Welcome to this emotional softening somatic journey.
This practice is for working with emotions in the body,
And particularly changing our relationship with uncomfortable emotions.
So whether you're experiencing something like anxiety,
Anger,
Grief,
Or any other challenging emotion,
Know that this practice is designed to help you soften around what feels hard,
To breathe compassion into what feels constricted,
And to offer your tender heart the safety that it needs to feel and to heal.
Let us begin by finding a comfortable position,
Either sitting with your spine gently upright,
Or you may choose to lie down where you feel completely supported.
Just take a moment to settle into your space,
Feeling your body making contact with whatever is holding you,
The chair,
The floor,
The earth beneath you.
Now gently closing down your eyes and turn your attention to your breath.
Take some slow,
Deep breaths.
Breathing in through your nose,
And at the top of your inhale,
Opening your jaw slightly,
Relaxing your mouth,
And sighing it out.
Take a couple of more breaths just like that.
Let the sound of your sigh carry away any tension you might be holding onto,
Each breath grounding you a bit more into this space,
And feel your body starting to relax.
These deep breaths are sending a signal of safety to your nervous system.
Letting the breath now return to a natural rhythm,
I invite you to gently bring to mind something that is weighing on your heart or sitting heavily in your body.
It can be an emotion that you are currently experiencing,
Perhaps anxiety,
Anger,
Grief,
Or sadness.
It might be a feeling that you're carrying about yourself,
Or about an external situation,
Maybe a relationship challenge,
Or a life transition,
Or circumstances that feel beyond your control.
And without getting swept away by the story behind these feelings,
Simply observe what is happening in your body.
Notice what is present and how this emotion is moving through you.
Now take a moment to name that emotion,
What emotion feels the strongest right now.
And perhaps there is more than one.
Anger and sadness,
Fear and frustration,
Know that all are welcome and all belong.
This practice is completely safe,
And emotions,
No matter how intense or uncomfortable they might feel,
Are sacred messengers from your soul.
They are energy in motion,
Information from your deepest self,
And they really just want to be met with your presence and your compassion.
So we're going to get curious about the emotion,
Not by thinking our way through it or trying to solve it,
But by gently drifting our awareness to the body.
Your body knows how to hold these feelings.
It knows how to process them,
How to transform them.
So in the next few moments,
Become an observer of your own experience,
Noticing the sensations that are present within you without needing to change or fix them.
So bring your focus to where you feel this emotion currently living in your body.
Where does it show up?
Is it in your throat,
Your chest,
Your belly,
Your shoulders?
Do you feel a heaviness in your chest,
Like a soft,
Weighted blanket that is keeping you warm through the winter?
Do you feel a tightness in your throat,
Perhaps like beautiful branches of trees twirling together?
Or maybe a clenching in your stomach,
Like a tight hug from someone that you love.
And what about the texture of this feeling?
Is it sharp or dull?
Warm or cool?
Does it pulse or is it steady?
Does it have a color,
Perhaps a deep blue like the ocean or a fiery red like the sunset?
Can you give yourself more permission to just feel what is arising?
See what you notice through a lens of curiosity rather than judgment.
If your mind starts to weave these stories about the situation,
Just gently guide your attention back to the pure sensations in your body.
Because your body speaks to you in sensation,
Not in narrative.
And naturally,
When we encounter an uncomfortable emotion,
Our first instinct is to let go.
To resist.
To push away.
To wish for it to disappear.
But that resistance often intensifies the very thing that we're trying to avoid.
So instead,
Can you bring some softening to the space in your body?
Just gently direct your breath to that area.
And imagine the oxygen creating a little more room,
A little more space.
As if you are opening a window and letting in a soft breeze.
If the feeling feels a little too intense,
Focus on the edges.
Can you begin to just soften around the borders of that sensation?
Can you let your body show you something that you didn't expect?
Sometimes our emotions,
They just need more space to move,
To breathe,
To express themselves naturally.
So feel free to let any intuitive movement start to come through here.
Maybe gently stretching your neck from side to side.
Maybe you want to shake or sway.
Whatever feels good right now.
Let your body lead you in this movement.
Our emotions are sacred energy.
Some want to stretch and expand,
While others might want to curl up small and be held.
But all of them just want to be witnessed with love.
So place your hand gently to where you feel the emotion in the body.
Let your touch be soft and compassionate.
And feel the warmth of your own hand offering comfort to this part of you.
Remember that you are allowed to feel all of this.
It is okay to feel whatever is moving through you right now.
So offer yourself some grace.
Comfort the part that is hurting.
Allow the emotion to exist within you without needing to change it or make it go away.
Know that in this moment,
Wrapped in your own loving presence,
You are safe.
Now gently release your focus,
Allowing your awareness to expand to your entire body.
Visualize your life force energy now flowing through you like a gentle river of golden light moving from the crown of your head,
Flowing through every cell,
Every organ,
Every fiber of your being.
This beautiful healing light filling you up completely and overflowing out and around you like a cocoon of safety and of love.
Placing both hands over your heart and drawing in one final deep breath.
Sighing it out,
Releasing this experience with gratitude for your own courage to feel.
Allow yourself to rest in this comfort.
Surrounded by your own tenderness and compassion.
This is always available to you.
This capacity to hold yourself with love,
To breathe space into what feels constricted,
To offer your emotion the sanctuary that it needs.
We are reminded that we can invite peace even during times of discomfort.
By returning to this place of softening and allowing.
Thank you for practicing with me today my love.
You are alive,
You are held,
And you are exactly as you should be.
