You can’t think your way out of this. Lord knows I’ve tried. Especially when I’m angry. It’s easy for me to slip into ruminating and replaying, rehearsing endless loops of conversations and accusations in my head. Sound familiar?
But the key insight of somatic work is that the body has her own intelligence. When we are able to shift the focus away from thinking and instead turn toward feeling, the spinning slows. Sensation is the gateway. Because, as Mama says: sensation is the surface of consciousness.
How can you make space for some somatic self care today? The minimum viable dosage is surprisingly small. Ten minutes can shift your day; even one conscious breath can expand your heart. The techniques are simple – a few rounds of cat cow, legs-up-the-wall, a bit of sama vritti breathing, or even dancing to a great song on repeat – it’s starting that takes effort.
What’s your favorite simple somatic self care practice? Please share!
Today Mary Richards and I continue our series of conversations on Doctor Bessel van der Kolk’s book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.
Talk soon,
Lizzie
Upcoming ways to connect:
Pranayama is often taught as a way to restrict the breath, using complex counting methods to achieve increasingly long holds. This focus on control leads to hardening. And practicing this way misses the delicious truth that the breath is breathing you. Join our self-paced Pranayama Intensive workshop to learn a softer approach.
Save the date for our next free live session for subscribers to this newsletter: Tuesday March 22nd at 10:30am Salzburg time. That’s 5:30a ET, 9:30a UK, 15:00 IST, and 20:30 in Sydney. As always, the recording goes out here later that week.
Do you want to practice more Restorative yoga, pranayama, and meditation? Join us for Silence is Everywhere: a three-day experiential Zoom workshop (with recording).
You can't think your way out of this.