Portal into You ~ Somatic Expression Practice
The thing that has most transformed me to feeling vibrant aliveness is the consistent engagement of a somatic practice. Somatic practice presences what is true for the nervous system / body+mind / somatic mind, and we heal when we bring presence to our embodied, somatic truth. I’ve found that even a short 2-8 minute duration can be supremely supportive and cathartic to my nervous system. The most simple practice I use is a few steps and can happen almost anywhere and anytime. Try this out and see how it feels for you:
Simple Somatic Practice
1) Wherever you are.. car, desk, kitchen, shower, backyard.. SLOW down.
2) Close your eyes and take a deep intentional inhale in the nose, mindfully expand the lower belly--below the ribs, behind the navel and on either side and in front of the spine--try placing your hands on the sides of your torso and see if this physical tactile touch helps move breath into your hands. Exhale and repeat a few times. Continue this for a few rounds.
3) Begin engaging sound on the exhale: as you exhale, permit sound to come out the throat-- anything that naturally and organically rises up. Permit yourself to relax into the spontaneity of your sound as much as possible. There is no right or wrong, there is only unique & perfect You. Do several rounds like this.
4) Return to your natural breath and take your gaze inward. In this internal awareness, scan the body and notice any physical sensations.
5) As you notice sensations, try guiding your awareness to the interior of the physical sensation, as if you could see from and “Be” the physical sensation.
6) From this place of internal awareness, simply notice what you notice. During the noticing, try to presence what’s coming up through sound and/or movement expression: If the thing you’re noticing had a voice, what would it sound like? If the thing you’re noticing could move, how would it move?
7) Stay here for as long as you want/are able.
8) To close, I like to wrap my arms over my shoulders like a self-hug and I say “I love you” as if I’m talking to myself. Try whatever feels good: open your eyes and look around, clasp your hands, smile, whoop, wiggle!
The thing to remember most is that a somatic practice is different for everyone because we are all different! The discovery journey with it is so personal and because of that, it’s an extremely fun and empowering way to get to know oneself. I hope you enjoy your exploration journey! If you want to talk more about it, contact me and let’s talk! If you want to see some examples of how I do it, check out my youtube channel.
Love Warmth & Vibrance ~ Liz
