Hello wonderful beings,
I am Anisha and thank you for choosing me to be your guide today.
Today's practice will help you regain focus and composure.
So in this track,
First we will do the practice together and then I will explain why it works,
What are the benefits of this practice,
When to use it and when not to use it.
Before we begin the practice,
Let's first check in with ourselves,
So take a moment to turn your attention inward and notice how are you feeling right now.
Name the most dominant emotion that is present in your body at this moment.
Now rate the intensity of this emotion on a scale of 0 to 10,
0 being the least intensity or no intensity at all and 10 being the highest intensity.
So at what level is your current emotion?
You are doing amazing,
So now we know exactly where we are,
So let's start the practice together.
Find a spot where you can stand on a soft yet stable surface like maybe standing on a mat placed on the floor.
It's preferable to stand near a sturdy support like a chair or a wall where your hands can rest or lean on if needed for more balance.
So you can pause this audio if you need time to find such a spot.
Now let's take a comfortable position,
We are going to do this practice in a standing posture,
So stand with your feet hip width apart,
Looking in front of you.
You don't need to straighten your legs very rigidly,
You can keep your knees soft.
Standing in this posture take a deep breath in,
Coming home to this present moment and a slow breath out,
Letting go of the need to be anywhere else or to do anything else.
Take another deep breath in and with the exhale feel your feet firmly planted on the ground.
So this practice involves two steps,
The first step is lifting the heel and the second step is dropping the heel,
So as you breathe in I would invite you to lift your heels and stand on your toes and as you exhale I would invite you to drop your heels back to the floor.
So we will do together a slow version of it so that you can get a more clearer picture.
So let's start,
Raise your heels off the floor,
Transferring your weight on the balls of your feet,
Standing on your toes,
If you need some support you can lean your hands on any surface nearby like a wall or chair so that you can maintain your balance.
Inhale deeply as you stand with your heels raised upwards,
Your spine long and your eyes looking forward.
Now as you exhale slowly,
Gently lower your heels back to the floor,
This movement should be gentle and controlled,
Feel the weight of your body shifting slightly as your heels connects with the ground,
Focus on the sensations of your heel making contact with the floor,
Feel your feet sinking in the ground.
Very good,
Now we will repeat this practice a few times but before we try this again remember to control the lowering of your heels to target the calf muscles without excessive impact,
So if you have any physical limitations or injuries,
Starting with soft drops may be the best approach,
Soft drops means lowering the heel back to the ground gently and if you are physically healthy you can gradually experiment with increasing the impact of dropping the heel back to the ground to find whatever level suits you the best,
So having that said let's repeat the practice a few more times,
Ready?
Inhale up you go and exhale down you ground.
As you drop your heels observe the sensations that arise in your legs and the rest of your body,
So again inhale up you go and exhale down you ground,
Inhale up you go and exhale down you ground,
Inhale up you go,
Exhale down you ground,
Again inhale up you go and exhale down you ground.
Now continue it at your own pace,
I will stay quiet for a few moments,
Very good,
Now as we reach the end of this exercise allow yourself to gradually return to a resting state and notice how your body feels,
Take a moment to notice your feelings,
Has your emotional landscape shifted since we began?
Notice are you still feeling the same emotions that you felt initially,
If yes then has the intensity of this emotion changed and if you said no you are not feeling the same emotion that you felt initially then name the new emotion that is present in your body right now?
Very good,
You did great,
Now to end this practice bring both of your hands to your heart and thank yourself for taking this time to make your nervous system feel safe and calm,
You can even say thank you to yourself,
Ok now if your eyes were closed you can open your eyes and connect back with your surrounding,
You did great,
Now let me explain what we just did from a scientific viewpoint,
So this practice involved standing on your toes and then dropping your heels onto the ground creating a vibration that travels throughout your body,
So these vibrations from the heel drops can activate the parasympathetic nervous system which counteracts the stress response by reducing levels of cortisol and other stress hormones,
The sudden drops creates a more pronounced vibration and release the pent up energy and tension more effectively whereas the soft drops are also effective because they work based on mindfulness as with the drops we focus on the sensations in the legs,
Additionally the rhythmic nature of this exercise helps in restoring a sense of agency and movement counteracting the feelings of immobilization that are a part of freeze response,
So if you found this practice helpful then you can do 10 to 15 repetitions of the lifting and dropping cycle in one go,
Feel free to repeat this track 1 to 3 times a day and practice along with me,
I would recommend you to practice this particular technique for the rest of the week so that this way you will develop a habit regularly practicing this can offer several advantages,
It can help you reconnect with your body,
Reduce anxiety,
Promote a sense of safety and alleviate symptoms such as fatigue and tension,
Improving overall well-being and energy levels,
It has multiple other physical benefits as well,
Heel drops are often a safe practice but it's essential to approach this practice with care,
If you have any pre-existing conditions affecting the legs,
Feet or ankles then I would advise you to consult a healthcare professional before incorporating this practice into your daily routine,
Additionally while this exercise can be beneficial for managing stress it may not be suitable during intense moments of panic,
Remember everyone's journey to inner peace is unique and while heel drops offer a powerful pathway to inner peace it might not be the perfect fit for everyone,
So if this practice didn't worked out for you then don't worry there is a tool out there for you,
Feel free to explore other techniques on my profile to find the right fit for you thank you for listening,
You being here means a lot to me,
I will see you soon,
Take care,
Bye
