Hello,
This is Catherine Cocaton,
Author of Embodiment and the Treatment of Eating Disorders.
The body is a resource in recovery.
I'm going to read from script 13.
1,
Listening to intuition,
Heart and mind.
Either in a seated position or lying on your back,
Place one hand on your belly and the other hand on your heart.
This is important.
Place one hand on your belly and the other hand on your heart.
If you'd like,
Close your eyes or soften your gaze and begin to breathe,
Perhaps saying to yourself,
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in and breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
Take four cycles of deep breaths,
Tracking your breaths with your words.
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in and breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in and breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in and breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
One more.
Breathing in,
I know I am breathing in and breathing out,
I know I am breathing out.
Now,
Bring to mind the relationship or person you would like to consider in this practice.
Imagine they are sitting about three feet away from you in a chair.
They are simply sitting there.
You do not need to interact with them.
You are simply considering their presence.
Think about the clothes they are wearing,
Their posture,
Hair,
Eyes,
Mannerisms.
Bring them into your awareness as clearly as you can.
Breathe here with this person in your awareness.
Now,
Bring your awareness to your belly where you have one of your hands placed.
Breathe gently and simply notice.
Consider the person and notice your belly.
You might ask a question such as,
Is this person a positive influence in my life?
Or is this person a negative influence in my life?
If a story comes to mind,
Gently coax your awareness back to your belly.
Your belly is the seat of your intuition.
It is your gut instinct.
Listen to the messages that might come from your belly.
It is time now to listen to the belly.
It is okay if you do not feel anything or if you feel a lot.
Simply notice.
Keep asking the same questions and notice.
Now,
Bring your awareness to your heart where you have placed one of your hands.
Breathe gently and simply notice.
Consider the person and notice your heart.
You might ask a question like,
Is this person a positive influence in my life?
Or is this person a negative influence in my life?
If a story comes to mind,
Gently coax your awareness back to your heart.
Your heart is the seat of your emotions.
Listen to the messages that might come from your heart.
It is okay if you do not feel anything or if you feel a lot.
Simply notice.
Keep asking the same questions and notice.
Now keeping your hand on your belly and the other hand on your heart,
Bring your awareness to your head.
Breathe gently and simply notice.
Consider the person and notice your thoughts.
You might ask a question such as,
Is this person a positive influence in my life?
Or is this person a negative influence in my life?
See what stories come up.
Are they defensive,
Supportive,
Or rationalizations?
Pay more attention to the patterns or qualities of your thoughts than the thoughts themselves.
Do they align with your belly and your heart?
Listen to the messages that might come up from the patterns of your thoughts.
Just notice.
Keep asking the same questions and notice.
Using all three of your sources of embodied wisdom,
The intuition in your belly,
Your emotions,
And your thoughts,
Ask yourself this question,
Am I my best when I'm with this person?
What are my actions like when I'm with this person?
What is my state of being?
What is it like when I'm with this person?
Ask the questions and check with your belly,
Your heart,
And your thoughts.
Breathe and notice for several deep breaths in each location.
Conceive the messages from your belly,
Your heart,
And your mind align.
You might want to pause here and take a few moments to really breathe in each area of your embodied wisdom.
Using all three of your sources of embodied wisdom,
The intuition in your belly,
The emotions in your heart,
And your thoughts,
Ask yourself,
What do I feel like after I have spent time with this person?
Am I energized,
Depleted,
Exhausted,
Or inspired?
What does my body feel like?
What does my heart tell me?
And what are the contents and the patterns of my thoughts?
Ask the questions and check in with your belly,
Your heart,
And your thoughts.
Breathe and notice for several deep breaths in each location,
And then see if they align.
You can press the pause button here and take a few moments breathing and noticing in each location.
Now take some time to let the information settle.
Breathe into your body and simply notice.
When you are ready,
Bring your awareness back to this room and slowly open your eyes if they were closed.
Find something in the room upon which you can anchor your gaze and then slowly broaden your awareness to the whole room.
Offer gratitude to your belly,
Your heart,
And your mind for their wisdom.
Write down any thoughts or observations you might have in your journal.
Thank you for practicing.
