Stop the Spiral

Hi, I am so glad you're here taking this time to reconnect to your mind and body. I know when there's so much going on in the world, it can be so easy to lose ourselves and get caught up in the uncertainty that surrounds us. When we're lost in the spiral of our thoughts, the body is usually holding tension that needs our attention so we can be more responsive and less reactive to what's going on around us. So in this exercise, we'll practice something I like to call Interrupting the Spiral, where we bring a gentle awareness to the breath and invite movement into the body as a way to ground and find our center. So, let's begin. Just closing the eyes if that feels good. Sitting upright, shoulders relaxed, hands resting on the legs or down by your side. Now beginning to draw your focus inwards, becoming aware of the body, and gently paying attention to how you feel in this moment. Noticing any particular sensations that are present. And also noticing if any emotions are present, and perhaps where you notice them in the body. Not judging the emotion but connecting to the sensation of it. And noticing the body as if you were checking in on a friend. And once you notice a particular sensation, well, try taking some deep breath and you can imagine breathing deeply into this area and seeing if you can create some space in this part of the body. Not trying to get rid of it, but instead, holding it with care and curiosity. So breathing in through the nose, filling the body with air, expanding the belly, holding for a moment and breathing out through the mouth, softening the body. And again, breathing in, hold, and breathing out. One more time, breathing in, hold, and breathing out. And just the breath back to its natural rhythm. And now we'll invite some nice, gentle movement into the body, resting the focus on the sensations in the body. So not judging them, but again, just noticing how you feel. So beginning with the neck, dropping the right ear to the right shoulder, then bringing the chin to the chest, and slowly rolling over to the other side, bringing the left ear to the left shoulder. And gently just moving from side to side, creating space and flow while also connecting the mind and the body. And taking your time here, moving the body in a way that feels most supportive. And now, coming back to center. And then, we'll place our right hand on our left shoulder or arm, and the left hand on the right shoulder or arm, and just holding ourselves here for a moment. If it feels good, you can gently rock from side to side or rub the palms of the hands on the arms and noticing how this feels, bringing the mind back if it begins to wander. Now just allowing the hands to rest...