Self-Soothing With Hand Drumming

This meditation focuses on self-soothing and practices of positive affirmations to stay centered in your power and strength. Using the indigenous tradition of drumming, practice connecting deeply with oneself, expanding loving-kindness from the heart, and extending it to the rest of the body through the power of touch.

Transcript

In this meditation,

We will practice ways of self-soothing ourselves with positive affirmations,

Touch and guided visualization.

I am going to highlight the necessary skills of bringing awareness to something that feels self-soothing and protective to you for the times when you need it most.

Even when you are incredibly busy or intensely stressed out,

There are several ways to find a way to soothe yourself and feel safer,

Cared for and calm.

The first thing I recommend when you notice that you are stressed out is to simply stop.

Pause what you are doing,

As long as it's safe to do so of course,

And allow yourself to simply be still.

The next step is to gently breathe and simply notice yourself breathing in and out.

Now we will use the power of our hands to offer ourselves the necessary strength and support in times of stress.

As the mind and body take cues from one another,

We can use our own hands to encourage states of ease and comfort.

The basic premise here is that the human body responds to touch,

And touch can change the activity in the nervous system.

See if you can familiarize yourself with this practice,

Then utilize it in your daily life when you need a way to calm down.

Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes.

Breathe deeply through your nostrils,

Allowing the lungs to fully empty with the exhale.

Continue breathing deeply for a minute.

Now spend a few minutes bringing awareness to the body in this moment.

Without changing or fixing anything,

Observe what is present.

Notice what physical sensations you can feel and where you can feel them.

Try to really drop your awareness out of your head and down into your body.

Now begin supporting yourself by bringing one of the hands to the top of the opposite arm,

Just below the shoulder.

Really rest the hand here with the intention of offering yourself support.

This is a place of support in the human body.

Allow yourself to feel the care and support you have for yourself.

Tune in to any relaxation in the mind or body.

After a few minutes,

Release the hand.

Take a few deep breaths and bring the hand to the back of the head,

Where the spine meets the skull.

This is a place where you were held and supported as an infant and it can offer a sense of safety and ease.

As you gently rest the hand here,

Allow the body to feel safe and comfortable.

After a few minutes to pass,

Move the hand to the center of the chest.

This stimulates the vagus nerve,

Releasing oxytocin and engaging the parasympathetic nervous system.

Allow the hand to rest here,

Feeling care for yourself as you relax the body and mind.

After a couple of minutes,

With the hand on the chest,

Allow the hand to relax once again.

Let a few minutes pass while you breathe and invite in relaxation to the mind and body before opening your eyes.

Now we will practice some positive affirmations for self-soothing.

Take five deep breaths now with me to oxygenate your body and all of its systems.

As you feel the weight of your body and how it presses down,

Make sure that your spine is completely straight and your posture exudes that you are confident.

Gently close your eyes,

Increasing your ability to focus.

As you breathe easily and gently,

You feel safe and relaxed.

After a few minutes,

Bring awareness to the body in this moment.

Without changing or fixing anything,

Observe what is present.

Notice what physical sensations you can feel and where you can feel them.

Now repeat these affirmations.

I am safe.

I am secure.

I can handle this.

I have been through this many times before.

I am comfortable with myself.

I enjoy being me.

I am perfect just the way I am.

It is safe to be me.

I am safe and secure in who I am.

I am comfortable with myself.

I enjoy being me.

I trust the natural flow of life.

I treat myself with honor and respect.

I honor the power within me.

I am at peace with myself and my surroundings.

I enjoy being me.

I trust the natural flow of life.

Good job!

You have embraced your power.

You are wearing the crown of your inner truth.

You are seated on your throne,

Upholding your honor and respect.

Now gently open your eyes and live a terrific day.

Reviews

Perfect thank you. Definitely connected within me and I am most grateful. I have always been drawn to the peace and connection with drumming. Have a lovely day😊🙏

Namaste 🙏🏼

Wonderful! A great aid to relaxation. Thank you for the nurturing comfort one experiences during meditation.

Awesome! Thank you 💗

Felt so safe. Thank you.

very effective. The hand drumming adds a lot to the experience.

Very soothing and affirming meditation! Thank you so very much 💜 One brief suggestion would be a little more slowly done especially the touching techniques.

Thank you so much 🌺🌺🌺for the wonderful drumming and the sweet help for stress🌺I am smiling from the inside 🗺stay safe and well 🙏 Namaste

Very UNIQUE ❣️ Didn’t anticipate the feeling in my body that I experienced!
I’ll definitely revisit. 🙏🏻💕

Great techniques, and I agree that more time, particularly with the hand holding self aspects, would be better. I will use this!

Wonderful ideas. Thank you.

Great techniques to use in the future. Thank you!

Thank you for these techniques which I can use again

I wish it wasn’t so rushed. It would have been a wonderful meditation. 🙏🏽💚💫