This week, mindfulness teacher and recovery coach Emily Jane guides a grounding practice to find safety in our bodies when trauma, fear, or anxiety are pulling us to escape from or numb our discomfort.
When we are living with a lot of stress or recovering from trauma or addiction, we can find ourselves living in a fight-flight-freeze state, where we feel either disconnected from or unsafe in our bodies. It’s hard to remember, In this moment, I am safe. This practice is designed to gently cultivate a sense of safety and then create a kinesthetic anchor rooted in awareness of how our body is moving to start building a felt sense of security that your body can remember.
A Meditation for Finding Safety in the Body
Read and practice the guided meditation script below, pausing after each paragraph. Or listen to the audio practice.
Begin by finding a comfortable position. You can sit down, lie down, let your body be your guide, and see what feels most supportive for you in this moment. Notice how your body connects with the surface beneath you, and take a few moments to really feel into that sense of support and grounding. Noticing without judgment, just let the breath be exactly as it is. Now let’s take a couple of deeper breaths. Then extending that exhale with a long sigh. Just bring in a sense of ease and softening into the body. When we take deep conscious breaths like this, it’s like we are giving a signal of safety to our nervous system. Take one more breath like this, inhaling from the belly and exhaling with a sense of letting go.
When we take deep conscious breaths like this, it’s like we are giving a signal of safety to our nervous system.
Now start gently scanning through your body. As you do, notice any areas of tension or parts that might feel a bit more heavy, uncomfortable, activated, or even in physical pain. Note what you’re feeling with a curious and compassionate awareness. There’s no right or wrong experience here. Explore if there is a part of your body that feels safe, more at ease or calm. And if those words don’t resonate for you, feel free to choose one that does. Maybe you just find that there is a part of your body that feels more neutral and less activated. Does it have a color, shape, or texture? Lean into that sense of safety, ease, calm, or neutrality. Maybe you notice there is still some discomfort or tension in these other areas. Then bring your full attention back to that sensation of safety. Apply just the right amount of pressure that feels supportive for you. This is an anchor, a somatic cue your body can remember. Let’s take two final deep breaths, breathing in a sense of safety, calm, and ease. Breathing in safety, calm, ease; breathing out safety, calm, ease.
This is an anchor, a somatic cue your body can remember.
