Sensing the Body, Softening into Feeling with Megan Peterson

Transcript

this is a pregnancy meditation that will help you to connect to your body your mind and your heart pregnancy can be a time of a lot of changes physically a lot of sensations and even a shifting of identity we'll take this time to see what your present - currently go ahead and set yourself up so that you feel comfortable you can be seated you could be standing you could be laying down begin by just orienting to the space that you're in by using your eyes to look around turn your head to the left and to the right look up and look down notice the colors the shapes when you feel ready can let your head settle at the top of your spine you're welcome to keep your eyes open or you can close them start to connect to where your body has support perhaps you can feel the ground beneath you maybe it's the support of furniture see if you can take a couple breaths where you invite your body to settle into the support beneath it as you become more aware of your body notice if there's any physical sensations that you're present - maybe you can feel areas of tension maybe you feel areas that are being stretched maybe you feel baby wiggling just notice what you're present - in your physical body and see if you can notice with curiosity and without expectation of how you should feel and as you're tuning in to your physical body you might also start to notice any emotions that you're present with maybe you're feeling tired maybe you're excited maybe you're anxious whatever it is that you're finding see if you can name it and allow it to be there notice if there's one particular emotion or a sensation that your attention is being called to and see if you can stay with what's there can you name it and can you allow it to be there without expectation of what will happen next notice if it has a quality of sensation in the body if it's stagnant or moving notice if there's a temperature associated with this sensation or emotion and see if you can really become curious can you have kind curiosity for whatever it is that you're finding and an openness to stay with it and see what happens next it may start to grow it may start to shift into something else see what it would be like to try to draw a soft container around where the sensation or emotion might exist in your body and then can you soften just around the edges of where this emotion or sensation exists in the body and then maybe you even start to poke little holes into this this circle that you've drawn or this sort of boundary so that if the sensation or if the emotion wants to move that there's space for it to move and as you stay present with yourself notice if there's something that you could offer yourself to give yourself some some sweetness maybe it's an affirmation in your mind maybe it's landing a hand on the area of the body where you're focused or maybe it's calling to mind a person or an animal or a place that brings you comfort notice what happens for you when you experiment with bringing in some tenderness towards yourself as you do this does your attention stay with this one part of the body or does your attention start to go to other areas of the body you may find that you want to stay right where you are attending to this one part of you that needs a little bit of attention you might also notice that the attention is bouncing around noticing different sounds or other sensations dots that's totally okay that's a part of the process you might even notice that you're able to feel this area of you that is is feeling tender while also noticing another area of your body that feels at ease so maybe there's a tenderness in the heart space while there's also a sense of ease and relaxation in your left pinky toe maybe there's a tenderness in the heart space and a sense of of a neutral sensation or an okayness in your right palm of the hand see if you can start to expand your awareness to include other areas of your body moving slowly and just noticing there's nothing that you're supposed to be feeling just practicing being present with what is there right now with what is within you right now and as you start to take in the fullness of you you might be noticing baby wiggles or the sensation again of where your body is meeting a surface whether it be the floor or furniture see if you can feel the support beneath your body and let your body be held and with your mind's eye you might start to draw an outline around your body feeling where your body is in space feeling your whole body here right now as you take a breath in keep your awareness on your whole body as you breathe out notice if you can soften just a little bit breathing in notice your whole body breathing out see what it's like to invite ease into your whole body breathing in feel your whole body breathing out softening just a little bit and inviting ease breathing in feel your whole body breathing out softening letting go and inviting ease breathing in feel your whole body breathing out softening letting go inviting ease if you're able to access the sense of ease see if you can linger wherever it might be maybe it's not in your whole body maybe it's just in your left pinky toe can you linger and savor this moment of the ease begin to consider how you might be able to land your hands somewhere on your body that would further promote ease and comfort maybe its landing one palm on the heart maybe its landing two hands on your belly to connect with your baby check in with yourself and see where your hands naturally would like to land once you've found a home for your hands notice the sensation of your hands meeting your body do they feel warm cold are they heavy are they light are they steady is their vibration see what it's like to relax your arms and let your hands get a little bit softer with your hands beating your body see if you can check in with the wisest part of you asking the question what would be most nurturing for me right now and as you ask this question to the wise as part of you notice what that part of you says maybe there's an immediate response maybe you need a little extra time stay in curiosity and see what comes up what would be most nurturing for me right now and then you may experiment with putting that answer whatever it was for you into your hands and let that intention or sentiment sink into your body notice how it feels to let that intention or sentiment sink into your entire body continue with the hands on the body if that still feels right for you take a slow steady inhale exhale out the mouth try that twice more inhale in exhale last one breathe in and breathe out as you feel ready to can slowly gently draw your hands away from the body shift your awareness back to the places where your body has support maybe it's the ground beneath your feet or the bed beneath your seat and feel how your body is held see if you can let your body be held and when you feel ready to if the eyes are closed you can start to blink the eyes open begin to take in your space just like we did in the beginning turning your head to the left to the right looking up looking down noticing colors shapes will close the meditation with one more breath take a long slow inhale and an open-mouth exhale you might think yourself for taking this time to care for you to be present with yourself and your baby thank you