A warm welcome to this nervous system reset practice designed to help you move from stress,
Overwhelm,
Flatness or lethargy.
Back into regulation.
So that you can feel more connected to and at ease with yourself,
Others and the world.
This practice may seem simple,
But rest assured that it's grounded in nervous system science.
And that if you offer it your full attention,
It will shift your nervous system and the way you feel.
We start this practice with our eyes open and by taking a moment to establish our posture.
This practice is best done sitting,
Not lying down.
If you need some support,
Like a comfy chair,
An extra pillow or blanket,
Go ahead.
Seeing if you can arrive at a sitting posture where you feel both alert and at ease.
Great.
Now let your feet rest flat on the floor.
Gently lengthen your spine.
Roll your shoulders back ever so slightly and soften your face.
Start by slowly moving your head and neck to the left.
Noticing the objects you see.
Even if you've seen what's in front of you hundreds of times,
Imagine you're seeing it for the first time.
Mentally whisper to yourself what you see.
Coming back to the center.
Now moving to the right side.
Slowly allowing the eyes to take in what's in the room and mentally whisper what you see.
Do this action two more times on both sides.
Sharpening your awareness.
Noticing.
Naming once your head returns to the centre.
Begin to notice what parts of your body are connecting to your chair.
Perhaps your shoulders.
Spine bottom,
Thighs.
And as best you can,
Letting go into this support a little more.
Now bringing your awareness to your feet as they rest on the floor.
Notice how gravity is supporting you.
Bringing these two practices together.
Moving your head from side to side.
Whilst holding your awareness on your body,
Supported by the chair.
Now as best you can,
Seeing if you can layer in sound to this regulating experience.
Head continues to move slowly from side to side.
And awareness of your body sitting.
And also a curiosity about the sounds in your environment.
Letting that practice go and just returning to a still position.
Seeing if you can notice any changes that might signal a return to a more regulated inner state.
Deeper or steadier breathing.
Shifts in bodily sensation.
Yawning or a sigh.
A desire to take a stretch.
A steadier emotional terrain.
And now from this place,
Let's get to know what regulation feels like a bit more.
Let's befriend this state.
You can close down your eyes if you like,
Or have your gaze gently on the floor.
And as best you can casting your mind back to a time when you felt a deep sense of safety,
Trust or connection.
To yourself,
Others or the environment around you.
This moment doesn't need to be grand or extraordinary.
Often it's the small everyday moments of peace and safety that mean the most.
A walk with a friend or pet.
A conversation in which you really felt seen and heard.
A visit to a place where you felt a deep sense of connection.
Reading on the couch after a long day or pottering in the garden.
Once you've settled on a memory,
Really bringing the details to mind.
Noticing how your body felt in that moment.
Turning your attention now to your emotions during this experience of safety,
Trust and connection.
Naming how you felt silently in your mind.
And resting here in this memory and its impact on your body now.
Trusting that with each breath you're sending a two-way message from your body to your brain.
And your brain to your body.
That you are safe and open to more of these moments of ease and belonging.
Really feeling this state.
This is neuroplasticity in action.
Awareness moving to you sitting feet on the floor.
Feeling into your hips and pelvis supported.
Spine lengthened.
Opening your eyes when you're ready.
May you move through your day feeling more present,
At ease in your body and open to life.
Thanks for sharing your practice with me.
You might like to save this nervous system reset and use it whenever you like to really encourage neuroplastic change.
