Returning to yourself is an embodiment practice for cultivating inner safety and stability in moments of anxious activation.
This practice is for the moments when you feel the urge to grasp,
Chase,
Or eject from your body in search of relief from someone outside of you.
It's an invitation to stay,
To listen,
And to discover that the love and connection you've been searching for already lives within you.
So if you're ready,
Let's begin.
Take a moment to settle yourself somewhere comfortable and quiet.
Let your body be supported,
Either sitting or lying down.
You may wish to use a meditation cushion or place a blanket over you for extra grounding.
And before we do anything else,
Just allow yourself to arrive.
No need to fix or change anything.
Just notice that you're here and allow yourself to be here.
Bring your attention to your breath.
Notice the inhale as it enters your nose.
And notice the exhale moving out through your mouth.
And with each exhale,
Allow your body to soften by even 1%.
Now begin to scan your body slowly,
Starting from the top of your head,
Noticing where you might be holding tension.
Maybe in the jaw,
In the eyes,
In the shoulders,
Chest,
In the stomach,
Your legs,
Perhaps your feet.
You don't need to release it all at once.
Just notice with curiosity,
Where am I holding more than I need to right now?
Without forcing,
Give yourself permission to soften that area even just slightly.
With your breath,
With your intention,
From this place of grounding and connection with your body,
Begin to bring to mind a recent moment that you've experienced in your relationship where you felt yourself taking on too much.
Maybe you stepped in,
You managed something,
You held emotional responsibility that felt a little too heavy.
And just observe this from a distance as if you're watching a movie.
No analysis,
Just witnessing the scene unfolding.
Taking in the details as they arise,
Who you're with,
Your posture,
Your facial expression,
Your movements,
Maybe even the tone of your voice.
Maybe you can feel sensation in your body with this visualization.
Stay with your breath.
You are safe here.
Stay as the witness of your experience.
This is how your nervous system learned to do when it doesn't feel safe.
To receive support,
To share,
To connect authentically.
And this is how you learn to adapt,
To take on more than you can hold.
Continue observing this scenario and invite in a gentle inquiry.
In that particular moment,
What were you trying to protect?
What were you trying to protect yourself from?
Disconnection,
Being unsupported,
Being overwhelmed,
Being alone.
Whatever comes up for you,
Just let it be there with your loving awareness,
Your own presence.
Now bring your attention to your body again,
Inviting in an important truth.
Even if your mind learned to manage,
Over-function,
Or step in,
Your body is safe here,
Right now.
Can you feel it?
Can you feel the support of the earth beneath you?
Can you feel the stability of your own body,
Your flesh and bones,
Your muscles?
That presence,
That soothing breath,
The current of energy that lives within you.
There is something within you that knows that it does not need to manage everything to be safe.
To feel this connection we all desire,
This love.
Let this land slowly in your body,
The truth that you are safe,
That you are loved and deeply supported.
Now place one hand on your heart and one on your belly,
And gently say to yourself out loud,
I don't have to hold everything alone.
Let that sentence move through you slowly.
I don't have to hold everything alone.
Notice what happens in your body when you hear this phrase.
There may be resistance,
Maybe softening,
Tears,
Relief,
Or nothing.
All of it is valid.
Now begin to bring your awareness to something even deeper.
Where in your life have you been giving your power away without realizing it?
Not power as dominance,
Control,
Or even money,
But a deeper seated power,
An inner sense of authority and authenticity.
Your truth,
Your needs,
Your voice.
And just notice what arises.
And you can gently start to visualize again in your mind's eye a new scenario.
Not a perfect relationship,
Not a different person,
But a situation where you are fully in your power.
Where you choose to stay with yourself just a little longer.
Where instead of immediately stepping in,
You pause.
Where instead of overexplaining,
You simply speak clearly.
Where instead of abandoning your boundaries and needs,
You honor them fully.
Even if nothing changes outside of you yet,
Your inner world is shifting.
And you're finding your inner ground in the midst of what could be conflict,
What could be pain.
Continue noticing and inquire to yourself,
What does it feel like in your body to not immediately give your power away in that moment?
Maybe there is discomfort.
Maybe there is unfamiliarity.
And maybe there is spaciousness for something new.
Intimacy.
Authenticity.
True connection.
Now slowly bring your attention to your breath again.
Inhaling in through the nose.
Exhaling out through the mouth.
Beginning to anchor the sense of being grounded in yourself back into your body.
Not as simply an idea,
But as a felt experience.
I can be with myself here.
Without collapsing.
Without reacting from fear.
Without projecting.
I can be with myself here.
Even in uncertainty.
In conflict.
In relationship.
I can be with myself here.
To feel my own truth.
To feel my own heart.
To know that I am safe.
Right here.
Let these words settle within your body.
Within your heart.
Within your breath.
Now begin to gently return.
Feeling the surface beneath you.
The space around you.
Any sounds in your environment.
Bring a little movement into your hands and feet.
Maybe a full body stretch.
And know that whenever you forget,
You can always come home to yourself anytime.
This is not a connection you lose.
It is something you return to.
Again and again.
When you're ready,
You can slowly open your eyes.
Carrying a little more space.
A little more presence.
And a little more of yourself with you.
Namaste.
