Hi,
I'm Ruth.
The last several weeks have been hard.
Really hard.
And what I noticed living through all of it was how loud my nervous system got.
The exhaustion that sleep didn't fix.
The tight chest.
The swirly stomach.
The moments where I just have to sit down and do nothing.
Because my body simply refused to face one more thing.
What I kept coming back to slowly and definitely not perfectly with this.
Finding my ground again.
Not having it all figured out.
Not being back to 100%.
Just finding the thread back to myself.
One small moment at a time.
And that's what this meditation is for.
It's for the after.
For the during,
The in-between.
Whenever you need to find your way back.
So find a comfortable position.
And when you're ready.
.
.
Let's begin.
Let your body settle wherever you are.
If you're sitting,
Feel the chair or the floor beneath you.
If you're lying down.
Feel the surface holding you.
Let your hands rest somewhere comfortable.
On your lap.
On your belly,
At your sides.
You don't have to do anything right now.
You don't have to fix anything.
Or figure anything out.
You just have to be here.
Take a breath in through your nose.
And let it out through your mouth.
Again in and all the way out.
One more in and a long,
Slow exhale.
I want you to notice where you're carrying tension right now.
Not to fix it.
Just to know this.
Maybe it's in your shoulders,
Creeping up towards your ears.
Maybe it's across your chest.
That familiar tightness.
It could be your jaw.
Your hands,
Your belly.
Just let yourself notice it.
That tension is not a failing.
It is your body doing what bodies do when things have been hard.
That has been working to protect you.
Right now.
You're going to let it know.
It can soften.
Just on your next exhale.
Let your shoulders drop.
Let your jaw unclench.
Let your hands go soft.
You don't have to hold so much right now.
I want you to orient to where you are.
If your eyes are closed,
You can slowly open them and let them move around the room without rushing.
Notice something close to you.
Notice something far away.
Notice something that is moving.
And something that has color.
You can close your eyes again when you're ready.
But know that you're here,
In this room,
In this moment.
Whatever was happening before you pressed play.
It's still there,
But right now.
You are here.
Let's take a breath in.
And out.
Now bring your attention to the bottom of your feet.
Feel whatever is beneath them.
The floor,
Your shoes.
The ground.
Press down just slightly.
Enough to feel the contact.
The solidity of something real beneath you.
This is your ground.
And it's always been here.
Even when everything felt like it was shifting.
The worry,
The overwhelm,
The grief.
The exhaustion.
Ground was still here.
Did not go anywhere.
And neither did you.
Breathe in.
Breathe out slowly.
Longer than your inhale.
And then in.
And out,
Slow and long.
This longer exhale.
It signals to your nervous system that you are safe.
That you can settle.
You don't need to do anything elaborate.
Just this.
Breathe in.
And let the exhale be longer.
I want you to think about something small that has been holding you.
Something that has felt like too much.
You don't need to solve it.
Just let it be present for a moment.
Notice where you feel it in your body.
And I want you to save yourself.
Silently or out loud.
I am allowed to come back slowly.
And see you again.
I am allowed to come back slowly.
You do not have to have it all figured out.
You don't have to be at 100%.
You don't have to pretend that hard things didn't happen.
You are allowed to cut back slowly.
Bring your attention back to your breath.
In.
I'm out.
Feel the ground beneath you again.
Your feet,
Your body,
Whatever is holding you right now.
You are here.
The ground is here.
And that's what grounding is.
Not a perfect practice.
Not a fixed date.
It's returning over and over as many times as you need to.
You come back.
Take a breath in.
I'm out.
And begin to bring your awareness back to the room around you.
Any sounds.
The temperature on your skin.
The light.
When you're ready.
.
.
You can open your eyes.
Take a moment before you come all the way back.
Notice how you feel right now compared to when you press play.
Even if it's subtle.
Slightly softer jaw.
Breath that comes a little easier.
Small sense of having set something down even temporarily.
That is the work.
That is finding your ground again.
You're going to carry things.
Life does not stop being heavy just because we practice.
But you can keep coming back to this.
As many times as you need to.
There is no limit on returning to yourself.
Take good care of yourself.
And stay grounded.
