Welcome to Radical Resistance,
A place to rest,
Regulate,
And return in hard times.
For these next few minutes,
Let yourself be held by breath,
Body,
And ground.
If your body has been bracing for something bad to happen,
Something breaking,
Something ending,
Even if you don't know what,
That makes sense.
You are not doing anything wrong.
Your nervous system is doing a beautiful and elegant job protecting you the best way it knows how in a world that feels unpredictable right now.
And for the next few minutes,
You don't have to prepare.
You don't have to scan.
You don't have to figure anything out.
You can just be here.
So why don't you just go ahead and begin to arrive.
Let your eyes soften or even close if they want to,
And just begin to notice what is actually here right now.
Not the future,
Not the headlines,
Not the imagined outcomes.
Notice just this moment,
The sound of my voice,
The feeling of your body,
The surface beneath you,
And then maybe you can softly blink your eyes open and notice what's around you.
Look to your left,
Look to your right.
Take your time,
Your body,
Your choices.
Just remind your nervous system,
I am here.
I am not there.
Maybe you'll notice something neutral like a shape,
A color,
A shadow.
Let your eyes land wherever they want,
And then if you would like,
You could gently blink your eyes closed.
Feel where your body is being held.
Notice the back of your legs,
Your hips,
Your hips,
Your spine,
The back of your head,
The back of your head,
The weight of your hands.
Maybe you might even begin to notice how relaxed you can feel.
Notice if the ground is already supporting you without you having to fix anything first.
Now gently notice if your body has been holding a brace or a tightness or an uneasy sensation.
Sometimes that sensation lives in your jaw.
You might notice that it could be in your chest,
Your belly,
Your shoulders.
You don't have to go looking hard.
Just notice,
And if you find it,
You don't have to force it to relax.
If you'd like,
You could just give it permission to soften by 5% even.
That's it.
Not all the way,
Just a little.
As you breathe,
You might notice that your breath and your body doesn't actually need to prepare in this moment for something that is not happening right now.
Not in this exact moment.
Also,
Knowing that it is perfectly natural for you to do that and we're all in this together.
And then begin to notice your breath if it's comfortable for you to do so.
If not,
Just allow yourself to breathe as naturally as you'd like.
And maybe without forcing it,
You can allow your exhale to begin to lengthen just a little.
And that longer exhale sends a quiet signal to your nervous system.
Not now.
Not right now.
Just allow yourself to gently relax if that's available for you.
Allow my voice to even just carry you into a more gentle state of comfort.
Let's begin with a very simple breath work practice.
It's going to be a 4 second inhale,
A 7 second hold,
And an 8 second exhale.
You can participate with this or you can just allow your mind to rest.
Your choice.
Always.
And so let's inhale for a count of 1,
2,
3,
4.
Hold for 7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Exhale for 8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Inhale for a count of 1,
2,
3,
4.
Hold for 7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Exhale for 8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
2,
1.
Inhale for a count of 1,
2,
3,
4.
Hold for 7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Exhale for 8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Inhale for a count of 1,
2,
3,
4.
Hold for 7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Exhale for 8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Good.
Very good.
And then just return to your natural breathing cadence.
And cast that breath we just did together into the sea of your unconscious.
And see if you can just let go 5% more.
Because your nervous system is intelligent.
And it learned to brace because at some point,
That helped.
And right now,
In this moment,
It's allowed to update.
Because you can care deeply without collapsing.
You can be aware without being completely overwhelmed.
And you can stay informed without living in a constant state of alarm.
And if you choose overwhelm or collapsing or alarm,
It's not a wrong choice either.
Most of us just need to find time for a break from these sensations and these states.
Whatever your choices are,
They're yours.
Calm is not denial.
Regulation is not weakness.
For a steady nervous system is what allows you to think clearly.
It's what gets you out of your amygdala,
The fear centers of your brain,
And into the thinking centers of your brain.
Choose wisely and act when it actually matters.
You can trust yourself.
You are a brilliant and elegant human.
You have made it here.
And that is a miracle.
You can trust yourself to act when it actually matters.
For now,
We tend to our nervous system together.
And we tend to each other.
And we help each other choose wisely.
And just for this moment,
I want you to notice that you are not the only one feeling this.
There are millions of people right now.
This human speaking to you right now included taking a breath,
Trying to steady themselves,
Trying to stay human in a hard moment.
You are part of all of that.
Even if you can't see them,
Even if it feels isolating,
You are not carrying this alone.
I'm right here with you.
And if it feels appropriate for you,
Let a simple intention to form.
Nothing complicated.
Something true for you.
Some options.
I can soften without giving up.
I can be steady inside uncertainty.
I am here and I can meet this moment.
I can trust myself.
Or your own words.
Let it land in your body.
Not just your mind.
And slowly begin to feel your body again.
The weight of you.
The shape of you.
Maybe a small movement in your fingers.
Your toes.
Your shoulders.
Just gently and slowly take your time.
Breath by breath.
You're not going back to the same place.
You're going back with a nervous system.
That has just had a moment to reset.
And that matters more than you think.
Carry this with you,
Please.
You do not have to live in constant preparation to be ready.
You do not have to stay tense to stay safe.
And you are not alone in learning how to be here.
When you're ready,
Let your eyes gently open.
This is radical resistance.
A return to breath.
A return to ground.
A return to each other.
Go gently.
Go rooted.
Go remembering that you do not walk alone.
Thank you.
