If you've been practicing your somatic breathing exercises throughout the day it is certain you've experienced some relief of pain. It’s based on the fact that there is a “feedback loop” between your muscles and your brain. Healthy relaxation of a muscle depends on the integrity of communication throughout this loop. The muscle and its tendons are loaded with nerve sensors that tell the brain what the muscle is doing. The brain has a “sensory” part, which “feels,” and a “motor” part, which “drives” (controls) the muscle.
One important intervention to add to your routine is the power of curiosity to help interrupt that fear factor that often marks the first downward slide into the pit of pain. If we learn to sustain a playful and mindful focus on the sensations of our body, then we stop waiting for our worst fears to be fulfilled. Instead, we begin to discover how our somatic experiences feed into each other and how better patterns can be set.
Ground Yourself
One important intervention to add to your routine is the power of curiosity to help interrupt that fear factor that often marks the first downward slide into the pit of pain. If we learn to sustain a playful and mindful focus on the sensations of our body, then we stop waiting for our worst fears to be fulfilled. Instead, we begin to discover how our somatic experiences feed into each other and how better patterns can be set.
Ground Yourself
- Begin somatic breathing with long, slow breaths.
- Feel your body relax in a lying or sitting position.
- Get a sense of your feet and how they are connected to the earth. How do they feel on the couch or bed? Gently shift your weight from foot to foot.
- Now explore your calves and thighs. Notice the connection to your feet. Is there a difference between the right or left leg?
- Allow your body to shift to any other area that is requiring your attention. What does it feel like? Can you add words to describe it? Tight, loose, blocked, flowing, tingly, congested, heavy, empty, cold, or warm? Try to shift away from the usual description like sore and painful. Zero in on the type of pain or uncomfortable feeling you are sensing.
- Allow your sensations to be drawn to an area of the body that feels whole and complete.
- Let your mind wander about your body in places that require attention. Be sure to shift back to areas that are pain free to gently remind yourself this is what you want to experience. As you do, ask yourself these questions: What kinds of sensations are associated with being stuck? What part is this part of my body touching? How does this feel to me? Can I feel any vibrations in my body? Can I hear or sense anything here?
- Continue for as long as you like.
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