Let's start this time by taking a moment just to check in and notice what's going on for you today.
What is the quality of your thoughts?
How's the energy in your body?
Just take a quick moment to see where you're at.
Now I invite you to bring your attention to any place where you have contact,
Whether with the floor,
A chair,
Or whatever surfaces you're touching.
You can close your eyes or leave them open as you do this and just notice the sensations in your body,
Maybe the texture of the surface.
Take note of what,
If anything,
Happens in your mind or body as you shift your attention to these places of contact.
If your eyes are open,
I invite you to close them if it feels comfortable to do so.
I would like you to bring to mind a place or a situation where you felt safe or protected.
Not only these feelings,
But also where you felt some sense of agency,
Where you were able to connect with other people or get things done,
But in ways that felt true to you and respectful of your space,
Time,
And energy.
You can also bring to mind a specific person who supports you in feeling this sense of safety and protection.
Try to use your senses in order to fill out the experience or image in your mind.
And if nothing in particular comes to mind,
Just take a moment and imagine what could help you to feel that sense of safety,
Protection,
And agency.
We will stay with this image for some moments,
Noticing your internal experience as you relate to this image or to this memory.
Now I invite you to allow the images and the memory to fall away as you stay with those feelings,
With a sense of safety,
Protection,
Agency,
Or any other feelings or emotions that came up as you brought this image to mind.
I invite you to imagine that you are surrounded by something that represents these feelings,
These sensations,
That creates a similar sense of protection and agency regarding who and what can come into your space,
Physically or energetically.
What you say yes or no to,
And what you will and will not do.
The idea is to connect with something that could represent your boundaries and that you could call on no matter where you are,
No matter what situation you're in.
Your boundaries might be represented by a fence or a rose bush or maybe the wall of a bubble.
You might feel like a wall of light or a moat of water around you provides the sense of healthy limitations and protection that our boundaries can provide for us.
Take a moment and experiment with some different things with different images until you identify something that really feels right for you.
And part of how you know whether or not something feels right is how it feels in your body,
What you notice in your system as you bring that image to mind.
If this is difficult,
If it is hard to find something,
Simply return to the previous memory and continue to connect with those feelings of safety and agency directly.
Once you have identified what your boundaries might be represented by,
Imagine yourself surrounded by that representation.
Notice what happens inside of you as you experience this container that you are creating.
Check in with any sensations,
Any thoughts that you notice.
You can take a moment and play with how close in or far away you want these boundaries to be.
And know that this might change over time,
But for now just take a moment and identify that distance that feels right to you right in this moment.
We will take a few moments here and continue to notice what your experiences.
There is no right or wrong.
The invitation is just to check in and see where you're at,
How you're feeling,
And what thoughts you might notice.
When your mind naturally wanders,
The invitation is simply to bring it back to this image,
To return again.
Now bring to mind a situation where this boundaries practice might be useful for you.
It could be an upcoming conversation with someone or an event or meeting you're going to attend.
And start by noticing what happens as you bring that situation to mind.
Again,
Bringing your attention to your thoughts,
To your sensations.
And as you continue to think about the situation,
The invitation is now to call in the representation of your boundaries.
Imagine yourself surrounded by whatever it is that supports you to feel protected,
Yet able to engage and respond with others and with your environment and your work.
Notice what,
If anything,
About this situation and your reaction to it shifts when you also add in,
Call in this sense of boundaries.
Now as we transition out of this exercise,
Take a moment and feel again the places of contact you have with whatever surface you're on.
You may want to move your body a little to bring those sensations into your conscious experience.
And if your eyes have been closed,
I invite you to start to open them as you feel ready.
And for one last time,
Check in with yourself and notice your thoughts or feelings after this experiment.
You may want to take note of them as topics to reflect on or journal about.
And either way,
I invite you to continue to experiment with this practice in your daily life,
Whether in the situation you imagined or in a different one.
Take care,
Until next time.
