Welcome.
And I hope that each one of you will come to find peace within yourself.
Today I want to talk a little bit about somatic practices.
And this meditation is based on a live session I did recently.
Somatic practices are really body-first ways of working with stress and trauma.
And emotional patterns,
And they're especially profound and powerful for people who spend long days in service,
Holding stories,
Tending to others,
And staying present in real human need.
But really they can be powerful in everyone's daily life.
In a sense,
By feeling more.
You are more in the present moment.
It's a big topic with lots of options and practices,
So I'm just going to hit some high points.
And it's part of my belief that simpler is better.
Give you some key things you can do.
Do some somatic things for yourself.
The core idea is simple but profound.
The body remembers what the mind forgets.
And it also knows how to release what it's been carrying.
Somatic work treats the body as an active participant in healing.
Not just a container for your stress.
And it's grounded in the understanding that emotions are physiological events.
They show up as tightness,
Or heat,
Or numbness,
Or collapse.
Subtle shifts in our breath.
In other words,
Our emotions,
Our stresses,
Show up in our body in a variety of ways.
You do some somatic practices in meditation whether you realize it or not.
In my meditations,
I often say.
You breathe all the time,
But when you meditate,
Pay attention to your breath,
The cool sensation in your nose,
As it flows in and flows out.
That really is a somatic practice.
And these types of practices help you to notice sensations instead of overriding them.
They let your nervous system complete your stress responses.
It helps you release your tension.
And while each somatic modality has its own flavor,
They all revolve around three pillars.
Interoception,
Which is sensing internal states like heartbeat,
Tightness,
Warmth,
And fatigue.
This is a listening inward that helps you catch stress before it becomes overwhelmed.
Then there's exteroception,
Which is orienting to the environment through sight,
Sound,
And touch.
That helps your body recognize safety in the present moment.
And then there's proprioception,
Feeling your weight,
Your posture,
And your movement.
It's how you come back into your body when you've been running on autopilot.
And common somatic practices you can use anytime include grounding,
Feeling your feet,
Sensing your weight,
Touching something with texture.
Cold sensations,
Cold water on your face,
Or squeezing ice in your hands,
Or taking a cold shower.
Tapping,
Like crossing an X over your chest.
And tapping on your collarbones while staying positive affirmations.
Close your eyes now and let's get in touch with our breath.
It doesn't matter if you're sitting,
Standing,
Lying down,
Or kicked back in your favorite recliner.
The only thing that truly matters when you meditate is that you're comfortable and alert.
Now as we start to settle in,
Let's focus on our breath.
We're just breathing in and breathing out one breath at a time.
And then the next.
And then the next.
That is the present moment.
It is the present moment that everyone strives for.
Let's scan our body,
Relax your face.
Unfurl your brow and unclench your jaw.
Relax your neck.
Relax your shoulders.
Relax your arms and your hands.
Maybe just let your hands fall where they may.
Look for any tension in your chest and belly.
Relax your legs and your feet.
And as you begin to relax,
Let's focus even more on our breath.
Our breath is our anchor.
It's there for us in all moments.
And our breath is like a river as it flows in and flows out.
Just sit there and breathe and relax and let your body settle into this moment.
That's right,
Just breathing in and breathing out one breath at a time.
Just let your body settle the way a stone settles at the bottom of a stream.
No rush,
Just gravity doing its quiet work.
And let your breath come as it comes.
There's no shaping it,
No improving it,
Just noticing.
And as you notice,
Imagine you're arriving at the bank of a wide,
Slow-moving river.
The air is cool,
The light is gentle,
And the water is steady.
Bring attention to the body.
Not as an object,
But as a living river of sensation.
Start with the breath.
Feel it move like a current.
In.
Out.
That never repeats itself exactly the same way.
And let your awareness drift to your chest.
Notice the subtle expansions.
The micro shifts.
The way the ribs respond like reeds swaying at the water's edge.
Moves to your belly.
Feel warmth and coolness and tightness and openness,
Whatever is there.
No need to name it.
Just let it be a part of the river.
Than your shoulders.
Notice if they're holding anything.
Not to fix it,
Just to feel.
Somatic practice begins exactly here.
Feeling without forcing.
Sensing without solving.
Meeting sensation without story.
Choose one sensation that stands out.
Whether it's pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral.
And let it be a stone in the riverbed.
Solid and present.
Not a problem,
Just part of the landscape.
Now notice its edges.
It's temperature.
Its movement or stillness.
And if a story tries to form about why it's here,
What it means,
What caused it,
Let that story float downstream like a leaf.
You don't have to chase it.
Return to the raw sensation.
The body speaks in sensation,
Not narrative.
This is somatic practice.
Letting the river move you.
Imagine the river rising gently around you.
Not threatening,
Just supportive.
Warm current that meets your body exactly where it is.
And let the sensation you've been observing be touched by this current.
Here I'm going to pause for a minute so you can just relax and think and breathe and then I'll be back.
Let the sensation that you've been observing be touched by this current.
If it wants to shift.
Let it shift.
It wants to stay.
Let it stay.
If it wants to dissolve,
Let it dissolve.
Your job is not to direct the river.
Your job is to feel how the river moves through you.
Somatic practice is cooperation with the body's intelligence.
The river knows where it's going.
Now widen your awareness.
And feel the whole body as one river system.
Current in the legs,
Eddies in the belly,
Ripples in the chest.
Quiet pools behind your eyes.
Everything is moving.
Everything is connected.
And everything is allowed.
Let the breath be the wind on the surface.
Let the heartbeat be the pulse beneath the water.
Let the mind be the sky reflected on top.
You are not separate from this river.
You are the river.
And the river is always moving toward presence.
Now take in one slow breath through your nose and let it out through your mouth letting out a sigh.
Feel your body again as a body.
Wait.
Shit.
Temperature.
Feel the room around you.
The air.
The frowns.
And know that the river inside you is always here,
Always flowing.
Always ready to guide you back into sensation,
Into truth,
And into yourself.
Life is hard,
But we get through it together.
If you follow my meditations,
You know that I write quotes.
So I have a good one for you today.
Author Willa Baker said,
The mind is distracted,
But the body is not.
The body is not thinking or ruminating,
It is just feeling and being present,
Aware and vibrant.
In other words,
The body is already mindful.
Wise words.
I hope this has been a beneficial and calming session for each and every one of you.
Till next time.
