Hello and welcome to Embodying Joy,
Where we're going to have a somatic experience of feeling joy in our bodies.
And there's a few reasons to do this,
One being as we do somatic work,
If you intend to do any more of this kind of practice of really tuning into your body and feeling thoughts,
Emotions,
Behaviors,
Feelings on a somatic level,
On a body-based level,
It's good to have resources.
So if we ever dip into uncomfortable or even traumatic territory,
We know what healthy resources feel like,
What safety and comfort and joy feel like in our body.
And we can bring ourselves back to that safe space if we ever find ourselves in kind of uncomfortable,
Dangerous territory.
It's really nice to just feel joy in our bodies,
Right?
To just know when someone says,
Oh yeah,
That felt good.
How exactly does it feel good?
Where in your body does it feel good?
And how do you know that your body is feeling good?
And that's just great to know and to experience.
So let's do that.
If you have an object or a photograph,
If you want to pause the audio and go find one,
This is nice to do with a photo of a loved one,
Where you can look at some smiling faces or a moment in time that brings you joy,
Or an object in your home or wherever you are that is very meaningful and would put a smile on your face and bring you some happy thoughts and feelings.
If you don't have a photo or an object,
You can do this by just thinking about a person or a place or an activity or a time of day or week or time of the year that you feel really grounded,
Really connected to yourself,
To nature,
To other people,
Some combination of those,
And have a distinct place or person or activity in mind that brings you joy.
So now that we've got this photo or object or thought or memory,
We're going to start by actually orienting to the space,
Just being in this moment right now.
Let your eyes drift,
Not search,
Just kind of find something interesting in the room,
Something that maybe feels pleasant to look at.
And just notice it,
The colors,
Texture.
Is it shiny or flat?
What do you notice in your body when you look at that thing?
What sensations do you feel?
Do you feel any kind of temperature or texture?
Do you feel a tingling?
And thinking about that object and how you feel in your body right now,
Let your eyes drift to something else in the room,
Whatever it may be.
Again,
Something to look at,
Something interesting to look at.
And notice again what happens in your body.
What do you notice?
What do you feel?
If it's a different color,
Does that bring any different sensations in your torso or skin,
Your extremities?
I'd like you to pay attention to your body,
Wherever it may be sitting right now.
Your feet on the floor or below you,
Your bottom on the floor or on a chair or a couch.
Just feeling the weight of your body being held by this chair,
By the ground.
Feel the weight of your arms resting,
The points of contact.
So just take a moment to notice whatever your experience is.
Any lightness,
Density.
Now gently let your eyes drift to the photo or the object that you have.
Or if you don't have a photo or object,
You can think about that person or place or thing,
The memory that brings you joy,
That puts a smile on your face.
What do you feel in your body?
Maybe you feel your mouth widening,
Maybe a lightness,
Maybe a tingling somewhere in your body.
Is there a temperature,
A color,
A texture to these sensations?
Is there any imagery that comes?
A face,
A color,
A shape?
What shape is joy to you?
If you find a sensation,
A slight tingling in your toes perhaps,
Follow that sensation.
Is there anything next to it,
Above it,
Below it?
Really explore all the little nuances that are happening in your body.
And how is this different from how you felt just a little while ago when you were looking around the room?
What's the same,
But more,
What's different?
Are there any other places or people or things that bring you these feelings?
Think of a different memory,
One that also would bring joy,
A holiday,
A birthday,
Maybe a person you get along with wonderfully,
A loved one.
And where do those feelings and sensations reside in your body?
Some people feel things in the same spot or similar places.
Really explore your sensations in your body right now.
Feel your chest expanding.
What do you feel in your gut?
In your limbs?
In your muscles?
In your skin?
And now we'll just bring it back to this moment,
This chair or couch or floor,
To your weight on your bottom below you,
Your feet,
To the air on your skin,
Your hands,
Your arms and legs.
If your eyes are closed,
I invite you to open them and take a look around.
Let your eyes wander around the room and find something pleasant to look at.
What do you hear?
Maybe it's silence.
Maybe there are noises.
And what are you noticing in your body when you hear those noises?
When you see the colors,
Shapes,
Textures that surround you.
And here we are.
That was just a really brief foray into somatic experiencing,
Just feeling what our body sensations are telling us in any given moment in reaction to any given stimulus,
A sight,
A sound,
A thought.
There's a whole world of semantics that can be used to cultivate mindfulness of the body,
What I would call embodied mindfulness,
To expand the capacity of our nervous system and help regulate our nervous systems,
Which are often dysregulated,
Stressed,
Anxious,
Scared,
Concerned.
And a lot of it stems from us not being in tune with our bodies.
So this was just a taste of feeling joy inside of our bodies and building a resource,
A safe space for us to come back to when exploring.
I hope you do come back and explore more with me.
And for now,
I hope you have a wonderful day.
