Hi there,
I'm Lori James and I am a certified somatic experiencing practitioner and a life coach.
And today I'm going to walk you through a somatic practice to help you move through change.
Before we begin just allow yourself to find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted.
You can do this sitting in a chair,
In your car,
With your feet flat on the floor,
Or you can lie down on a couch,
A bed,
Whatever is most comfortable for you.
There's no right way of doing this,
Just allow yourself to arrive.
You can feel free to pause this here until you're settled in.
If you're ready,
Begin by feeling the weight of your body,
Making contact with the chair,
The floor,
The earth,
Or the bed underneath you.
Press your feet gently into the ground,
If that's available,
And notice that it's solid,
It's here,
Just allowing yourself to come into this moment.
We're just gonna allow ourself to ground and I'm gonna walk you through what we call orienting.
Now slowly just let your eyes travel around the room that you're in,
Not searching,
Just noticing.
Maybe notice three things that are blue,
Notice something has a shape,
Maybe notice something that's neutral or pleasant to the eyes,
Whether that's flowers,
Or maybe a favorite picture.
And this is just a built-in way of allowing your nervous system to know that you're safe in this moment.
Just allow yourself to naturally inhale and exhale,
Noticing if your body is naturally taking deeper breaths,
We don't want to force this in any way.
And what do you feel in your body right now?
We just want to observe it without judgment,
Noticing,
Tracking what you're feeling and experiencing right now in the body through the sensations.
That might be a little bit of tightness,
Maybe tingling,
Feeling where the body might be cool or warmer.
And now we're going to just take a moment and name the stage that you might be in.
Gently just bring to mind where you currently are and what you're moving through right now.
This could be something big or small.
Again,
Don't analyze it,
Just allow it to be present with you in this moment.
This helps our body build capacity to be with what we are experiencing in the body.
So maybe that's the first square.
Do I feel foggy?
Am I a little lost?
Did something really big just really happen?
And I don't even recognize who I am or maybe some of the people around me.
Maybe you're in square two.
Do I feel a flicker of hope or curiosity,
Even if it's faint or fragile?
Or maybe it's square three.
Do I feel overwhelmed,
Impatient,
Or like I keep failing?
Maybe you've tried several things and you keep feeling like you are hitting a dead end.
Remember,
Failure is not rejection.
It's often just redirection.
Or lastly,
Do I feel settled but aware that something might be quietly shifting yet again?
There's no wrong answer.
Just notice what arises and let your body respond to being seen exactly where you are.
Next,
We want to find this in your body.
This is the heart of somatic experiencing and allows us to go with the change instead of resisting it.
Place one hand on your heart,
Maybe one hand in your body if that feels right,
And just ask yourself,
Where am I holding this change in my body right now?
Scan slowly from your neck down to your hips,
Checking in with the throat,
The jaw,
The chest,
The belly,
And then your hips.
Noticing any area that might feel tight,
Braced,
Maybe even numb or a little heavy.
We don't want to try and fix this.
We just want to bring attention there the way you would do with a friend.
Now say quietly to yourself or out loud if it feels right,
This is where I'm holding my fear of change.
I feel you and you're allowed to be here.
See if you can say with the sensations for 30 to 60 seconds,
Simply noticing,
Tracking,
Allowing your nervous system to begin to shift and change as you stay here.
We don't want to force anything.
We just want to observe without judgment what we're experiencing,
What might be changing,
What's staying the same.
What do you notice that happens in the body?
Do your shoulders relax a little bit?
Maybe your tummy softens.
This is your nervous system beginning to move out of the threat response into more of a rest and digest state.
Now we'd like to offer a pendulation and this is one of our foundational tools that we use.
We just gently want to move your attention between this sensations,
Discomfort,
Or the unease that you are experiencing in your body to maybe a softer place more neutral or opposite of this.
We just want to be with each of these places starting with where the tension,
The restriction,
The more intense sensation might be.
Just for a moment,
Again,
Noticing,
Tracking,
And seeing what changes or shifts.
Now shift your attention to the part of your body that feels neutral or the opposite.
Maybe that could be your hands,
Your shoulders,
Your feet.
As you bring your attention to this opposite place,
Just notice what changes and shifts.
Again,
Without judgment.
Doing this allows you to teach your nervous system that both can exist at once,
That you can feel the sensations,
The restriction,
The tightness,
And that you can come into a place of softness or more neutrality.
This is a foundation of moving through change without allowing it to consume you or allowing it to be all-consuming.
You can stay here and continue to pendulate back and forth through the tightness,
The restriction,
The more intense sensation,
And then moving towards softness or neutrality.
When you feel ready,
Take one more breath.
Just say this to yourself in whatever way feels true to you.
I am moving through X or I'm moving through change,
And I am allowing myself to do so at the pace my nervous system can trust.
And just sit with that for a moment.
Let it land in your body,
Not just your mind.
And as you do so,
Notice the sensations that are associated with that and anything that might be changing or shifting.
And when you're ready,
Again,
Stay here and pause this if you'd like.
But when you're ready,
Just gently wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Look around the room slowly one more time,
Just allowing your nervous system to register that it's okay and safe to be here.
You don't have to rush through change or through any stage of the change cycle.
Your nervous system isn't broken.
It is doing exactly what it's designed to do.
And this practice is a is simply a way to remind it of that and remind you that you are safe enough to continue to become the best version of yourself.
Feel free to come back to this practice as often as you need.
Change is not a one time event.
And neither is healing.
Thank you for being with me here today.
