Neurodivergent Grounding Techniques

This brief practice includes several methods for creating calm in a sensitive or intense nervous system. Working with the visual field, sense of space, and somatic cues, we cultivate presence as an uncomplicated skill, rather than a complex mental task. If you have trouble dropping into meditation practice because you don't feel calm, this meditation is for you.

Transcript

This is a short practice for grounding techniques and sensory techniques for neurodivergent brains and bodies. So in order to cultivate a more regulated nervous system, And sometimes in order to prepare to do a longer meditation practice. It's helpful to be able to get your body more settled and to start with addressing the body that can be difficult sometimes. Especially if you struggle to be in touch with your body. It can also just be useful to know how your sensory system operates and then to be able to use that to train your nervous system to get into a place of more regulation and safety. So we'll begin here. I want you to use your eyes and you're welcome to just gaze around the room. I like to look up at the ceiling. You And I like to trace my eyes slowly around the corner of the ceiling. And there's no right or wrong way to do this. You can do it faster or you can do it really slowly. So you get to decide what your nervous system is needing at this moment. You can notice if your breathing is constricted while you're doing that. Perhaps being able to just gently slow down your breathing a little bit. While you're using your eyes to scan around the room. Take note of any objects, Any shapes, Any colors that feel especially pleasant to you. Let your eyes take up time doing this practice. Then we're going to just use our hands here in this next part so you can rub your hands together and just feel the texture of your skin. You can again rub them really slow, You can rub them really fast, You can make heat with this friction. Can listen to the sound that your hands make and see if you like that or don't like that. And then see what part of your hand you want to use here, Touch your forehead. Just like a really light massage. You could use your whole hand. Just massage around the eyes a little bit. Around the jaw. So a little bit of releasing some tension here. And then bringing your hands down to your heart, One hand or two hands, You can see how that feels when you do that you can play around with that. Pressing on your body more heavily. Sometimes that can actually feel good through the arms and the joints. Not even specifically on the chest. Also feel good and kind of shift the breathing. In the lungs and then you can you know do do a really light hold just gently holding your hand over your chest. And we'll finish this practice here taking just Three breaths in and out. Thank you for your practice.