You have the ability to experience growth, ease, pleasure, and vibrancy in your daily life. Together, we will reinforce your biology and nervous system's naturally arising support and resources available moment-to-moment. Over time with these exercises, your body and mind will be able to process and release stress effortlessly and you will enjoy healthy human pleasure more and more often.
Exercise 1: Soothing Self- Touch
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Your hands are an amazing ally for soothing nervous energy and accessing resources within your body. They have the highest representation in your brain for both dexterity and sensation. Gentle touch is a gesture of warmth and care, and it is always available to you, by you, and for you.
Experiment with the various self-touch prompts below. Stay in the position for as long as you are able to stay with the pleasant sensation of your hands/body. Afterwards, I recommend deepening your relationship to this practice by either journaling about your experience or sharing about your experience with a support person (friend, family, therapist, coach, etc). I have organized the prompts from least subtle to most subtle. |
Placement 1: Place a hand in the center of your chest and the other just below your naval. Try this while sitting down, laying down, or standing up.
Placement 2: Place one hand on the center of your forehead, with your pinky fingers along your eyebrow ridgeline, and your second hand at the base of your skull, with your pointer finger along your occipital ridge.
Placement 3: Place your right hand underneath your left armpit, and wrap your left arm over the right while placing your left hand on the top of your shoulder.
Placement 4: Place your elbows on a table and cup the base of your palms together so that your chin can rest into your hands while your palm and fingers apply slight pressure to your cheecks and your middle finger rests at your temples.
Placement 5: Place your palms together in a prayer position, then rotate your right fingers into the space between your left pointer finger and left thumb so that your hands are comfortably pressed together
While you engage in different self-touch exercises, practice a gentle noticing of physiological responses to the placements by asking how does my heart feel now? (wait a bit) and how about now? Repeat this curiosity with gut, breath, muscles.
There are many more combinations of self-touch routines, including more active routines that have a self-massage component. If you'd like guidance for a self-massage routine you can access my 15-minute routine here: 15 Minute Self-Massage Flow
Placement 2: Place one hand on the center of your forehead, with your pinky fingers along your eyebrow ridgeline, and your second hand at the base of your skull, with your pointer finger along your occipital ridge.
Placement 3: Place your right hand underneath your left armpit, and wrap your left arm over the right while placing your left hand on the top of your shoulder.
Placement 4: Place your elbows on a table and cup the base of your palms together so that your chin can rest into your hands while your palm and fingers apply slight pressure to your cheecks and your middle finger rests at your temples.
Placement 5: Place your palms together in a prayer position, then rotate your right fingers into the space between your left pointer finger and left thumb so that your hands are comfortably pressed together
While you engage in different self-touch exercises, practice a gentle noticing of physiological responses to the placements by asking how does my heart feel now? (wait a bit) and how about now? Repeat this curiosity with gut, breath, muscles.
There are many more combinations of self-touch routines, including more active routines that have a self-massage component. If you'd like guidance for a self-massage routine you can access my 15-minute routine here: 15 Minute Self-Massage Flow