In June, I assisted in the third and final module of the online somatic skills training with Kathy Kain. In this model, Kathy emphasizes the need to align with well-being. And that’s why I am sharing a meditation/resource/exercise for you this month.
Meditation : “Building resilience somatically”
Yes, I know, it’s often easier to focus on what’s wrong—the negative bias—than to notice what feels good.
That’s exactly what I’m inviting you to do today: deepen your body’s “pleasure map” and connect with well-being.
Maybe you don’t actually know how or what you feel in your body. Usually, we don’t notice our bodies until they hurt. Before, we took it for granted that our bodies just functioned as we wanted them to. Except when it’s not! And with aging, we become aware that our bodies are in a constant balance act, known in biology as homeostasis.
Our bodies continually work to maintain equilibrium so our systems function optimally. There are constant fluctuations: heat, cold, hunger, fullness, emotions, to name a few.
Our body-mind system stays active, always seeking balance.
Building resilience, a little pleasure, exercise, practice, and play for you
How much pleasure do you allow yourself? If you’ve mostly lived in pain, difficulty, or problem-solving mode (which is what our biology tunes us to), you may not have a wide vocabulary for pleasure, enjoyment, and feeling good.
To cultivate your capacity for joy, I offer this playful exercise and practice. It takes just a few minutes, though you’re welcome to extend it as long as you wish!
Choose between these different senses:
- Vision: Gaze at something you love, find beautiful, or inspiring—for example, a photo of a loved one, your pet, or a flower.
- Taste: put something edible in your mouth that you like
- Sensing: touch something that is agreeable to you
- Hearing: listen to music you enjoy
- Smell: find an object that smells good for you
Once you have found the sense you want to explore:
Look, taste, touch, hear, or smell the object you selected. Immerse yourself fully in the experience. Notice its effects in your body. Does it resonate, tingle, warm, vibrate, or something else?
What does it do in your mind?
- Are thoughts arising with this experience? If they feel negative, let them pass. If positive, make room for them! You can even elaborate on these thoughts as you wish.
- Do you have emotions coming up with that?
If challenging emotions arise, acknowledge them and let them drift away. If emotions are pleasant or surprising, give them space to deepen and expand throughout your being.
Remain as long as you like, allowing every cell to soak in this pleasurable sensation, taste, feeling, sound, or whatever experience it is.
Pace yourself. Too much of a good thing isn’t helpful. For example, drinking too much water when dehydrated can flush out needed minerals, salt, and sugar.
If your system isn’t used to pleasure or well-being, too much at once can feel destabilizing or even scary.
If you want, put words to your experience. Maybe write it down or share what you’ve discovered with a friend.
And if you would like to be guided in person, book your in-person or online wellbeing session with me.
