Welcome.
Before we begin,
I want to remind you that this is a gentle practice of connecting with your body and listening to yourself.
You do not need to force anything to come up today.
There is nothing specific that you need to do.
Besides following the guidance of my voice.
You do not need to have a particular experience.
Your body is getting to lead.
You can always pause or stop this practice at any time.
For now,
I want to invite you to find a comfortable position.
Either sitting or lying down.
Somewhere that you can allow your body to be supported.
Take your time.
To find.
That comfortable place.
And allow yourself to begin to settle.
Notice the surface underneath you.
Feel the back of the chair.
Or the supports of your bed or couch.
Notice the places on your body that are being supported.
Whether that's the back of your head.
Your shoulders,
Your back.
Your hips.
And even your feet.
And let's begin to just feel those parts.
Making contact with the surfaces beneath you.
Feel the support.
And if it feels right.
Allowing your body to soften a little bit.
Even if it's just 5% more.
Into those supports.
This may look like letting your head drop a little bit more This may look like your shoulders softening into those supports.
That are resting behind it.
This may look like your hips.
Dropping in.
Even just a tad.
To those supports.
And I want you to notice.
How these supports are actually holding you right now.
Or holding your body.
Therefore,
You don't have to hold.
Everything so tightly right now.
For this little bit of time we have together,
You can allow yourself.
To be held.
And I want to bring your awareness now to your chest.
Into your breath.
There's no specific breathwork pattern that you need to do.
Just finding your natural balance.
Organic breaths.
And just bring it to the surface.
Begin making it conscious.
Feel your breaths.
Moving through your nose.
Causing your chest belly to expand and open.
And then moving out through your mouth.
And noticing your chest and your belly softening.
Often times as we are starting to connect with our body.
Our thinking parts are going to show up.
And start asking us.
To bring ourself to something in the future or thinking about something in the past.
This is very normal.
So if you start to notice yourself drifting,
Traveling to the past or to the future.
It's okay.
You're not doing anything wrong.
Just notice those thoughts.
Notice your thinking parts.
Okay.
I see you.
It makes sense that you're showing up.
Your thoughts are so much stronger and louder.
And the sensations in our body.
So we can notice them.
But then bring your awareness back.
To your chest and to your breath.
Reminding your body.
But in this moment.
Right here,
Right now that you are safe enough.
To slow down.
To give your thinking parts a rest.
And listen to your body.
We want to remain here just in this moment.
Moment by moment.
Continue to notice.
The natural movement of your breath.
The expansion and contraction of your chest.
The movement in your belly.
Just finding your own.
Rhythm.
Of your breath.
And with each exhale.
Through your mouth.
See if it feels right to allow your body to soften.
Into those supports just a little bit more.
There is nowhere you need to get to.
There's nothing you need to figure out.
You are just creating space for yourself to listen.
Now we're going to open up space for your body.
We're going to open up space.
Or maybe something you've been holding.
Or carrying.
That you haven't had the time.
Or the capacity to sit with and feel.
An experience that feels unresolved.
Or simply asking your body How am I really doing right now?
How am I really doing?
You don't need to analyze it.
You're simply holding this focus lightly in your awareness.
And see what naturally comes up.
Take your time.
And just notice.
Notice the first thing that you become aware of in your body.
Maybe it's a sensation of tightness.
Or heaviness.
Maybe it's a pressure.
This can be anywhere in your body.
This can be Your face,
Your throat,
Your jaw.
Your chest.
Your belly.
Your hands or feet.
Just notice.
It could be a warmness or a cool sensation.
It could be a numbness or tingling.
Or maybe you're not noticing anything at all.
That's okay,
Too.
Whatever it is.
Just notice that.
See if you can simply be with it.
For example.
.
.
I feel a pressure in my throat.
I feel a knot right in the middle of my chest.
You're just noticing it.
Observing it.
And the way I like to frame it is you're sitting right beside it.
Like you'd sit with a good friend telling you a very interesting story.
You might gently remind yourself.
And the sensation.
That is welcome here.
I'm not gonna push you away or pretend you're not here.
I'm noticing.
Being curious,
Listening.
Now imagine you have a big,
Red,
Invisible Sharpie marker.
Imagine just gently tracing.
The perimeter of whatever sensation you're noticing right now.
Circling it.
Several times.
Tracing the border As you're doing this,
You're noticing how big or small the sensation is.
If it has a shape.
That feel deep.
Or superficial.
Heavy.
Or light.
Remember,
You're just being curious.
Whatever comes up,
Just notice it.
There's no answers that you need to get right.
Now if it feels comfortable for you.
Take a gentle,
Slow breath.
Into this sensation.
Just allowing your breath,
The movement of your breath.
To go right in and out of this sensation.
As you're inhaling.
Placing your awareness right in the middle of this sensation.
Ask your body.
What emotion?
Being held right here.
As I sit with this sensation,
What emotion?
My feeling.
Let the emotion come naturally.
Take your time.
And don't force an answer.
Maybe it's a sense of sadness.
Maybe there's a fear or panic.
Maybe there's an anger.
Maybe it's grief.
Or maybe there isn't an emotion to identify yet and that's okay too.
If an emotion comes up.
See if you can allow yourself.
To just feel.
This emotion.
For about 10 seconds.
And once again,
Allowing this emotion to know.
Allowed to be here.
Makes sense that it's here.
I'm not gonna push you away.
Pretend.
You're not here.
Mind your body.
That in this moment,
I'm safe enough to feel this for a few moments.
See if you can stay connected to your breath.
While allowing the emotion to be present.
Your feeling.
Allow yourself to feel.
As you help space for this emotion and the sensation that accompanies it,
May want to take it.
One step deeper.
And ask yourself.
When is the first time I remember feeling this?
You don't need to search.
See what naturally arises.
It was the first time.
I felt this.
Sadness in the back of my throat.
Or this fear in the center of my chest.
Maybe a flash of a memory or an image shows up.
Maybe it's.
.
.
Just a visual of your younger self.
As a teenager or a little child.
Maybe it's a place.
Whatever comes.
Is what's meant to come up.
And if nothing comes up.
That's completely okay.
You don't need a memory for this to be a meaningful practice.
You can simply just stay with the sensation and emotion.
If a younger version of you has appeared in some capacity,
This could even be a younger version of you from a few years ago.
Notice this version.
Hold space.
Hold your awareness.
For a few moments.
Notice where they are.
Notice their body and expressions,
Posture.
Maybe what's happening around them.
What's causing the sensation and emotion?
For them in this moment.
And now I want you to imagine the adult you.
The person you are today.
Who's here right now.
Entry.
Into that same visual.
Vaccine,
Please.
That same scene.
Present-day you arriving.
With all the wisdom,
Compassion.
You have now.
Begin to notice your younger self.
You see the situation.
You understand the emotion and sensations they're feeling.
And I want you to ask your body,
What did this younger version of me need?
In this memory or in this scene.
Only you know what they needed.
Maybe they needed someone to listen.
Maybe they needed someone to stay.
Maybe they needed someone to explain.
What was going on around them.
Maybe they just needed a hug and to be held and tell them they matter.
There is no right or wrong here.
Listen to your body.
And allow adult you to show up in those weeds.
In what that younger version of you needed.
Allow the adult you.
To provide that.
Whatever way that makes sense.
Maybe you just.
.
.
Sit next to them and put your arm around them.
Maybe you're visualizing listening to them.
Maybe you're visualizing.
Speaking encouragement to them.
Whatever feels true.
Take your time to visualize that now.
You might say.
I'm here with you now.
You don't have to go through this alone.
I'm here and I see you.
Whatever feels right.
But allowing yourself to imagine the adult you.
Giving yourself.
Your younger self to support.
That they needed in that moment that they didn't get back then.
Notice how the younger version of you receives this How are they receiving?
Your words,
Your actions.
Maybe they feel relieved.
Maybe they feel skeptical.
Maybe they soften and move closer.
Maybe they smile.
Whatever happens is okay.
Whatever happens.
Is what's meant to happen.
Now notice what's happening inside your body.
As you are connecting with them.
Notice your chest,
Your belly,
Your throat,
Your face,
Your shoulders.
And see if you can allow yourself to experience.
Small sense of comfort,
Safety,
Or connection.
That feels right for you.
Now gently bring your awareness back to the original sensation we started with.
That you circled with your red marker.
Notice it.
Is it the same?
Has it gotten smaller?
Did it move somewhere else?
Or can you not really notice it anymore?
Whatever you notice is valuable information from your body.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
Out through your mouth.
Return to the support.
What's behind you in the present moment or beneath you.
Allow yourself to feel that stability and safety.
And that holding.
Reminding yourself.
That you're safe in the present moment.
Even though what you may have experienced here was bit uncomfortable at times,
That you are safe in the present moment.
In this moment,
Right here,
Right now.
Feel free to pause if you feel like there's still more.
Emotion or feeling that wants to be processed.
But otherwise,
We're going to gently bring your awareness back.
To your present space.
Start to gently wiggle your toes and stretch your feet.
Wiggle your fingers and stretch your fingertips wide.
Maybe you want to start to gently open your eyes.
By blinking a few times quickly.
Before leaving them open.
Start to look around the room,
Orient yourself back A good way to orient back is maybe just noticing five different objects that you see.
Around the room.
A green plant,
A blue pen,
A brown book.
A blue shirt.
You're returning outward as you have just spent some much needed time connecting inward.
As you start to work your way up back to a sitting position,
If you were laying down,
Notice how that experience was for you.
Notice what your body might need from you.
For the next few minutes.
Or even for the rest of the day.
Take your time.
And remember.
Our healing begins simply by slowing down enough to listen.
Thank you for spending the last half an hour with me.
I hope this practice was supportive for you.
