Welcome,
I'm Miriam Amavi.
I'm so glad you're here because we're doing a little somatic sequence for when you're feeling numb or even stuck and kind of frozen,
Unable to move forward or even unable to get off the couch,
Which is totally human and there is no shame in that.
And in the somatic work,
We're giving our nervous system support so it can feel safer and it feels easier to move forward and we kind of get a sense of connection back to ourselves.
And to our feeling sense.
And you can do this practice from anywhere.
If you're lying in bed or even on the couch or sitting somewhere,
We're meeting you exactly where you are right now.
The intention with which we're doing this practice is seeing it as an exploration.
We're not trying to get ourselves somewhere but we're meeting ourselves exactly where we are and see what happens if we give ourselves permission to feel numb and to feel kind of stuck or frozen because there is a reason for that.
Our nervous system does that because it wants to protect us,
Because something is overwhelming.
Something is too much to feel or to handle,
Even if to our conscious mind it might not be quite clear what that is.
But we don't even need to know for now.
And this practice is designed to signal safety to your nervous system,
So you can build more capacity for whatever life throws at you.
So to begin,
I invite you to just be where you are,
Lying down,
Sitting down,
Wherever.
For.
And see if there is a texture in reach like your clothes or a blanket or an object that you can touch.
And I invite you to gently explore this texture.
For me it is the texture of my trousers and Just see what it feels like from within your hand to explore this texture.
Is it smooth or rough?
Is it warm or cool?
Is it bumpy?
Is it soft?
And see what happens if you're so present.
The sensations in your fingertips as if you're touching this texture for the very very first time.
And you can notice whether your movements of exploring this texture want to be bigger or smaller.
Faster or slower.
And see what happens if you stay really present with these sensations.
This was a spontaneous sigh because my nervous system was kind of.
.
.
Shifting gears into more capability,
More calm.
Less protective mole.
And then I invite you to see whether there is another texture that you can use.
Comfortably reach and see what happens when you explore this texture with your fingertips.
You can even take your other hand and explore it with both of your hands and see.
If there is a big.
.
.
Sensory difference.
To the first texture that you've explored.
And see whether you can describe this difference.
Indescriptive words,
Not necessarily judgment words like this feels good or this feels bad but More like,
This feels soft.
And smooth.
This feels warm.
How cool.
Flat.
Bumpy.
Kind of hazy or very concrete.
And here you can also explore what happens when you just let your hands lead the way,
Whether the movement changes,
It becomes bigger or smaller or stays the same,
Whether there's movement wanting to happen out of this space.
Sensory exploration.
And see whether you want to explore other textures around you.
Weather.
Your body wants to reach somewhere to explore that texture.
And let your body do what it wants to do.
If your body just wants to keep being still,
You know,
Exploring this texture.
In the smaller way that's totally allowed.
And then you can see whether there is movements in your body wanting to happen out of the sensory exploration.
Like whether your hands want to do little circles or your.
Upper body wants to move,
If you're lying down,
Whether there is this impulse to maybe stretch or maybe prop yourself up a little bit.
Just see what your body wants to do here.
There is no forcing.
And If you even want to sit up or stand up and move your body in these bigger ways,
That is all allowed and all very welcome.
You can also stay where you are.
And then in your own time,
I invite you to come to a little bit more stillness again.
And observe how this numbness,
This frozen feeling feels now.
It feels the same,
Which is totally okay.
It feels.
More present or less present.
And notice how this numbness or this darkness shows itself to you.
Maybe there is some weight,
Where it feels very immovable,
Very.
.
.
Big.
Like a big wall or whatever it is,
See what it feels like to you in your felt sense.
And if you don't know how that feels,
That's okay.
I invite you to just let yourself sink into this numbness,
Into the not knowing,
Into the immovability.
Not wanting to change it.
Letting yourself be frozen.
And just telling yourself this little reassurance of I know This is hard.
I know life is overwhelming sometimes.
I know this is hard to figure out.
That I'm here with you.
Maybe you want to just gently move up and down your upper arms and lower arms like this in this havening motion.
And just tell yourself,
I'm here.
I'm here with you.
Hmm.
.
.
Letting yourself make noises.
Any movements that want to come out of there.
And I hope this little sequence kind of supported you in this moment.
If you want to continue on this somatic journey and if you want to work a little more deeply with these states of numbness or shutdown or freeze,
I invite you to check out my course here on Insight Timer called Somatic Exercises to Soothe Your Nervous System.
Come back to this practice often if freeze and numbness are states that you experience often to signal safety to your nervous system.
I'm Miriam Amavi and see you soon.
