Welcome.
In this meditation,
We'll be practicing and reinforcing the important skill of resourcing by bringing yourself back to a calm and connected state when you're feeling stressed.
It's best to practice this when you're not feeling too stressed at first,
So that you can strengthen your capacity to resource and develop a sort of muscle memory with practice,
So that when you are stressed,
Resourcing yourself will come much more naturally.
So now that you've chosen to take some time for yourself,
Find yourself a comfortable and quiet place to start turning your attention inward,
Settling into a comfortable posture in which you feel alert and present,
And then allowing the eyes to close.
Bring awareness now to your breath and start deepening it by breathing in through your nostrils all the way down into the belly,
Imagining a balloon down there that you can inflate with each breath.
And on the out-breath,
Slowly pushing the breath out through your pursed lips as though you were slowly blowing through a straw or blowing out candles,
Making the out-breath slow and long.
And when your lungs feel empty,
Naturally letting the air come back in through the nostrils,
Creating the balloon in your belly,
Focusing all of your attention on this deep,
Slow,
Intentional abdominal breathing.
Fully breathing in,
And slowly breathing out,
Allowing the body and the mind to settle as you continue focusing all of your attention on the air traveling from the nostrils to the belly and on the slow and long exhalations through your lips.
And allowing the breath now to return to its natural rhythm,
Noticing how you're feeling in your body now,
Noticing any changes in body sensations,
Emotions,
And your state of mind,
Noticing how taking control of your breathing in this way might already help you feel a little calmer and more connected to yourself.
Now,
Let's shift the focus to the imagination and bring to mind something or someone in your life,
Currently or in the past,
That helps you to feel safe.
Take a moment to scan through the various places,
Activities,
People,
And pets that reliably bring you a sense of calm,
Connection,
Maybe even joy,
Playfulness,
Or vitality.
This could be a real place or person,
Or something that only lives in your imagination.
For example,
You might recall a memory of being on vacation,
Connected to nature,
Or visiting a childhood place where you felt so safe.
You could remember being with a good friend,
Or surrounded by loved ones when there were no problems whatsoever and you felt deeply connected.
Or maybe imagining yourself doing your favorite self-care activity when you're on your own and you're feeling fully alive or free or totally relaxed.
You could also bring up a place that you go to in your imagination to feel safe,
Or some being you meet in a spiritual realm who feels wise and caring.
If you notice parts of you that won't let you access these positive memories or places because it brings up an inner critic that tells you you don't deserve it,
That it won't work or that it's too painful,
I'd invite you for now to pick something that feels less threatening,
Like maybe simply remembering some neutral event where you weren't so stressed but you also weren't feeling too good or too relaxed.
And as you keep practicing and get used to connecting to pleasant feelings while at the same time feeling safe,
You'll be able to pick more positive experiences.
So taking a few moments now to scan through and land on one of these resourcing memories or fantasies,
And you can pause the recording if you need more time.
Once you have something in mind,
See if you can immerse yourself fully in that memory or fantasy as though you could step into that imaginal place with your whole body.
Bringing your awareness to your eyes and your visual field,
Noticing what you see around you as you orient to this place.
And moving your head up and down,
Left and right,
Paying attention to the colors,
To the shapes,
The movements,
The faces,
Or the general atmosphere of this place.
Taking in the whole visual scene.
Now bringing your awareness to your ears and noticing what you can hear in this place.
Taking in the different layers of sounds,
Close and distant,
In front,
In the back,
On the sides.
Perhaps noticing what's soothing about these sounds.
Noticing your ears to be like microphones that simply receive these sounds all around,
Arriving at your ears from moment to moment,
Appreciating the naturally evolving soundscape of this place that you chose to resource.
And bringing awareness to your nostrils and your tongue,
And noticing any smells or tastes in this place.
And now shifting your awareness to your skin and noticing any sensations there.
Noticing how you use your body,
How it moves and responds to the environment around you.
What your body's telling you about your energy level,
Your attitude,
And your relationship to what or who's around you.
And seeing what your body feels like from the inside.
How does your head feel,
Your neck,
Your breath,
Your belly,
Your arms,
Legs,
Your hands and your feet.
Taking in the entirety of your experience,
What's it like to be you in this good place you chose?
How do you feel in your body,
In your mind,
And how connected do you feel to yourself,
To others,
And to your environment?
Taking a few moments to dwell here,
To savor,
To luxuriate.
And as you dwell here,
Noticing any changes that are happening all by themselves in your body.
Noticing any parts of the body that spontaneously soften or release,
Even if just a little bit.
Perhaps around the face,
Jaw,
Neck,
Shoulders,
Back,
Chest,
Belly,
Pelvis,
Or the legs.
Noticing your breath,
Your heart rate,
Your energy level.
As this practice comes to an end,
I invite you to think about how you could remind yourself of using this imaginal resource during your day.
Perhaps setting a picture that represents your resource as a wallpaper on your phone or computer,
Or placing an image of it somewhere you'll see it at home.
Or perhaps finding an object that reminds you of your resource and placing it by your bed,
Or on your work desk,
Or in your purse or bag so that you can carry it with you wherever you go.
How can you make sure you will remember to revisit this place to strengthen your capacity to feel safe?
I encourage you to return to this exercise regularly.
Just like learning any other skill,
It takes repeated practice to strengthen.
From time to time,
You can test out your ability to resource by coming back to this exercise when you're experiencing a little stress at first and then more stressful states,
So that you can assess your ability to shift your nervous system to a calm and connected state.
Wishing you well as you engage in this important practice.
