This somatic exercise is designed to regulate your nervous system when you feel dissociated,
Overwhelmed,
Or you're in a freeze state.
You'll gently feel mobilized so that you're no longer stuck in freeze and you can experience a safer more connected state.
This can be useful when you find that you can't get out of bed in the morning or if you feel exhausted but you just can't seem to sleep or any other time that you feel a sense of dissociation.
So find a comfortable position to either lie down or sit.
Make sure your shoes are off and your toes are free.
So I'll be teaching this in sitting but you can modify it for lying down with your knees bent and feet standing and once you understand that what we're doing here you can also modify it for lying on your side.
So begin by gently wiggling your right big toe.
So if your feet are on the floor you can feel the floor with the pad of your toe.
Notice how your big toe has two joints and see if you can bend your toe in both directions both towards the floor and away from the floor.
Use the floor as feedback and now begin to move your second toe.
So just put your attention on your second toe and feel how the joints in your toe bend and again you can use the floor as feedback to become more aware of that toe.
And now move your third toe.
Feel the joints bending.
And now your fourth toe.
And now your baby toe.
Good and now gently bend all five of your toes of your right foot.
You can lift them away from the floor a little bit and then you can also bend them towards the floor.
Feel that.
Let yourself get really interested in your toes moving.
Okay and now begin to rotate your right foot a little bit inward.
So feel what happens in the bones on the top of your right foot.
Really move slowly and focus your attention on what you feel as you do the movement.
And now rotate your right foot a little outward so that the weight of your right foot gets heavier on the outside of your foot.
Good and now alternate rotating your foot inwards and across the bottom of the sole of your foot and then a little outwards.
Really move slowly and notice if you're holding your breath or concentrating hard and if so see if you can let yourself breathe naturally.
Good and now just begin to lift the front of your foot away from the floor so the weight goes into the heel side of your foot.
If you move slowly you can feel how your foot bends in different areas as you move it.
And now allow the weight to go into the ball and toe side of your foot as you lift your heel.
Feel how your foot bends.
Go slowly.
The nervous system processes at a very slow pace so you have to move slowly so you can capture the information.
The human foot has 26 bones in it and 33 joints.
And now bring your focus to your right ankle.
Continue to bend your ankle forwards and back so that your toes are lifted and then your heel is lifted.
But now your attention is on your ankle.
Good and now allow your ankle to move side to side.
And now make sort of a circular movement with your ankle so your foot is going to be moving.
Whatever that looks like.
There's no right or wrong.
All right and now leave your foot and now bring your attention to your right knee and begin to bend and straighten your knee just to the degree that you feel comfortable.
So if you were lying down maybe you would make it a very small movement.
Do whatever is easy for you right now.
There's no need to push yourself to make it a big movement.
And now begin to move your right hip joint.
So the hip joint is a ball and socket joint so that means it can move in all the directions.
But again only move your right hip joint to the degree that you're completely comfortable.
All right and now pause for a moment.
And now we'll go back to your and work do the same thing with your left foot.
So begin with your left big toe.
If your feet are on the floor you just feel the floor with the pad of your left toe.
And now begin to move your left second toe.
Feel how the joints bend.
And now your left third toe and your fourth toe and your little toe on your left foot.
And now gently bend all five of the toes of your left foot.
Again you can lift them away from the floor and then try bending them towards the floor.
Just feel how they move in all those directions.
Now begin to rotate your right foot a little bit inwards and notice the bones on the top of your left foot.
And now rotate your foot outwards and then you can alternate back and forth inwards and outwards and feel the top of your foot.
All the bones shifting.
And now begin to lift the front of your foot away from the floor so the weight goes into your heel.
And then the heel of your foot away from the floor so the weight goes into the ball and toe side of your foot.
And continue this and put your attention on your left ankle.
And now allow your ankle to move side to side.
And now a circular movement with your left ankle in both directions.
Good.
And now bring your attention to your left knee and begin to bend and straighten your knee.
Just what's easy,
Just what's comfortable.
It doesn't matter if it's a big movement.
And now your left hip joint.
You can circulate it in all directions.
You can move it forward and back,
Inside and outside.
Good.
And now pause for a moment.
And again,
If you're sitting,
You can begin to move your pelvis a little forward so that you feel the front of those sitting bones on whatever surface you're sitting on.
If you're lying down,
You can have your knees bent and just move your pelvis a little forward and back.
And then you can start to rotate your pelvis in a circle in one direction and then the other.
But only do it feels completely easy and comfortable.
If any of these movements don't work for you,
Then just don't do them.
There's no right or wrong way to do this.
And now bring your attention to your spine.
So we have five lumbar or lower back bones,
12 thoracic or middle back vertebrae,
And seven cervical or neck vertebrae.
And each of those bones are connected to the next by a joint.
So think of your spine as a chain of pearls and begin to slowly and gently round your spine,
All the way from your your tailbone,
All the way to your neck and head.
And then go in the other direction.
Slowly,
You begin to very,
Very gently arch your spine.
Again,
You're not trying to do a cat cow or any big muscular movements.
You're just thinking of moving your joints.
Just a little tiny movement is more than enough for this.
And then come back to your neutral.
And now put your attention on your right hand.
Begin to move your right thumb very slowly.
Bend it,
You can move it in a circular way in both directions.
And now move your index finger.
Really pay attention to each joint and move it separately if you can.
So there's three joints in your index finger.
And now your middle finger.
We have 27 bones and 27 joints in each hand.
And now your ring finger.
Go slowly and pay attention to what you're doing rather than just doing this mindlessly.
See if you can really put your attention on what you're doing and your pinky finger.
And now move your wrist a little forwards and backwards.
And then a little side to side.
And now circle it in one direction and in the other direction.
Good.
And now begin to move your elbow joint a little forwards and backwards.
It can be very small movement.
And now your shoulder.
And because your shoulder is also a ball and socket joint,
It also has the ability to move in all the directions.
So just explore the movement of your shoulder very,
Very gently.
Good.
And now put your attention on your left thumb.
Begin to move your left thumb very slowly,
Bending it and then moving it in a circular way.
And then your left index finger.
Paying attention to all three joints.
And your middle finger.
And your ring finger.
And your pinky finger.
And now move your left wrist a little forwards and backwards and circular in one direction and then the other.
And now move your left elbow joint a little forwards and back.
Just what feels comfortable to you.
And now your left shoulder.
Gently,
Slowly.
And now begin to rotate your head a little bit to the right and a little to the left.
Just what's easy.
You can nod your head a little up and then a little down.
And now you can allow your head to go in a circle to the right and all the way around slowly.
And when you come back to the center,
You can go to the left in a circle.
Good.
And when your head's back in the middle,
Gently open and close your mouth.
And just notice the joints in your jaw and only do what feels easy and comfortable.
Don't stretch anything or strain anything.
All right.
And now just sit there or lie there for a moment and feel yourself.
Observe how you feel overall.
Notice your breathing and the state of your nervous system now compared to earlier.
And just notice if anything has shifted or changed for you.
