This practice is a space to gently build connection with your body,
To expand your capacity to feel what's there without pushing or flooding.
Let's begin together.
Find a position that feels comfortable for you,
Seated,
Lying down or gently reclined.
Allow your body to settle.
Let the ground beneath you hold your weight.
Let yourself be here as you are.
Take a slow breath in through your nose.
And exhale gently through your mouth.
And once more,
Inhaling softly and exhaling with ease.
We're going to explore two different places within you today.
A place of activation or discomfort and a place of resource or steadiness.
This practice is called pendulation.
It means gently moving between something that feels a little difficult and something that feels okay.
You are not going to dive into the difficult.
You are simply touching in and then returning to safety.
Just like waves,
In and out.
Let's begin by finding your resource place.
This is where you feel steadier,
More at ease,
Even just a little more settled.
Scan through your body slowly and notice if there's anywhere that feels neutral,
Calm or even just a little less activated than the rest.
It might be the soles of your feet,
Your hands,
Your breath.
If you can't find anything calm,
That's okay.
Just find the part that feels least uncomfortable.
That can be your starting place.
I invite you to bring your full attention to this area.
Notice its steadiness,
Its shape,
Its texture or temperature.
Notice its colour and allow your breath to move in and out of this space.
This is your anchor,
Your resource.
We're going to stay here for a few breaths,
Just resting in what's okay.
Now gently begin to scan your body for a place that feels a little more activated.
You're not going into overwhelm.
You're just noticing something that holds more charge.
You might notice tension,
Tightness,
Heaviness,
Fluttering or maybe it's just an ache.
Pick just one area,
One sensation.
Let it be small.
Let it be manageable.
Now bring your attention to this place.
You don't need to fix or analyse anything.
Just notice.
Where is it located?
What is its size?
Its shape?
Its colour?
Its temperature?
Does it move?
I invite you to stay here for just a couple of breaths.
And when you're ready,
Return to your resource place.
Shift your awareness back to the part of your body that feels more neutral,
More steady,
Safer.
Breathe into this space.
Feel your system settle.
And allow yourself to soften here.
This is pendulation,
Touching the edge of discomfort,
Then returning to safety.
Building capacity one breath at a time.
We'll go again now.
When you're ready,
Bring your attention back to the activated area.
Has anything shifted?
Does it feel the same or different?
Notice without needing to change.
You are just witnessing.
I'm going to stay here for a breath or two.
And then return again to your resource place.
Allowing yourself to rest here.
Breathing into what's steady.
You are safe here.
If it feels okay,
You can pendulate once more for today's practice.
Gently bring your awareness back to the discomfort or the activation or charge.
Feeling it.
Noticing it.
And then returning back to your resource,
Back to what feels most okay.
The power of this practice is not in staying in discomfort.
The power of this practice is teaching your nervous system that you can move between states.
That you are not trapped.
And that you are capable of coming back.
You are showing your system that you can stay connected,
Even in small waves.
Let's take a few moments now to rest fully in your resource place.
Let it expand through your body.
Let it become the dominant sensation throughout.
You might visualize this steady energy as a color or light.
Flowing gently through your limbs,
Your chest,
Your face,
Your entire body.
You might imagine your breath moving like a tide,
Touching the edge of the shore,
Then retreating safely back.
You are building capacity.
You are repatterning your body's response.
And now take a slow,
Steady breath in.
And exhale softly.
Feel the ground beneath you.
The space around you.
The safety you've created here and now.
Repeat gently out loud or in your mind.
I can be with what's here.
And I can return to what feels safe.
Let that truth settle in your system.
Let it root you.
Let it become a part of your nervous system's language.
And when you're ready,
Wiggle your fingers and toes,
Moving your body gently,
Starting to notice the room around you.
And take one last deep breath in,
And out,
And return to your day.
