Welcome to this meditation for awakening and renewal.
This is an opportunity to gently shift out of dormancy into action,
While at the same time cultivating nervous system flexibility.
We're going to do this through awareness,
Movement and stillness,
And we will explore the natural rhythm of activation and rest within the body.
So for now find a comfortable position,
You could sit or lie down,
Whatever feels comfortable for you,
Whatever feels safe for you,
And just allow your body to settle,
Making any adjustments if you need to,
And feeling the support beneath you.
If it feels good for you,
Maybe you can take a deep breath in through your nose,
And exhale softly through your mouth,
And only if you feel safe to do so,
You can close your eyes,
Otherwise you can keep them open no problem.
And I want you to start noticing the natural rhythm of your breath,
You don't need to change it or analyze it,
Just observing it with curiosity and compassion,
Just don't judge it and try to accept it just as it is,
Even if it feels constricted or uncomfortable,
And of course if something feels like too much,
You can stop this at any moment.
Now slowly,
If your eyes were closed,
Open them again,
And begin to bring awareness to your surroundings,
You can even move your head or your torso,
And just allow your eyes to scan the space around you,
Imagine you are looking at this space as if it was the first time,
You can notice the colors,
The shapes,
The textures,
The lights and shadows,
Just be open and curious to see where your eyes want to land,
What catches your attention.
Now,
Tune into sounds,
So just stay open to hearing any sounds or noises around you,
Do you hear them near you or far away,
Just let your awareness land on something that brings a sense of curiosity.
We can add now another layer of awareness,
So you are noticing and observing your environment,
You are also noticing the sounds around you,
And now you can bring attention to your body,
So you can notice where you feel the most supported,
And maybe it's your feet on the ground or your back against the surface,
Maybe it's the softness of your hands resting in your lap.
Just allow yourself to settle into this support,
Into these physical sensations,
Remember to do it with an open mind,
With curiosity,
With love,
Gentleness and compassion,
Try not to judge,
Whatever you're feeling is perfectly fine.
The reason we are doing this is because when we are stressed,
When we suffer or have suffered from chronic stress,
When we have experienced trauma,
We disconnect from our bodies and we disconnect from our environments.
So I'm guiding you to that exploratory orienting,
With that curiosity,
Just looking around so you can recreate,
So you can rewire that connection with the outside world,
And I'm also guiding you to connect with your body,
So again you can reconnect back with your body,
Because this is the journey of healing.
And now I'm going to invite you to hug yourself,
So you bring one hand to the opposite shoulder,
And then the other,
And just notice how it feels,
Notice the sensations of this touch,
Notice how your breath responds to this hug,
Do you feel any tension or expansion,
Does it feel loving,
Does it feel uncomfortable,
Remember there's no right or wrong answer.
And now,
Still holding yourself in this hug,
You can start rocking a bit side to side,
Front to back,
Whatever feels good for you,
Just bring in some movement,
And explore that movement,
Notice maybe the contrast between movement and the stillness from before,
Does it feel activating,
Does it feel expansive,
Does it feel warm,
Cold,
Tingling,
Grounding,
Just explore,
Now you can go back to stillness,
Still hugging yourself,
And again exploring and just noticing the contrast,
How it feels,
Just connecting with those physical sensations,
With your emotions as well,
Always with that curiosity and acceptance,
And an open heart.
Through this practice,
We're actually shifting from rest to activation in a very gentle way to make sure we don't overwhelm the nervous system,
And that is teaching your nervous system to be resilient,
To be flexible,
Because life is not about being peaceful all the time,
Life comes with ups and downs,
And it's about how we navigate those,
So here we're supporting our nervous system to actually be able to shift between those states more organically and with more ease.
You can keep hugging yourself,
Or you can bring your hands to your lap,
Whatever feels good for you,
And I just want you to bring to mind a recent moment of joy,
A moment of ease or comfort,
Or even just a moment of okayness,
Like something small and simple,
A micro moment of okayness.
Again,
It doesn't have to be something big,
It could be the warmth of the sun on your skin,
Maybe the sound of birds,
A smile from a stranger,
A hug with a loved one.
Bring that image to mind and notice how your body responds.
Does your breath shift when you think about that moment?
Do you feel warmth,
Lightness,
Expansion?
Allow yourself to rest in this sensation for a few breaths.
I like calling these moments initiation portals,
Because they initiate the nervous system into the ventral response,
This rest and digest,
Restore.
So by bringing to mind these micro moments,
We're allowing to expand our capacity,
We're allowing the body to feel safer,
To be okay.
So slowly over time,
Those moments can become bigger and bigger,
And it becomes more of your natural state to actually be able to notice those things,
To experience that ease.
So as we come to a close,
Bring one hand to your heart,
The other to your belly,
And I want you to take a moment to thank yourself for this practice of renewal and awakening,
To thank yourself for taking this time to nurture yourself,
To nurture your nervous system.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes,
You can wiggle your fingers and toes,
You can look around,
And I want you to carry this sense of balance and flexibility into your day,
Knowing that you can return to this freedom,
Knowing that your body knows exactly what to do.
