Hello and welcome.
My name is Nat and I'm here to share a tool with you.
One of my most favorite tools that help me settle the mind,
The body.
When I feel moments of anxiety or panic,
When my sympathetic nervous system has been triggered into fight or flight and I require the support,
The guidance to shift back into that parasympathetic nervous state to remember that everything is all right.
Together we will find our breath.
Together we will soften into the space around us and we will explore all of our senses as we pull ourselves back into this moment that we have been gifted,
The truth of it.
When I feel anxious,
When I feel panicked,
I tend to forget that I am not alone.
I tend to forget that I already have everything I need within me,
That this feeling,
This sensation,
This fear is temporary.
And when I can remind myself that it's temporary,
I gift myself the grace and the compassion and the patience to navigate the discomfort,
The physical sensations that fear and anxiety leave in its wake in my physical body.
Together we will remember that this sensation is temporary,
That we are not alone in feeling it.
And in doing so,
We create the space to acknowledge it,
To let it exist,
And to let it pass.
Today this practice,
I'll take a seated position,
But you take whatever position serves you in this moment.
You are under no obligation to do or take whatever I offer you.
Continue to check in with what you need and take that.
Keep your eyes open to begin and start to look around the room that you exist in in this moment.
What do you see?
What do you smell?
What do you hear?
What do you taste?
What do you feel in this moment?
We begin the process of pulling ourselves back into this space,
This moment,
The truth of it.
And then look down where you sit or where you lie and see the realm of space,
The energy that exists just outside of you.
If it feels comfortable,
Soften your gaze.
Begin the process of closing your eyes,
Halfway or all the way.
Notice where your breath is in your body as you exist in this moment.
Nothing is needed,
No change required.
Just feel where it lands.
Feel into any expansiveness.
Feel into any tightness.
Just let it exist.
And then slowly we begin the process of lengthening our breath.
Catch your next inhale,
Take it in and then sigh it out.
Together breathe in,
Let it go.
Breathe in again,
Let that go.
Close the mouth,
Breathe in through the nose.
Notice as the cool air enters through the nostrils.
Notice as it hits the back of the throat and then open the mouth,
Sigh it out.
Your next in-breath,
Feel it.
Tickle of the hairs of your nose,
The sensation in the throat.
And for your exhale,
Keep the mouth closed.
Exhale through the nose.
How is it different?
In through the nose,
Out through the nose.
And again for four,
Little pause at the top and then exhale for four.
Breathe in,
Breathe out.
As you breathe in through the nose,
Notice where your body is affected.
Notice if the chest opens,
If the ribs expand,
If the belly softens.
And then as you exhale through the nose,
Notice where you feel it.
Where do you contract?
Where do you let go?
Where do you soften?
Inhale,
Notice,
Lengthen,
And then exhale,
Soften.
Create ease in the place of tension,
Into notice whatever is happening in this moment.
To resume its natural rhythm,
A little more relaxed,
Maybe a little bit more at ease.
The sensations shifting,
The energy moving.
And then draw your awareness towards your feet.
Feel your feet planted firmly into the earth.
Feel them grounded,
Secured in place,
Rooted,
Centered.
And then draw your awareness up through the shins,
The calves.
See if you could let go of the muscle of the muscle of the tension.
See if you could release just a bit more.
How's your breath?
Maybe you could lengthen it a bit more and then allow that longer,
Slower breath to draw your awareness towards the knees.
Let them feel soft towards the thighs.
Where could you disengage?
Where could you let go?
Where could you release?
Inner thighs,
Tops of the thighs,
Sides of the thighs,
Hamstrings,
And then the sits bones.
Let them feel rooted.
Let the hips open.
Let the spine begin to lengthen.
Belly is soft,
Chest is open,
Collarbones spread wide.
Notice your shoulders.
Use your next exhale to pull them down.
Notice your arms.
Let them fall heavy by your sides or on your thighs.
And then draw that awareness with your next long inhale up through the neck,
Crown of the head reaches,
Face opens and softens.
Notice where your whole back body connects with support,
The feet on the ground,
The thighs and sits bones on your chair,
The back,
And feel supported.
And then notice the top parts of your body.
Can you let them feel expansive,
Open,
And notice if there's any ease that you could become aware of that you've created.
Little pockets or residual spaces where tension still exists.
Maybe send your breath there to the furrowed brow,
To the jaw,
To the knuckles,
To the pelvic floor.
There is a moment in front of you that is unfolding.
Can you breathe into it?
To your senses with the eyes closed,
Can you see into it?
Prominent darkness,
But then what else?
What else have you not seen yet?
What could you notice?
And then what do you hear?
Could you listen a little more intently?
Perhaps you heard my voice,
Perhaps you heard music,
But did you hear the tone of my voice?
Did you hear each each instrument playing?
What notes does it sing?
And then slowly take your awareness towards your nose.
What does this moment offer?
What do you smell?
A candle,
Soap from your shower,
Shampoo from your hair,
Tea or coffee.
And then what do you taste?
Maybe you already tasted it by just smelling it.
Could you let your mouth salivate?
Could you let your taste buds open and explore all of the little gifts that this moment has for you?
And then in this moment,
This moment that is unfolding especially for you,
Just for you,
What do you feel?
Do you feel clothing against your skin?
Do you feel ease at your chest?
Do you feel the little hairs at the back of your throat?
Do you feel?
And in this moment,
All of our senses awake,
Our senses alive,
Noticing,
Absorbing.
Ask yourself this question,
What do you need?
It is from here that I seal in our practice together.
It is from here that I remind you whatever you are experiencing,
You are not you are not alone.
It belongs.
You have everything you need to see it through.
And I know that it is temporary.
