Find a position where your spine feels supported.
Let your shoulders drop down away from your ears and gently allow your eyes to close.
Right now your body might be telling a story of stress.
Maybe you have a racing heart,
A tight throat,
Or a busy mind.
Acknowledge that this is just your nervous system trying to protect you.
There may be moments in your life where this heightened state serves you well,
But this moment is not one of them.
So take a deep breath in through your nose and a slow audible sigh out through the mouth.
And sigh it out,
Feeling the air cross your lips,
Signaling to your brain that in this exact moment you are safe enough to breathe.
Now together we're going to exhaust your sympathetic nervous system,
Starting with your hands.
Pull them into tight,
Firm fists.
Squeeze your forearms.
Squeeze until they shake slightly and hold the tension.
And release.
Feel the blood flow back into your fingers and notice the mismatch between the tension you just had and the softness you have created.
Now move to your sole muscle,
Which lives around the hips.
Squeeze your glutes and pull your belly button toward your spine.
Squeeze and hold.
And let go,
Feeling your hips sink into the surface beneath.
And now let a wave of calm start at the base of your spine and move up your body.
Now shift your attention to the sole nerve,
The vagus nerve,
Which runs from the base of your skull down through your throat to your heart and your gut.
Visualize this nerve as a glowing,
Warm golden thread.
And with every breath,
This light gets wider,
Warmer,
And softer.
If you've been feeling frozen or numb,
Imagine this warmth gently thawing the ice.
If you've been trying to please everyone else to stay safe,
Imagine this golden light creating a soft yet firm container around you.
You don't need to think about anyone else right now.
This energy is for you.
It's your anchor.
It's helping you return to your own calm center.
Notice the difference.
Your old brain might still try to whisper its old rules of being in danger,
But your body is telling a new story.
Hold both of these for a moment.
Feel the memory of the stress and feel the reality of your heavy limbs and your steady breath.
They both feel real,
But only one is happening right now.
In this juxtaposition,
The old circuit begins to unwire.
As it does,
It's okay to feel a sense of relief,
Maybe even a light and giddy feeling as the synapses update.
Now,
In a moment,
I'm going to count from one to three,
And when I reach three,
You'll open your eyes,
Feeling alert,
Regulated,
And grounded.
One,
Noticing the weight of your body on the surface below and noticing the temperature of the air on your skin.
Two,
Carrying this sense of settling with you,
Knowing your body and your mind are aligned in their peace now.
And three,
Eyes open,
Wide awake,
Back in the present moment.
