The Weight Of You — A Somatic Meditation On Being Held

Most of the time, we're working against gravity — holding ourselves upright, holding ourselves together, holding ourselves in a particular way. This meditation asks you to stop.

We'll use the simple, physical fact of weight as an anchor. Where your body makes contact with the ground. Where you're being held right now, whether you're aware of it or not. You don't need to do anything to earn that support. It's already there.

This is the second meditation in the Arriving series. If you're new to meditation or returning after a long break, you can start here — no experience needed, no particular goal.

Jaron Vesely is a somatic therapist-in-training and guided meditation teacher based in Oakland, California. He works with individuals navigating anxiety, life transitions, identity, and the body's role in all of it.

Transcript

You don't have to do anything to start. You're already here. Let that actually be enough for a moment. Find somewhere to land. If you want a shift position, Shift. Let the body find what it needs. Take the time it takes. Let your eyes close, Or let the gaze go soft. Take a breath. Not a therapeutic one, Just the kind. Let yourself be heavy. Not collapsed, Just released. The effort of holding yourself together. Holding yourself upright. Holding yourself in a particular way. See if you can put some of that down. Feel the surface beneath you. Whatever it is, It's there. Hold it. And it's been holding you this entire time. Bring attention to the hips specifically. Where they press into whatever you're sitting or lying on. Just that pressure. The body needing something that can hold it. Let it soften into the surface. You don't have to hold yourself upright right now. Let the floor do that. The calves. The heels if they're in contact with something. Take a moment and feel all of it at once. Everywhere the body is being met. Being supported. The whole map of contact. Find where you feel the heaviest right now. Not a problem. Just a location. Where is the most weight? Let your attention rest there. That's your anchor for this practice. By stopping something. The subtle, Constant effort of holding. Just less of that. Let the ground take it. Gravity has been with you every second of your life. Before memory, The earth was already pulling you toward it. You've never once had to earn it or maintain it. It just holds. Let that land as a felt sense, Not an idea. The ground beneath you right now is not making judgments about how the day went. It holds you the same regardless. There's a kind of relief available in that. If you let yourself feel it. Rather than just think it. Let the shoulders drop if they haven't already. Jaw. Notice if the back teeth are touching. That's the anchor. Let some movement return to the fingers. The toes. The weight doesn't have to go away when you stand up.