This is Lindsay Johnson,
Your somatic nurse,
And today I have for you a grounding practice.
This is a great practice for you to use when you are feeling activated in any way,
Maybe when you have a lot of stress or your body feels agitated.
This isn't necessarily meant to make those sensations go away.
It is meant to find a supportive place in your body.
Very often we feel that anxiety that comes up or the sensations that come up when we are feeling stressed within our bodies,
And that makes us feel more afraid of being in our bodies.
And so what this practice is hopefully going to help you do is find those areas within your body that feel safe in those moments.
They might change,
But this is meant to give that new option for you.
So we'll start by finding a comfortable seat in whatever position you need.
You can keep your eyes open,
Lower your gaze,
Close your eyes,
Whatever works best for you in this practice.
And then just begin by placing your attention on your breath.
There's no need to change what's happening here.
You don't need to change the depth of breath or the length of your exhales or the pacing.
We're simply just noticing.
Maybe you notice that there is some tension here in your diaphragm.
Maybe you notice that there is other energy in this space and all of this gets to be here.
And in your own time,
Find your seat.
Can you find whatever is holding you up?
Maybe it's the back of a chair or a couch.
Maybe you're in the car.
But can you find where that seat contacts your back and your seat?
Really,
Truly allowing the back of your seat to support you fully.
And if that's not possible,
Can you allow that seat to support you maybe a few percent more,
2% more,
5% more?
And if you can imagine the seat rising up from the earth to contact your bottom,
The back of your legs.
I'm in a cross-legged position,
So perhaps it's supporting your entire body,
Your pelvis,
Your legs,
Your feet.
Maybe allowing whatever you're on to really do the work of holding you up,
Of providing that support.
And as you are here,
Allowing for the support of the seat that you're in,
Just noticing what might happen.
Maybe nothing.
But also maybe there is a slight relaxation somewhere in your body.
Or perhaps the anxiety or the agitation,
Activation that you were feeling before changes.
Maybe the muscles in the fascia in your back or your legs or your pelvis do something different here.
And we're not really looking at these as something that is positive or negative.
This is just what is happening.
Perhaps if there's any part of your body that wants to join the party,
Maybe that gets to also be contacted.
Your seat might not be contacting your head or your shoulders.
But maybe they can notice that the rest of the body is being provided support.
As if there is support rising up to hold the shoulders and the head.
And please feel free to be in this position as long as you need.
But if you're ready now,
Just starting to move your attention back to your breath.
Again,
Noticing if there's anything new.
Slowly bringing yourself into the awareness of your surroundings.
Maybe there are noises around you.
The temperature of the air.
And when you feel ready,
If your eyes are closed,
You can feel free to open them now.
Just taking a relaxed gaze around your space.
Taking in the room or the space that you're in.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
I hope that you can come back to this one again and again for when you are feeling the need for a little support,
A little grounding.
And I hope you take care and I'll see you next time.
