Hi.
Thank you for joining me.
If you found your way here,
Chances are your relationship with your gut is challenged or strained.
Maybe it's even resentful or fearful.
But know that we're not here today to analyze or fix or even interpret.
This meditation is a simple practice of presence.
A chance to sit quietly with your gut,
To feel into the belly,
And offer it your awareness,
Your care,
Your presence.
We're not looking for messages or deeper meaning.
We're just learning to be with what's there.
Gently.
Consistently.
Like you might sit beside someone you care about who's in distress or feeling unwell.
Just your presence.
Just your breath.
Just your body.
Right here.
So let's begin by finding a position that feels supportive.
Sitting or lying down.
Whatever helps you feel most at ease.
Let your eyes close or soften your gaze.
Start with a slow,
Steady breath in through the nose and a long breath out through the mouth.
Do that a couple more times.
Breathing in and letting go.
Allowing your breath to return to its natural rhythm now.
And feeling the weight of your body against the surfaces holding you.
Feel your feet,
Your legs,
Your back,
The contact and support beneath you.
Let yourself be held.
As you're held here,
The breath deep and relaxed.
Take a moment to locate an area of your body outside of your belly that feels neutral or safe to rest your attention.
Somewhere that doesn't feel uncomfortable.
That can be your anchor point,
Your home base.
And when you've located it,
Let your attention settle there for a moment.
Observing the sensations of the spot.
Not with labeling or judgment,
But purely with feeling.
And at any point throughout this practice,
Know that you can return to this comforting anchor.
And now gently bring your awareness to your belly.
If the breath has room to do so,
Allow it to deepen into the belly.
Allowing the breath to innervate any tightness.
To create spaciousness where there's constriction.
Finding depth,
But also ease.
Finding space on the inhales.
And softening on the exhales.
You might place a hand on the belly if that feels comfortable or comforting.
As you begin to direct your attention inward.
Notice any sensations that are present.
Perhaps warmth,
Tightness,
Fullness,
Emptiness,
Fluttering.
Maybe you feel something clearly.
Maybe you feel nothing at all.
It's all okay.
Let it be whatever it is.
Without needing to name or to change it.
Just rest your attention here.
In the belly.
The center of your being.
Let your breath move through the space.
Not to alter anything.
But to accompany it.
Like a soft light.
Or a steady hand.
This is about being with.
Not doing to.
If your belly feels tense or uncomfortable.
Notice if any automatic thoughts accompany your awareness of sensation there.
Any judgments.
Or stories.
And if they do come up.
Acknowledge them.
And set them aside for now.
If your gut is feeling distressed right now.
Consider.
How would I respond to someone I love?
Who's in distress.
A friend.
A family member.
Even a pet.
Someone who is uncomfortable.
Or afraid.
Or hurting.
Would I scold them?
Demand they stop feeling that way?
Resent them?
Or would I sit close?
Offer warmth.
Speak softly.
Just stay near.
Would I let my presence be a comforting embrace?
Can you offer that same presence?
To your own body?
To your own gut?
There's nothing to solve right now.
Just keep returning.
To the sensations in your belly.
Moment by moment.
Let them shift.
Stay still.
Or come and go.
You're just witnessing.
Just accompanying.
You might imagine the belly softening slightly more.
Beneath your hand.
Not because you asked it to.
But because it knows you're here with it.
Because it knows it's safe to do so in your compassionate presence.
Your presence,
Which is here not to fix or to demand.
Or to manipulate.
But your presence,
Which is here to witness.
To care.
To say,
I'm sorry you're feeling this way.
Let me be here with you.
Notice if you feel called to any touch.
Contact.
Embrace of the belly.
And follow that intuition.
Curiously.
To explore in a physical,
Somatic way.
What it's like to offer tenderness to the gut.
And letting that go.
Returning to the breath.
In through the nose.
And gently out through the mouth.
Feel your body where it touches the ground again.
Feel your hand on your belly.
A simple reminder that this place,
This awareness,
This tenderness,
Is always available.
And when you're ready,
Bringing movement back into the body.
Into the fingers and toes.
Opening your eyes if they were closed.
Returning to the space around you.
And carrying this quiet,
Steady presence with you.
As you move into the rest of your day.
Thank you for practicing with me.
