourself into the moment.
I'm noticing a beautiful painting that we have on the wall that we got.
When we went to Cuba.
Just finding something in the room.
That feels okay.
To begin this discipline of coming in mindfully.
And staying here.
And so if it feels okay for you.
You can also just soften your gaze a little bit.
And slowly bring your attention.
Down into the body.
And then we're going to ask two different questions.
And you find your body will find the one that feels right for you in this moment.
So the first one.
Is there an experience in my life,
A moment in time?
And it doesn't have to be anything special.
Where it feels okay.
Just to land my attention.
For now.
And just check to see.
As you invite different.
Moments.
To come.
A connection with the trees.
Maybe a moment with your pet.
Or somebody you feel safe with.
Maybe it's a smell?
Or a taste.
Or a touch.
Just inviting your body to remember.
Time that feels all right.
I feel really.
.
.
Pleasurable.
Or peaceful.
And just allowing your attention.
To stay there.
Or it might be,
And also,
That you can find just a part of your body.
Maybe it's the tip of your nose.
Or it might be the tips of your fingers.
Or your toes.
Someplace in your body.
That you can bring your awareness into.
Just for now.
If you have a body that hurts,
That has chronic pain,
Physical and or emotional.
Just looking for a little place,
Maybe it's right at the tip of your nose that feels pain-free,
It feels okay to be there.
And we'll just really bring attention.
Into this place.
Or this experience.
And see if you can just.
Allow yourself to stay here for a moment.
Savoring.
This connection.
This simple place.
That feels safe enough.
To hold on to.
Just for now.
Can you breathe into it?
Even if it's just a little breath.
That's okay,
However you can be.
With this place.
Just for now,
Just touching in.
And if you find yourself moving away,
You just can.
Slowly touch back in again a little bit.
You can move back if you need to.
And then invite the body to come back a little bit more.
Into this space.
Tips of your fingers.
Your ear lobes.
Someplace that feels safe.
So just hang out.
With me.
Just for now.
And nothing else has to happen.
It's just really.
Inviting your body if it feels safe enough.
Find one little moment.
Of clearing.
One little moment.
Maybe.
An image comes there.
And if you can find that you can even practice breathing in to that a little bit more so that it could if it wanted to.
Could expand.
Maybe you would feel more of your ear,
Not just the tip.
Of the earlobe.
Or maybe you'd feel.
More of your nose.
And then a little more through your cheeks.
You might want to touch.
Where you feel this in your body.
Or if you're in an experience just to Maybe expand.
The edges of that image or that experience so you can.
Feel into a little bit more of it.
And just allowing that.
Sense of.
Clarity or.
.
.
Maybe release.
What's your word for that or your experience maybe?
Quiet.
Soothing.
Just in this moment.
We are actually calming the nervous system down,
Inviting some of that ventral vagal energy from the vagus nerve.
To come into the body.
And this practice builds these beautiful neural pathways.
Of safety and connection.
Of what Steve Porges would call health.
And growth.
And restoration.
So just allowing yourself to.
Enjoy this moment.
Of clearing space.
Backwards.
