Life happens and we continue on. If you are reading this, you have survived whatever life has brought you thus far and you are hopefully safe. Our mind doesn’t always allow our body to believe that we have survived and we are safe. Our fascial tissue holds the memories of everything that has happened in our lives and what was brought to us through our DNA. We are our ancestors and I’m sure they went through a lot. Circumstances change, places change, people change, but sometimes our fear remains. We find similarities in multiple events and without consciously realizing it, our body enters this constant state of fight, flight, or freeze making everything scary. Our fascia senses this need to protect and thus creates physical holding and bracing patterns.
Take note of what areas of your body tense up when you are stressed. Countless times clients will report how great they felt while on vacation and the moment they got back, their pain returned. This is one of the indicators that your pain has an emotional cause. This is incredibly helpful, too! Pain is a great communicator. It should not be hated and avoided. Pain is giving you very valuable information. What makes you hurt? If stress is the cause of your pain, no surgery is going to completely relieve your pain. You need to delve deeper into giving yourself permission to acknowledge that you have survived and you are safe.
Life is a miracle and should be treated that way. Everything that happens to us, even death, is a miracle.
Voyage to HEAL Weekly Task
Stretch: Let’s release the diaphragm and give ourselves permission to breathe. When you are stressed, breathing stops. You hold your breath. This can tighten the diaphragm which in return restricts the vagus nerve in the lower right ribcage and then signals the brain that you are in trouble. So…using a pool noodle, released ball, or your fingers curled up under the ribcage melt into the diaphragm as you listen to the meditation below. This week’s meditation is quite different from others. You will just hear me repeating “I have survived. I am safe. I give myself permission to let go.” The more you hear these words and feel these words as your breath returns, your body will soften and the tissue memory will shift.
Exercise: Laying on your back with your knees bent, get your core on. Now lift your legs to tabletop and march in place for 30 seconds, 3x/day. Make sure your belly stays flat. If you see it poofing up, then you’re core is not activated. Lower your legs only as much as you can keep your stomach flat and your back against the floor.
Habitual Change: Take note of where your body tenses when you are stressed. Become aware of this, feel it, and allow your body to soften as you say, “I have survived. I am safe. I give myself permission to let go”.
Perspective Enlightenment: I see life and all its events as a miracle.
This week’s blog post coincides beautifully with week 2 of the Voyage to HEAL: I am safe.
Godspeed on your Voyage to HEAL
Love,
Jocelyn
