Somatic tracking.
It's the practice of observing any sensations or emotions present in the body without attachment or judgment.
In many cases of chronic pain,
Anxiety,
Fatigue and other mind-body challenges,
The nervous system mistakenly interprets normal signals from the body as being dangerous.
A common response to experiencing pain is to distract ourselves and sometimes that may be necessary,
But somatic tracking invites us to instead gently look inwards towards the sensation.
By observing sensations without attachment and through a lens of safety,
We can begin to reduce our fear around them.
This can have quite a soothing effect on the nervous system and with practice we can recalibrate our tolerance of various sensations and eventually break the chronic fear symptom cycle that many people find themselves caught up in.
So let's start our somatic tracking practice today by settling in to a comfortable position,
Relaxing the gaze,
Closing the eyes if that's comfortable,
Sense the contact with the surface beneath you,
Feeling grounded and supported by the earth.
To begin let's perform a few slow easy conscious breaths,
Tuning in to the sensation of the breath as it comes in and out of the nose,
Noticing that sensation in the torso expanding on the inhale and sinking on the exhale.
You can even place a hand on your chest or belly too if that feels comforting,
Almost like you're giving yourself a hug.
Let's turn the attention now towards whatever dominant sensation is present in the body.
It could be anywhere,
An ache in the lower back,
The neck,
In your shoulders or hands.
It could be a tiredness behind the eyes or a jitteriness in the stomach.
It could be a localized sensation or something a bit more broad,
Global.
If you've got many sensations going on right now,
See if you can just pick one.
So our practice today is just to see if we can observe that sensation from a neutral place.
So we're endeavoring to not make a judgment on it.
We're not willing it to change or to go away.
We're just watching.
So is it a dull sensation or perhaps more of a sharp sensation?
Is it a heavy,
Deep feeling or maybe it's a light sensation?
Is it warm,
Burning,
Perhaps even a numbness or tingling?
And remember that breath is still ticking over in the background.
Maybe even see if you can breathe into the sensation.
As if you're kind of giving it a little bit of space.
And if at any point through the practice you find it too overwhelming to stay with the sensation,
You can always back off and go back to the breath.
You don't have to push through.
The idea is we remain feeling as safe as we can as we gradually expand our window of tolerance.
So going back to that sensation now,
Does it have a shape or a texture?
Does it have defined edges or is it a bit more kind of formless?
Maybe the sensation even has a color associated with it.
It could be a burning red or orange,
Maybe an icy blue,
A heavier gray or piercing bright white or just an absence of color.
There's no right or wrong answer.
It's just seeing what comes up.
We're still ticking over with the breath,
Still feeling supported,
Grounded,
Grounded,
Still with the hand on your torso,
Reinforcing that feeling of safety.
And you don't,
You don't have to like the sensation.
The idea is that we're practicing the skill of equanimity.
Trying our best to cultivate a sense of calm and composure,
Despite facing something that could potentially be really challenging.
That,
In a sense,
Is the essence of bravery.
Turning towards those things that may initially really scare us.
And as we do that,
Over time,
Those big scary things start to lose their power,
They start to lose their hold over us.
Is that sensation static or mobile?
Does it stay in one place as you observe it or is it moving around the body perhaps?
If it's moving,
Can you follow the sensation?
You're not trying too hard,
Just kind of wearing it loosely.
And as you focus your attention on that sensation,
Does it intensify?
Or has it eased at all?
Is it reduced in intensity?
Again,
We're not actively trying to to change anything.
We're not trying to make the sensation go away right now.
That might happen,
But we're trying to remain indifferent.
If we're willing that sensation to go away,
All that does is reinforce that this is something for our nervous system to be scared of.
So we're not resisting,
We're not hoping for something different right now.
We're aiming to be outcome independent,
A neutral observer.
As you observe the sensation,
Seeing if it changes,
Seeing if it moves around,
Do any emotions or feelings start to rise up at all?
It's not always the case,
But sometimes we find that dormant anger,
Sadness,
Guilt,
Anxiety,
These strong emotions can begin to surface as we slow down and listen in to the body.
If so,
Are you able to apply the same attitude towards these emotions?
This can be challenging,
But are you able to observe them,
Watching them from this place of safety without letting them completely consume you?
So we're not suppressing the emotions,
We're not running from them or pushing them away,
Not labeling them as good or bad,
Allowing yourself to feel whatever emotion comes up,
If it comes up,
And any sensations in the body accompanying it without judgment.
So we're watching,
Listening,
Turning inwards.
Let's slowly start to let go of the focus on the body now.
So you can let the mind do whatever it wants to do.
If it wants to think,
You can let it think.
If it wants to be still,
You can enjoy that for a bit.
Just a few conscious breaths when you're ready.
Feeling that sensation of the breath coming in and out of the body and feeling the support of the ground beneath you.
When you're ready,
There's no rush at all.
You can start to flutter the eyes open and bring yourself back into your environment.
Well done.
Somatic tracking can be really difficult,
Particularly to begin with,
But like any habit or skill,
It's something that takes practice and can improve over time.
When we get to that place where we're able to observe the body from a more centered,
Neutral state,
We can start letting go of some of the stories and the suffering that's often attached to sensations and emotions in the body that we might have initially deemed to be negative or scary.
So we're starting to rewire the nervous system,
Break that chronic cycle and make the body a safer place for us to inhabit.
Take care.
We'll catch you soon.
