Welcome to this practice,
The Nervous System Regulation practice with affirmations.
My name is Reuben.
Let's soothe our nervous systems.
And first off just appreciating the fact that there's a me that's chosen to nurture myself.
When the nervous system is down-regulated our bodies go into rest,
Restoration and healing.
So just noticing how you are resting in this moment in preparation for this practice.
Allowing your awareness to go below the level of thought and opening up to the sensations of how you are resting in this moment.
How you are gently holding your body in this moment.
Allow your body to soften as you hear the following words.
In my immediate surroundings,
Right now,
All is well.
I am safe.
Noticing my forehead softening.
Noticing my shoulders softening.
Noticing my arms and hands softening.
Noticing my torso softening.
Noticing my legs softening.
Everything softening.
My body softening and melting as I notice the flow of gravity grounding me.
This downward pull melting into the places where my body makes contact with where it's resting.
Melting.
I allow myself to melt in this moment.
And as I rest in this moment the normal natural flow of my breathing has been continuing its cycle.
This breath that's been with me since the day I was born.
My breath.
My ally.
My companion.
For whenever I choose to use it.
Appreciating the rhythm of my breath.
And when getting distracted,
Using numbers to count in any way that I wish.
Seeing these numbers or hearing them in my mind.
And just getting them perfectly in time with the waves of my breath.
My body soft.
The only thing is to notice with gentle awareness.
Thoughts can come and go whilst I gently connect.
And so there's a choice here for this nervous system regulation.
I can choose to continue to focus on the softness of my breath as my body breathes at its own rate and rhythm.
Using the numbers to count in any way that I wish.
Or I can choose to do a little different.
Because alternatively I can choose to notice my out breath.
How it speeds up,
Slows down and comes to a pause.
And the more familiar I become with this out breath,
The more I recognize that I can gently,
Very gently,
Lengthen my out breath.
Lengthen each out breath just by a touch.
So as each out breath happens,
The very last part,
The last quarter can be gently extended.
Gently lengthening.
It's easy to do this as I soften to each out breath.
This is the only thing on the agenda.
Resting in the knowing of this point of connection.
Whichever one I choose with a gentle commitment to come back each time.
Knowing that in doing so,
My nervous system is down regulating.
And the more natural this begins to feel,
The more I get a sense of the fact that this is an act of self-care.
I am choosing this act of self-care.
Distractions are there to remind me to come back to this act of self-care as I gently connect to this particular experience of my breathing.
Every time I connect to my out breath in this way,
My nervous system is getting an extra soothing stroke.
As each moment unfolds,
I find that this point of connection that I have chosen becomes more and more natural.
And this is my indicator that my nervous system is down regulating.
Bit by bit.
Moment by moment.
Beautiful down regulation.
I love the rhythm of my breath.
I love the fact that my nervous system is down regulating the more I hang out with you,
Dear breath.
I love tracking the movement of you.
I love the ease.
I love how the more ease I bring to this,
The easier the practice becomes.
And the more I drop into a place of grounding,
Connecting,
Soothing and healing.
I am grounding as I connect with you,
My dear breath.
I am soothing as I connect with you.
I am healing as I connect with you.
I trust this practice.
I trust my body's ability to find balance.
I trust my body's ability to restore harmony.
My breath is my bridge from an up-regulated nervous system to a down-regulated nervous system.
I am on this bridge of grounding as I connect with you,
My dear breath.
I am on this bridge of soothing as I connect with you,
My dear breath.
I am on this bridge of healing as I connect with you,
My dear breath.
I am nurturing my nervous system because I deserve this act of self-care and sending a thought of appreciation to myself,
For myself,
In taking part in this little practice.
This has been a gift to me and from me.
