Hello,
Welcome back.
I'm Sarah,
A somatic facilitator and coach,
Here to help you build nervous system resilience so you can live up to your fullest potential with ease and confidence.
I'll be guiding you through meditation,
Breath work,
Visualization,
And deep rest so that you can explore the pause between where you've been and where you're going.
Welcome to Liminal Space.
Today I'll be guiding you through a breathwork practice to explore the myth of urgency,
Often a subtle but strong thread in our lives.
Your nervous system is designed to respond to threat,
But in modern life threat is often figurative.
An email marked priority,
A message left unread,
News headlines flashing crisis,
A difficult conversation you haven't had yet,
Your to-do list that keeps growing,
The overstimulation of the world.
Your body reacts,
It braces,
Tenses,
Your breath speeds,
Your mind narrows,
And urgency feels real.
But not everything that feels urgent is.
So today through breathwork we'll explore this sense of urgency in the body,
Not by fighting or suppressing it,
But by breathing in a way that shows your system there is no immediate danger.
We can pause and relax in the stillness.
When you feel ready,
Really sink your bones into the earth beneath you,
Allow them to imprint.
You can be lay or seated,
But you are supported.
Allow your hands to rest,
Fingertips relaxed.
Your eyelids grow heavier and they might even close.
Notice your breath exactly as it is,
No need to change it,
Just observe the quality of it.
All of the tiny nuances of your breath,
Location,
Speed,
Rhythm.
And then soften the space between your eyebrows,
Your jaw unclenched.
Your shoulders drop a little further,
Your belly soft.
When urgency feels present,
Your body prepares by bracing,
But there is no urgency here.
Stay with that,
Nowhere else to be,
Nothing else to do.
Take a slow inhale through your nose and a long sigh through your mouth.
Take another slow in through the nose and sigh out of the mouth.
Ah,
One final time,
Gentle,
Slow inhale and a soft,
Slow release.
And let go of any control over your breath.
It returns to its natural pace,
Its natural rhythm.
And observe the shift in your body after just noticing your breath.
Everything is a little slower and at ease.
And now gently begin to lengthen your exhale,
Not dramatically or anything that you can't tolerate,
Just slightly longer than your inhale.
Start to explore this yourself.
I will start guiding you into an extended breathwork practice where we'll be breathing in for the count of four and out for the count of six.
There is no need to follow my pace if you've found your own,
But if you're coming with me,
Breathing in,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
In.
An extended exhale tells the nervous system something specific,
You are safe enough to slow down.
Notice how the edges of urgency begin to lose the sharpness.
And make this final breath your last,
Exactly as you are.
Now we'll shift into triangle breath.
This will be an inhale for four,
Pause for four,
And we'll exhale for the count of six.
Not as a practice to control,
But as an exploration.
Can you relax in the pause?
And again,
If my pace doesn't work for you,
Please find your own,
Or you can join in when you're ready.
We'll breathe in,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Pause,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Out,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six,
In.
And now release all control of your breath.
Return to your natural pattern,
Your pace.
Notice the shifts in the body,
The quality of your awareness as urgency fades and presence expands.
And from this broader view,
Ask what feels urgent in your life that isn't.
Where can you find rest in the pause?
This pause between where you've been and where you're going.
This pause represents the space between stimulus and response.
A moment of discernment.
Urgency says act now.
Regulation says move with intention.
I'm just lingering in this liminal space a little longer.
Feel the steadiness in your body.
Feel the willingness to pause and rest.
Feel the internal space you created and know that you can carry this into your day.
Before replying instantly,
Before reacting,
Before assuming something is critical.
Allow your breath to be your anchor in this liminal space between stimulus and response.
And only when you feel ready,
Allow your body to awaken from the inside out.
You start to notice the sensations within again.
Maybe your breath slightly deepens.
You can feel the temperature of the air touching your skin.
Your fingers and toes start to twinkle and your eyes get the urge to blink open.
Enjoy the fact that nothing needed you immediately.
Be present.
Rest well.
And I'll see you next week.
