Hello everyone and thank you so much for taking the next minute or two to be here and reconnect with yourself.
So just find a comfortable seat or if you're standing,
Maybe just notice the weight of your body on your feet.
Close your eyes if that feels safe or simply soften your gaze.
Let's take a breath and remember we're not here to fix anything but just to acknowledge that you are here.
So what comes up for you when I say the word willpower?
Discipline?
How does your body react to the pressure of powering through?
The need to control?
The constant effort of trying to be good?
For the next little bit,
Let's take all those feelings.
Let's see if we can collect them as we take a great big inhale.
With the biggest exhale you've had all day,
Set those feelings down on the floor beside you.
You don't need it here.
Not now.
Your body and your mind don't need to be forced or pulled or pressured.
They need to be seen and heard and held.
If you still feel like you're carrying any of those heavy feelings,
Let's take another inhale.
Maybe visualize gathering up all those feelings just like a big pile of dirty sheets overflowing in your arms.
As we exhale,
Just let those dirty sheets land on the ground beside you.
Now let's bring our awareness to our midline.
If you're wearing a bra,
Maybe you try and notice where the bottom seams are hitting your body.
Maybe you notice how your breath hits your belly button and travels back up through your ribcage.
As you notice,
Just see if there is any buzzing or tightness in this middle area,
In your chest,
Your stomach,
Maybe even all the way up to your shoulders.
I don't want you to push it away.
We're not trying to push it away.
We're just going to notice the sensation.
We're going to say,
Hi,
I see you.
You're here to protect me.
You're trying to protect me.
Now let's inhale.
And on this next exhale,
Let's imagine a warm blanket settling over these tight or buzzing places.
See this blanket comforting us,
Warming us.
Notice how these places react to this blanket.
There is no right or wrong feeling.
You are not failing in any way.
These spots are just on high alert,
And you are navigating a body that's doing its best to keep you safe.
Take a few more breaths here under this blanket.
A quick reminder that you can sit with this blanket anytime you need to.
You need to reconnect or remember.
And you can stay here as long as you're able to.
But before we open our eyes,
Let's try to think of one thing that you can feel right now.
Maybe it's that bra strap,
Or the fabric of your shirt,
Or how the chair you're sitting on is supporting you.
Feeling safe in our body isn't where we end up after we're healed.
It's a rhythm,
It's a wave to be ridden and to come back to as much and as often as possible.
When you're ready to come back to the room and the real world,
Again,
A gentle reminder that you are always allowed to eat,
To rest,
And to be exactly who you are.
Those are never privileges to be earned.
Tell me about it.
