This 7-minute guided somatic practice will help you feel more present and grounded in your body. Achieving that state will help you feel more relaxed and able to deal with the challenges of a busy holiday season and is good for overall health and stress reduction.
Give it a try and let me know how you felt afterward!
In so many aspects of life, we want things to be different or what we think will be better.
This seems to be built into the Pilates and coaching world. We often want our bodies to be better, to do better and we’re actively trying to make changes. People come to Pilates because they want something to change. They want to be out of pain, to have better posture or stronger abs. People come to somatic coaching and trauma healing because they want something to be different; they want healing.
As someone who’s a lifelong learner and who has continued to meet life's challenges by constantly working to improve all areas of my life, I understand and do the same in my own life. There are a lot of positive things that happen through intentional change.
However, it is really important to find balance in having goals and meeting goals, while also acknowledging what we have accomplished already. If you practice Pilates or have been focused on healing, physical or emotional, you might recognize perfectionist tendencies in yourself, which can make it harder to focus on what you are already doing well.
When we’re constantly striving for the next goal and accomplishment or the next phase of our healing, we can forget to give gratitude for what we’ve already accomplished. We forget to acknowledge how amazing our bodies are and how well they take care of us.
Can you take a few moments to acknowledge and notice what you do? Notice how strong you are. Feel how capable and resilient your body is. Your body does so much every day to keep you safe and healthy. Give your body gratitude for this gift every day.
World Mental Health Day was October 17. Since COVID began, it feels like there are more people with mental health challenges, as well as more people speaking up, normalizing that they are struggling and that they need support.
It is great that we are normalizing the need for mental health support and that this support is important to our overall health. It is also hard to find a therapist right now, as many providers have a waitlist or may not be accepting new patients. If you are looking for a therapist and not having luck, keep reaching out, ask busy practices for referrals, try newer therapists, and be patient. If you feel like your needs could be met by a provider other than a therapist, you can look for other trauma informed providers such as coaches, somatic experiencing practitioners, and massage and craniolsacral therapy practitioners. These professionals are familiar with working with trauma and stress in the body. While this does not take the place of therapy, it can be helpful and be part of your support network.
Exercise!
There are many research studies that show that exercise can have a significant impact on symptoms of anxiety, depression and ADHD. We know that exercise improves mood, improves sleep and is generally good for you. When adding in exercise, I always encourage people to find something that they enjoy (or at least something that they don’t hate!). Walking is an easy exercise to implement into your day and (of course) I think Pilates is a pretty great choice as well.
Another important aspect of mental health is supporting your nervous system.
The last few months, I’ve shared simple somatic practices to support nervous system regulation. Nervous system regulation is important because our systems are not designed to be constantly in a state of stress (which many of us are!). These somatic practices help to support settling, or down-regulation of the nervous system, which is a calmer, restorative and restful state. Ideally we move through feeling stress and challenge, back to this more relaxed and restorative state with ease. Somatic practices help this process. Try them and see if you notice a feeling of being more grounded, peaceful and connected to yourself.
I learned many life lessons from my dog, and after losing him recently, I wanted to share that canine wisdom. I’m sure cats and other pets offer some of these same lessons as well. Our pets bring so much to our lives.
Dogs seem to have an easy time living in the moment. They aren’t thinking about the next thing, or worrying about the past, but seem really content being in the present. Maybe if they had human brains they would get caught up in the past and future like we do, but I like to think we humans can cultivate more dog-like in the moment presence.
My dog was a champion napper. As much as he liked to run and play, he loved to curl up on the couch, rest his head on a pillow or lounge in the sun in the middle of the day. I think we all could benefit from periods of rest mixed into our days.
While my dog enjoyed adventures he also enjoyed the simple habits of our daily life. Every walk was a pleasure, every sniff was interesting.
My dog was funny! He was playful with his toys, loved to be chased and had many funny doggie facial expressions. His playfulness was a reminder to cultivate my own ways of being playful.
When he didn’t feel good, he took it in stride, and still found joy in the simple pleasures of life. I’m reminded that it can be easy to want things to be different in our lives, but life feels easier when we can be content with what is.
My dog loved his people so much. This reminds me to show and tell the people that I care for how I feel about them.
What life lessons have you learned from your pet?
This somatic practice uses self touch to offer the body support and safety. Helping your body feel support and safety can be beneficial in helping us feel calmer, more relaxed and settled. The practice is especially helpful in times when we feel overwhelmed, sadness and the need a little extra support.
