Hi and welcome to this release and regulation of the nervous system practice number one.
My name is Leah McQuaid.
I'm a sacred somatic and intuitive healer and nervous system coach and I'm excited that you're here.
I'm excited to guide you through this practice of mobilizing and releasing what you might be carrying,
Stress,
Activation,
And so we'll start with a movement practice to help mobilize the stress response and the activation and the heaviness of what you might be carrying.
We'll move it through the body through movement and then the second part of our practice will be a down-regulation practice to help settle,
Soothe,
Bring some of that activation down just a little bit so you can feel more grounded,
More in your body,
More at peace and so we'll begin our practice today either sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down and then the second part of our practice you can do lying down or sitting down so if you need to pause this audio for a moment and set up your space feel free to do that now and if you're ready we'll begin with some gentle swaying,
Rocking,
Shaking,
Maybe circling of the hips or stretching of the body reaching the arms up over your head just taking a moment to get in your body through movements swaying,
Rocking,
Shaking,
Stretching,
Circling,
Allowing the movements to reflect how you are in this moment.
No need to change or fix how you are just allow the movements to be a reflection of what you might need to help release some of the density or heaviness or charge that your body might be carrying.
You might decide that your body needs some vigorous shaking or some gentle swaying or rocking.
You might also decide that the body wants to just lie for a moment,
Wants to be exactly like it is and that's fine too.
You can invite movement through thinking about movement if your body's not quite ready to move yet.
So taking just another moment or two now to shake out the arms,
Shake out the legs,
Continue inviting movement and release,
Discharge and letting go to mobilizing of what you're carrying for the body.
Maybe you stretch your arms up again and stretch your body like a crescent moon over to one side and over to the other side.
And as you're ready you might decide to put your arms around you,
Giving yourself a big hug and squeezing down your arms gently,
Giving some pressure to your arms.
You can keep swaying,
Rocking or twisting if you'd like as you continue to squeeze up and down your arms,
Maybe squeezing your shoulders and neck.
Now maybe you begin to squeeze other parts of your body,
Squeezing or rubbing your high heart.
Your belly.
And if it's accessible maybe you begin to squeeze your lower leg,
Your feet.
A moment to rub or squeeze,
Lingering in any part of your body that would like a little extra love.
And maybe from here you begin to brush or fling or flick your body,
Starting from your head down your forehead,
The back of your head down your face,
Your throat,
The back of your throat,
Your chest,
Your arms,
Your upper back and your kidneys and adrenals,
Your stomach.
You're flicking,
You're flinging,
You're brushing any stress,
Any heaviness or density,
Anything you're carrying that wants to be mobilized,
That wants to be complete.
You can do that now through the body,
Flicking,
Flinging,
Brushing.
Maybe you move down the legs.
There you go.
Just like that,
Taking as much time as you would like here.
Maybe you come back to the movements,
The shaking,
The circling,
The rocking,
Or maybe you stick with that pressing of the body,
Or maybe you come to the flicking and flinging and brushing again.
You decide how your body wants to release,
Wants to move,
Wants to let go of what you're carrying.
And feel free if you'd like to pause this audio and continue this release,
Discharge,
Letting go practice.
If you have a little bit more activation happening for you today,
Maybe you do pause and spend a little bit more time on this release practice.
Or if you're ready,
We can move on to our down regulating practice,
Starting to slow down some of these movements.
Coming to a seat or lying down if you haven't already.
Finding some support behind you and underneath you.
Beginning to notice the quality of the breath.
Just noticing first that you're breathing.
Noticing,
Are you breathing deep or shallow?
Are you breathing fast or slow?
Is your breath rhythmic or arhythmic?
Is your breath smooth or does it have edges?
Just notice the breath.
No need to change or shift anything about how you're breathing right now.
You're just noticing these qualities.
And your body might have a desire to wiggle or shake once again.
Just allow that desire to be there and honor that desire.
So shaking or wiggling a little bit more before we settle in even deeper into the body and into the breath.
Beginning now to take deeper breaths,
Slower breaths,
More rhythmic and smooth breaths.
Inhaling deeply and on this next exhale you might purse your lips and puffing sound on the exhale.
Nice big deep inhale.
Purse the lips.
Push out that sound.
Puffing it out.
Allowing anything you're carrying,
Any heaviness,
Intensity or stress to be puffed and moved out of the body.
Do this several more times on your own,
With your own pace,
Your own timing.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
When you're ready,
Finding even more stillness.
Maybe coming back to a little more rocking or swaying or shaking.
You might take a nice big deep inhale and sigh it out.
Making some sounds and noise on the exhale.
Doing this several more times on your own.
Easy inhales.
Easy exhales.
Continuing to slow down the rate,
The rhythm of the breath.
Rounding out the edges.
Inhaling at the top and when you're ready you can hold the breath for as long as you would like.
Whenever you're ready to exhale,
Extending the exhale out longer than you breathed in.
And when you're ready,
An easy extending of the exhale.
Easy inhale.
Easy exhale.
Finding your body,
The fascia,
The nerves,
The bones,
The muscles getting heavier.
Allowing the support behind you and beneath you.
Allowing it to be even more supportive.
Softening,
Letting go,
Releasing,
Seeing if you can drop into the heaviness of the bones,
Of your bones,
Of your breath,
The heaviness of your body,
The fascia,
The nerves,
The muscles.
Melting,
Opening,
Releasing,
Softening with each breath.
Even more supportive.
Feel free to continue to stay in this supportive place.
Staying with the breath,
Softening,
Allowing,
Opening,
Melting even more.
And if you have the time and space,
Continue this practice or if you'd like,
You can begin to just open your eyes,
Bring back this experience lighter,
Brighter,
Rejuvenated,
Rested,
Nourished.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
Have a beautiful rest of the day.
