This week, Mindfulness Teacher and Recovery Coach Emily Jane will guide basic practices to find the safety of our bodies as trauma, fear, or anxiety pulls us to escape or paralyze us from our discomfort.
When we are feeling a lot of stress or recovering from trauma and addiction, we find ourselves living in a frozen state of fighting that feels detached or unsafe to our bodies. It’s hard to remember, at this moment I’m safe. This practice is designed to gently cultivate safety and create kinesthetic anchors (rooted in recognizing how our bodies move) and begin to build the felt security your body remembers.
Meditation to find safety in the body
Read and practice the guided meditation script below and pause after each paragraph. Or listen to audio practice.
Start by finding a comfortable location. You can sit, lie down, make your body your guide and see what you feel most supportive in this moment. Once you have settled in the selected position, close your eyes and lower your gaze. It takes a little time to pay attention to how your body is connected to the surface below you and truly feel that sense of support and grounding. Bring your consciousness to your breath and simply notice the natural rhythm of your breath. Notice without judgment and leave your breath exactly as it is. It softens the muscles in your forehead, relaxes your chin, and gently drops your shoulders. Now let’s take a deeper breath. Take a deep breath through your nose and inhale through your stomach. He then lets out a sigh as he exhale. Bring a sense of peace and make it softer to your body. When we breathe in such a deep, conscious breath, it’s like we are giving our nervous system a signal of safety. Take another breath like this, inhale it through your stomach, and exhale with the feeling of letting go.
When we breathe in such a deep, conscious breath, it’s like we are giving our nervous system a signal of safety.
Now we’ll start gently scanning your body. Just as you do, be aware of areas of tension or areas that may feel a little more heavy, uncomfortable, activated, or even physical pain. Be aware of what you feel with curiosity and caring consciousness. Then take a deep breath and take a breath into the area. You will probably find this provides a sense of peace and breadth around this part. Or maybe you won’t. Anything you feel is fine. There is no right or wrong experience here. Keep your scanned awareness. Find out if there are parts of your body that you feel safe and at ease. And if those words do not resonate for you, feel free to choose what you want to use. Maybe you will find that parts of your body feel more neutral and less active. Gently explore where it is in your body. It can be in your chest, hands, stomach, or legs. Feel how that feeling feels. Call your full attention to the place. Be aware of its qualities. Do you have a color, shape, or texture? Allow yourself to truly reach this part of your body by chance. Lean on that sense of safety, peace, calm, or neutrality. Next, spread your consciousness to the rest of your body. You will probably find that there is still discomfort and tension in these other areas. If there are, be aware of the contrast that holds both tension and safety. Next, we focus our full attention on that sense of safety. I notice the quality. Take a deep breath at this feeling. Let it expand when you inhale. And as you exhale, make sure it flows through the rest of your body. Invite this feeling to enlarge your whole body. Pay attention to this and what it feels like to rest on this. Now place one hand in your heart and the other on your belly. Apply the appropriate amount of pressure that feels to support you. This is an anchor and a somatic cue that your body can remember. The more you go back to this meditation, the more your body will safely associate this touch. Breathe in a sense of safety, calmness and reward, and take two final deep breaths. Exhale and breathe it into the space around you. Breathing of safety, gentleness, ease. It exudes safety, calmness and peace.
This is an anchor and a somatic cue that your body can remember. The more you go back to this meditation, the more your body will safely associate this touch.
If you feel that your body is at ease, safe and more regulated, then acknowledge this. Also, acknowledge that you have the power to consciously regulate your nervous system. If there’s no change, that’s fine. You did nothing wrong, and sometimes it takes practice and time to establish safety. The best attitude we can have when working in our nervous system is one of acceptance and non-resistance. When you’re ready, you can gently open your eyes. Thank you for doing this meditation. Just as the rest of your day has the same safety, ease and calm feeling.
