Regulate & Reset: A Pendulation Meditation

This guided pendulation meditation strengthens your nervous system’s agility—the ability to move through different states with greater awareness, flexibility, and ease.

Just as we strengthen our bodies to better meet the demands of life, we can train our nervous system to navigate activation without getting stuck or overwhelmed. This practice helps you build greater agency in how you experience and respond to your emotional states.

Because the nervous system communicates through sensation, you’ll begin with a body scan to notice your baseline before exploring contrasting sensations—hot and cold, tense and loose, heavy and light, and more.

You’ll then apply the practice to a real-life activating experience, learning to guide your nervous system back toward regulation.

The goal isn’t to avoid activation—it’s to build your capacity to move through it.

Transcript

Welcome to this pendulation meditation. A good way to think of this practice is like strength training for your nervous system. By practicing pendulation, Your system becomes more agile. More flexible, If you will, In its ability to move through. Different states of emotion and learn how to return. To a calm sense of being. So let's get started by settling into a comfortable position. Either lying down with your palms up. Or sitting upright with your palms up. Once you find your position. Slowly start to settle into your body. Take a deep breath in through your nose. And out through your nose. And again, In through your nose. In, Out. And start to notice how you experience your breath. The temperature change when you breathe in. Versus when you breathe out. The depth of each breath. Vertically, Horizontally, Even diagonally. Keep breathing. And focusing on your breath. As I explain what to expect. The language of the nervous system is different than how we normally communicate. It doesn't use words as much as it uses sensations. Such as temperature. Hot or cold. Pressure. Heavy, Or light. Tension, Tight or loose. Inactivation, Fuzzy, Or quiet. What we're about to do is practice pendulating between these different sensations. For some people, You might need to visualize experiences. That generate that energy for you. For others, It might feel more natural to focus on specific body parts that normally have those sensations. Just remember. There isn't a right or wrong way. It's just your way. To get started, We're going to do a quick body scan to get a sense of where we are in our being. Note that during this practice, If at any point in time you feel out of control, Or need to find safety. Returning to this body skin. Can help reset. Without moving your body, Direct all your energy and attention. To the bottom of your feet. Ankles. Calves. Shins. Knees. Top of the thighs. Back of the thighs. Your butt. Hips, Belly. Chest, Shoulders. Upper arm. Elbows. Lower arms. Wrist. With your hands. Palm of your hands. All your fingers. Low back. Mid-back. Upper back, Back of your head. The top of your head. Forehead, Your eyes. Your nose. Your ears. And your job. Now hold the whole body in your awareness. Beautiful. Now that you're settled, Try and generate a feeling. Of heat in your body. Now start to shift your energy towards feeling cold in your body. Now let's shift back to generating heat. And shift towards generating some cold feelings. Shift your body back towards feeling hot. And one more time, Shift towards feeling cold. Now generate a feeling of heaviness in your body. And start to shift towards feeling light, Like a feather. Gently shift back towards heaviness, Like you're being weighed down in your body. And shift back towards that light feeling. Shift towards generating a sense of heaviness. And one last time, Let's shift towards feeling light like a feather. Now generate feeling tension in your body. A sense of constriction without moving any of your body parts. Now gently shift towards feeling relaxed. Loose in your body. Shift back towards that tense. Constricted state. And shift towards feeling loose or relaxed. Return to generating that tension and constriction in your body. And one more time, Shift towards feeling loose or relaxed. For this last pendulation, You get to decide. If you want to do a more integrated practice where you'd reference your life circumstances or memories that activate these states, Or you can simply continue doing what we're doing. And focus on training. The sensations, And the shifts. Eventually, The goal is to practice using life circumstances. But what's most important is you meet yourself. Where you are. And be caring towards your system. Start to generate a feeling of being calm. Or settled. And if you want to use your life circumstances. Then envision a memory or a place or a person. Where you consistently feel calm. And centered. And notice what that feels like in your body. Be curious. There's no room for judgment here. Or just getting to know. How your body communicates with you. Now gently shift. Towards feeling activated or buzzy in your body. If you want to use a life circumstance. That would mean recalling a moment where. You didn't necessarily feel safe. But start with a lower intensity memory. Don't start with the worst activation you've ever felt. Maybe think of something that generated a slight distress signal. And shift back towards generating a feeling of calm. Or quiet in the body. Or recalling that memory, Person, Or place. And shift towards feeling activated or buzzy in your body. Or recall that. Activated a memory that was slightly distressing. And be curious how you experience it in your body. And let's shift back towards generating a feeling of being calm. Settled and quiet. Grounded in your body. And use that memory of a person. Place or vision, If that's what you're working with. And one last time, Let's gently shift towards feeling buzzy. Or activated in your body. Recalling that slightly distressing memory. And let's shift back towards our calm and settled state. As we get ready to wrap things up. Creating peace and a sense of centeredness within. Take a deep, Deep breath and hold it at the top. Breathe in a little bit more and hold. And then let it all out with a deep, Open mouth exhale. Hmmmm. Let's do that again. Deep, Deep breath in and hold it at the top. Breathe in a little more. Hmmmm. . . And one more, Just like that. Deep inhale all the way in. Breathe in a little bit more and hold. And then a deep, Open-mouthed exhale. Hmmmm. Beautiful work. You can start to wiggle your fingers and your toes. And slowly come back to the present moment. And thank yourself for participating. Remember that the more we train our nervous system, And strengthen our ability to shift between states. The more agency we have in everyday life.