If you're feeling anxious,
Overwhelmed,
Or on the edge right now,
I want you to know that your nervous system is doing exactly what it was designed to do.
It's scanning your environment,
Looking for threats,
And making sure that you're safe.
And while that might be uncomfortable for you,
It's actually an act of love of your nervous system.
It's just making sure that you're okay and that you're taken care of.
And the way we work with this is not by calming you down or settling you or neutralizing this reaction,
But it's by letting your nervous system know that you are safe.
So today,
We'll work on sending signals of safety to your nervous system with some somatic exercises.
To begin,
Wherever you are,
Start looking around the room that you're in.
Looking at the walls,
The ceilings,
And the floors.
Really scan your environment as slowly as possible.
When our eyes are moving slowly and we're scanning the room that we're in,
We send messages to our nervous system that we're not in danger.
If we're able to look around this way,
We're able to notice the details,
The textures,
And the colors,
That means that we're not in any immediate danger.
So as you look around today,
Try to notice as many textures and details and colors as you can.
Maybe find something in the room that feels pleasant to look at and allow your eyes to rest there.
And then make sure that your eyes move all the way behind you,
Looking behind your shoulder.
Make sure your eyes move all the way above you and below you,
So you know and you're aware of everything around you.
And then really gently allow your vision to blur and your eyes to soften without forcing,
Just allowing your eyes and your eyelids to soften.
And if closing your eyes doesn't feel safe or available to you right now,
You don't have to.
And now we'll orient ourselves with sound.
So with your eyes closed or not,
Start to notice any sounds that you can hear.
First,
Start with the sounds that are closest to you.
The sound we can all hear that is closest to us is the sound of our own breath.
Without changing or modifying your breath,
Start to notice and listen to its sound.
And scan your environment for the next closest sound that you can hear.
And as you do this,
Try to not label the sounds,
But just receive and become aware of the sounds.
Work your way out and start to become aware of the second closest sound that you can hear.
And allow your awareness to travel from your body outwards,
Trying to notice as many sounds as possible.
I'll leave you here for a few breaths as you move your awareness from the closest sounds the farthest sound.
When we allow ourselves to hear things that are far away,
That is another signal to our nervous system that we're safe and we're resourced.
Now bring your awareness back onto the sound of your breath and we'll orient our body in space.
So,
Start to bring your awareness down onto your feet and feel the weight of your feet either on the ground or on the chair that you're in,
Becoming aware of the soles of the feet and the weight that they carry.
And become aware of your sits bones.
Allow your sits bones to become heavier as they touch the ground that they're on.
Maybe notice the ground just gently rising up to hold you even deeper.
Notice your belly,
Your chest,
And become aware of the whole back of your body,
All the way from the back of your neck.
To your tailbone.
Notice the space that your body is taking up.
Front,
Back,
Side,
Allowing yourself to sense the body as a three-dimensional being.
Noticing the edges and the boundaries of your own skin and your bones.
Then gently bring one hand onto your chest and one hand onto your belly and allow yourself to create some gentle pressure onto your belly and your chest.
If it feels good,
You can make some slow circles with your hands here.
And take a deep inhale through your nose.
And open your mouth as you let something go.
If your eyes are closed,
You can gently open them back.
And notice how you feel now.
Even if you feel 1% safer,
That means that this practice worked.
Thank you for orienting yourself and connecting to your body and your senses with me today.
I will see you next time.
