Welcome.
Sit in a comfortable position or lie down on your back.
Begin to follow your breath.
Notice the air moving in and out of your body.
You do not have to do anything or change anything.
Just allow the breath to move.
Notice where the breath goes and where it doesn't.
Notice spaces that it fills and spaces that are not impacted by your inhale or your exhale.
Just breathing in and out.
Today we are going to look at building a bubble.
This bubble is about allowing you space so that you can study your own reactions.
So that you are consistent in your own experiences rather than being drawn into other people's energy.
Often we experience this as,
I don't know what took over me or I just started to feel sad.
Or that other person was so angry I just couldn't help but react.
In reality,
No one has control over my experiences but me.
I may be impacted and influenced by those around me but in the end it is 100% fully my experience.
I am responsible for my own reactions and I can choose to respond rather than react.
Reactions are often those things we do as a result of past learning,
Expectations,
Or the way we've seen other people react to things.
Responses allow us choice in how to respond in this moment.
Just what's needed,
No more no less.
Not influenced by past learning or expectations or situations we find that are similar in our history.
Instead we can respond just based on right now.
In the context we find ourselves in right now.
This can be difficult to do especially if we do not have a lot of practice or a way to feel separate from other people.
Many of us were taught that being in connection with other people meant losing ourselves.
That we must give of ourselves completely to stay in relationship with other people.
This is not so.
A powerful relationship includes a you and a me and then we can become a we.
Where each of us maintains our own sense of individuality.
And each of us can have our own desires,
Wants,
Needs that can be requested and met within the relationship.
Neither of us gives ourself away.
We do not become enmeshed with the other person.
To begin the practice of understanding how to do this,
It can be very important to feel separate.
To feel your own sense of individuality and have your own space.
So to do this we are going to create a bubble.
This bubble will allow us to feel our edges and our space around our bodies.
Where we can have our own boundaries.
This allows people that we are in relationship with to have their boundaries too.
And again we can enhance each other in relationship by honoring each other's needs,
Wants,
Desires.
Without giving ourselves up.
Return to following your breath.
Again just noticing the breath as it moves in and out of the body.
And let's begin to create our bubble.
Bring your awareness to the top of you and the bottom of you.
To the left side of you.
To the right side of you.
To the back of you.
And to the front of you.
Feeling each of your edges.
You may find that this is completely within the physical structure of your physical body.
Noting the edges of your skin.
You might find that you experience the edges of you outside of your physical self.
Beyond your skin.
See how far you experience the edges of you.
As you breathe,
Feel your top and bottom,
Left and right,
Back and front edges.
Can you feel them all at once?
Take a moment and breathe into each of your edges.
See if you can breathe into all of them at once as though they are a continuous edge,
A bubble around you.
See how far you can expand your bubble.
Can you move it outside of your physical body?
Does it expand beyond the length of your arm?
Does it fill the space you are in,
Beyond the space you are in?
Just notice there is no right or wrong way to experience your own edges.
Take a moment and see how far you can expand your bubble.
Many people like to bring light to the edges of their bubble.
Often people bring a healing light.
Notice what color your light is.
What would you like the edges of your bubble to be lit with?
What color,
What essence,
Is there movement to the light?
What helps you feel protected in your bubble?
Allow yourself to bring the healing light to the edges of your bubble now.
Allow the light to filter throughout your bubble,
Radiating,
Protecting,
And filling you up.
Allowing yourself to feel healed by this sense of light and color,
Maybe movement or sound,
That is part of your energetic boundaries,
Part of your experience of your edges.
Feel yourself create your own boundary around you so that you can feel safe within your bubble.
Take a few moments and experience your own boundaries,
Your own edges,
Your own healing light,
Your own space.
It's just for you.
Notice if there is anything else you can do to make it feel stronger,
Safer,
Better.
When you are ready,
See if there is a word or short phrase,
Maybe a gesture,
A movement,
A sound,
An image,
That allows you to remember that you have boundaries,
That you are responsible for your experience within this space.
You are responsible for your reactions,
For your responses.
Even though you may be impacted or influenced,
You can come inside the bubble and choose how to respond.
You can come to this space that you have created that is safe and healing for you.
From here,
You can choose how to respond to what's happening around you.
Take a moment and see if there is anything else you need to remember your boundaries.
Then begin to bring your awareness back to your breath,
Noticing the breathing as it enters and exits the body.
And thank yourself for showing up,
For giving yourself a new tool to help you manage your emotions,
Be successful in your relationships,
And own your personal experience.
Give yourself thanks for showing up.
And then begin to introduce movement to the fingers and the toes,
Again noting the body and the sensations within it,
Around it,
Feeling your experience in this moment,
Coming back to the room and the environment that you are in,
Noticing things around you as you flutter your eyes open.
With no need to label,
Just orient to the space you are in.
Just noticing.
As you return to the external world,
You may find that you want to write things down,
Maybe make some sticky notes or note cards with reminders that you post to remember,
To return to this practice of creating your boundaries,
Of honoring your own space and your own experience.
You may find it helpful to journal,
To draw,
To move.
However you want to process your experience,
You are welcome to do so.
Enjoy using your bubble and practicing your boundaries regularly.
Come back to your space and go about your day.
