Finding Comfort, Support and Ease in this time of Covid19: the practice of The Check-in

This is a slightly revised excerpt of an email that i shared with my clients yesterday. I hope that at least one of you will find what I share helpful to you in your process of staying healthy and fully alive in this unusual of times. - Victoria

Today is day 28 for me in this process of keeping to my home, physically distancing when I am out and connecting with other humans only on-line or across a 6 foot trail!  There have been challenging moments and rewarding moments:  I can share with you that I have felt the experience of ALL of the zones a person can live in (according to Tom Senninger), and have been finding all sorts of opportunities to practice my tools of self-soothing - the very same tools that I share with all my clients, whether in private movement sessions, private clinical sessions or moving together in my group Embodiment classes.  

The process of what I call “The Check-in” has been crucial for me in my pursuit to find some sense of the Comfort Zone throughout the day.  When Comfort, Security, Safety is not really to be found, it is the Check-in that helps me keep my feet and head in the Learning Zone.  

Sometimes I need to do a full-blown, time-out sort of check-in, giving myself 15 - 20 minutes of breath, grounded support, orienting and constructive thinking.

Sometimes it is a mini-bringing-myself-back-to-the-present-moment kind of check-in of one breath, one shift of focus, one jiggle of my Upper body into my Lower.

And sometimes it is simply reminding myself that I am free to notice where I put my focus.  

Regardless of the length of time in the Check-in process, I have found that daily, hourly, sometimes moment-by-moment the practice of Checking-in to the "right now" of where and how I am has been crucial for me.  

How about you?

To support you in your process of Checking-in, I have shared below some of my writing about my practice this past week.

(I’d like to acknowledge that I learned the value of the phrase “I am free to…” in my training and conversations with Imogen Ragone, and have enfolded it into to my Embodiment practices because I have found it to be powerful in supporting change!)

I am free to notice the experience of my breath.  I am free to choose the speed and depth of my breath.

As I notice my breath I think about these more than 650 hours of quarantine and the changes I have experienced and witnessed in that time.  Crocuses and daffodils have bloomed and then waned.  Tulips and spring beauties (the small white & pink flowers that have been blanketing Stewart Park) have emerged as well as the leaves and buds of various types of trees.  (And although the frost may have done some damage, I can still see the pink explosion of the red bud trees out my window so I have hope that this week I will still be able to find and enjoy color in nature!)  I notice a loosening in my chest and gut as I choose to focus on my memory of what I have seen of spring blossoming.  I notice my breath deepens and slows.  Joy.  Peace.)  

I am free to notice the experience of my body being supported by the Earth.  I am free to accept and allow myself to be fully supported.

 I am free to orient in the environment that is outside of me right now.  I am free to notice my sense of the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, temperature and texture of my Outer environment as they come into my Inner environment.  I am free to notice the experience of my Inner environment:  my Back body and Front, my Right body and Left, my Upper body being supported by my Lower body.  

As I settle my awareness and my Weight into my feet I think about all the walking I've done this week. In those walks, with the Earth rolling its support through the heel, balls and toes of my feet, I've had the opportunity to witness so much wildlife  - seeing swans and muskrat at the Cosmos-Bethel lake; observing the sights and sounds of herons standing in stillness, ducks floating in pairs muttering to each other, geese flying and honking their air-traffic control calls, frogs hopping and several baby snakes slithering their way across the trail at the wetlands of Forum Nature Area, and hearing the multi-faceted and omnipresent calls of the tree frogs at Stewart Park, Forum Nature Area and Grasslands Trail.  Remembering these things, I recall the sense of excitement with a widening in my chest, the power of recuperative energy rising into my leg bones, and the satisfying experience of being a physical body present and supported in this moment.  Satisfaction.

I am free to notice ease.  I am free to notice where it seems a little easier right now.  Where else?  Where now? I am free…

If this felt valuable to you or piqued your curiosity about Embodiment, I invite you to check out my website. For a schedule of online movement events  visit here. To find our more about private sessions visit here.

The Monday and Tuesday Easy Movement Breaks are 30 minute seated or standing explorations of embodiment tools and easy free-style movement.

The Thursday Mindful Move Groove is a 1 hour class that can be standing or seated.  The first 30 minutes focuses on boosting immunity and soothing nerves, followed by easy choreographed movement and ending with a gentle cool-down.

The Friday On the Floor Movement Break is 30 minutes of exploration of grounded support and movement at the lowest level possible:  we are currently focusing on Constructive Rest!

In everything I offer professionally, we practice Checking In in some way: taking the time to notice, choose, finding ease and support, practice living life more fully! I believe this is all so important, and especially in these challenging times we are living in together right now. Let’s keep our combined energy recuperated and alive! Live life more fully with Embodiment!

A Morning Contemplation on Staying Connected in the time of Covid19

I am working on a blog post called “Pacing Yourself in the Time of Social Distancing”; however, because I am pacing myself, it is not yet ready to share. Meanwhile, I would like to share with you this morning contemplation I wrote on connection. My gift to you. - Vic

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Good morning, my friend.

Let's get together right now. Would you like that?

We may not be able to touch hands or hug. I may not be able to rest the right side of my face on the right side of yours, heart to heart. We may not be able to face each other, just across a table, coffees in our hands, our words bumping into each other through the sagittal space we share. We may not be able to do any of these things right now...and yet,

we can breathe together, in this space that is spaceless, where there is no real distance, where we are all connected.

I exhale, fully aware that I am releasing parts of myself to the environment. I am confident that my body knows how to release the stuff I no longer need - and while, right now, we might be inclined, consciously or not, to focus on the stuff we or others are exhaling that can be of danger, I'm suggesting we choose to remember that our out breath is also a gift. The trees, the grasses, the crocuses that are just finishing their debut, the ready-for-their-show daffodils all live because of our exhale, and, likewise, we because of theirs.

My exhale becomes their exhale, my toxic waste taken in by their wise cells, accepted, transformed into nourishment for them, and then passed on, out into their environment. Passed out of them into others and others until it finds you, a gift of breath especially for you, to do with what you will.

And please know that I am here, accepting your gift. As I inhale again, I give thanks to you, my human friend, and to all the plants between us, who have made this breath possible. I give thanks to the connections that exist, always.

I urge us both to take time, at least once today and as often as possible, to consciously honor this Breathing thing we are doing and often don't even notice. I want to remind us both to spend some time out of the house and in nature, breathing and paying attention to the life that is all around us.
And to remember: we are all in this together.

Blessed be, my friend.

Living Embodied in Social Isolation

Today is the first day of my self-imposed social distancing. I thought I was prepared for it. My partner and I have discussed, planned and taken action. We have stocked up so that we have plenty of food stuffs and toilet paper. We were conscious to buy extra of everything while also doing it in a way that was not overwhelming to our refrigerator or our psyches. I have notified my clients that I will no longer be offering face-to-face in-office sessions. I am reading and educating myself (slowly and with ease!) about what I need to know about tele-health, HIPAA and insurance reimbursement. I am working on ways to offer movement opportunities to folks using Zoom. When I went to bed last night, I felt confident that I have done and am doing the functional actions that need to be done.

Good work, cortex! Planning, attention to detail, ability to act: all these capacities are working well.

And then I woke up…it seems that now that the initial rush of planning and preparing are over and the preliminary actions have been taken, I can no longer ignore the feelings. The emotions and sensations. The parts of me that are housed in the provinces of the lower, non-cognitive parts of the brain…and in every tissue in my body.

I woke up this morning to the marvelously skilled sympathetic part of my autonomic nervous system screaming at me to stop laying in bed and run, run, run away from this thing before it catches us. I quickly recognized the emotion of fear at about the same time I noticed the wacky soundtrack that was playing in my head. I noticed the familiar sensations of chemicals racing just under my skin, in my chest, under my rib cage. The chemicals designed to protect me were causing me to tighten my neck and my jaw and…oh yeah, hey, I’m holding my breath!

In that moment, I am grateful that I am able to remind myself that I am free to choose. I choose to know that there is no where to run because the only danger to my health is, at this moment, inside of me. I am safe, in my bed, healthy. I choose to breath. I choose to trust that a slow, deep exhale will make way for a deep, recuperative inhale.

I breathe. Exhale. Inhale.

Slowly I feel the racing of the fear subside. I feel a sense of relief that I have rode this wave of fear and panic…and then I feel the heaviness. It is as if those chemicals of Flight had simply been hiding the dull collapsed heaviness resting deep inside of me, the sensations I recognize as being attached to the idea that there is no hope. And for the moment my cognitive brain is being no help to me as it thinks things like, “There is no escape.” “This is going to be bad.” “This is just awful.” Down, down, down I fall, heavier and heavier…and then, what is that I notice? Oh yeah, I’m not breathing again. Oh yes, BREATHING! Breathing is important…

And my cortex kicks in: this is no time for passive breathing, it says to me. What you need to do, it prompts, is active, conscious, shape-changing breath. What is important right now is the kind of breath that will MOVE your heavy body and transforms these toxins into lightness and energy!

My cognitive self reminds me I am free to allow and to accept my Breath’s full support.

As I slowly exhale, I place one hand on my ribs under the opposite arm pit and the other hand on my diaphragm, just below my rib cage. I invite myself to let my awareness settle in my hands, focusing on the subtle movements I feel under them. I remind myself that I am free to choose where I put my focus and in this moment I focus on the shape change of my torso as I allow my Breath to fully flow in its life-giving, health-maintaining tidal pattern of receiving and letting go.

As I stay present with the movement of my breath, I give thanks to my lymphatic system, the network of tissues and organs that help rid my body of toxins, waste and other unwanted materials. I know that by actively breathing, fully emptying and filling my torso, inviting my self to let go of tension and to allow my breath to move inside of me three-dimensionally, I am also supporting the movement of the lymph fluid that contains infection-fighting white blood cells. I know that the lymphatic system needs this sort of movement - slow, easy, and fluid - to move most effectively because, unlike the cardiovascular system, it has no internal pump to keep it flowing. I know that by taking this time to invite and allow my tissues to grow and shrink, easily and fully, with each breath I am bathing my entire body with health.

That is the practice I have to offer today: I invite you to choose to take at least five to ten minutes today to lay on a firm surface and Breathe in such a way that you can FEEL the sensations of your torso growing and shrinking. Let your hands support you in finding the movement of change. Use the information of the support of the floor to give you the feedback that your ribs are literally opening and closing with each breath. Imagine the lymph fluid pulsing and surging each time you feel your belly hollowing in and then filling up again to bulging.

And know that it is not only your lymphatic system that you are supporting. Know that as you do this practice you are also supporting the miraculous parasympathetic part of your autonomic nervous system. You are helping it to support YOU in digesting - digesting the chemicals of fear and sadness, digesting the toxic thoughts that haunt you, digesting and making more space for your system to rest, recuperate and receive nourishment. With this practice, you are supporting your whole nervous system!

I can attest that this works. After ten minutes of this practice, I noticed that the tone of my emotions, the experience of my sensations and the quality of my thoughts were more in balance, allowing me the energy to get out of bed, make breakfast, take a walk and write this blog…and all without any re-occurring sense of overwhelm!

I invite you to repeat this exercise often. Remember to hydrate. And don’t stop with just this exercise - remember: movement is the key to health!

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If you found these ideas and suggestions helpful and would like to be part of an on-line guided movement break based on fundamental principles of healthy, integrated movement, please email me at EmbodimentLLC@gmail.com for the schedule and Zoom link.

The next scheduled movement break is Monday, March 16th from 12:15 - 12:45.

The Importance of Embodiment in the Time of Covid19

Like I suspect so many of you are doing right now, I am thinking about what the spread of this coronavirus thing means to me and you and the world at large.

I am also thinking about my role in the world as someone whose life purpose is to help others live life more fully. When it seems like the threat of illness and chaos is everywhere and when we have done all that the authorities suggest - washing our hands and avoiding public places - what else can be done to live life fully?

I know I certainly do not have an exact answer: however, I have thoughts and I plan to share them in hopes that they will support at least one of you.

Remember: Our bodies are self-healing systems. Our cells know their jobs. They are designed to nourish and detoxify, to respond to invaders, to feed and relieve us of waste, in order that we may live as fully as possible. Our bodies are self-healing systems, as long as we don’t persist in getting in the way.

With our minds and our actions, we have the capacity to support the cells, tissues and systems in their processes. We also have the capacity to challenge them and even shut them down. When we are stressed in our minds, we affect our body’s vast abilities to breathe easily, to digest nutrients, to eliminate toxins, and to recuperate: in other words, to self-heal. When we are stressed in our thoughts and in our actions, we create stress on the systems of our bodies and then we have less capacity to fend off attacks from viruses, infections and other antigens. We have this capacity to add to the stress and to allow stress to do us harm…but all is not lost.

I know that many of you are feeling scared and unsafe. I know that the temptation is to further distance yourself from your body: please know that this a very typical American reaction. I know that you want to try to figure this out in your head, to think your way to safety. I understand if you want to hold your breath or numb out in front of the television or internet or with alcohol. I know some of you want to make yourself really small so maybe the bad things won’t find you, while others of you are rushing around trying to DO all the right things to prepare for…whatever it is you are preparing for. I know you want to do SOMETHING to get away from this thing that feels unsafe. I understand.

I am inviting you to considering doing none of the above because there are other options.

On a regular, non-pandemic day I spend my time teaching and supporting clients and workshop participants to use embodiment tools to cope with anxiety, trauma and overwhelm. The things I offer are simple, powerful actions that any person can do to support the tissues of their physical body and their whole bodymind system. These are all natural, small movements and actions that are not only a valuable part of healing but crucial to maintaining one’s health. Everything I offer is based on scientific concepts such as functional anatomy and human development. They are “tools” that, for the most part, are already available to all of us, but most adults overlook and take them granted in their daily lives. We all have the capacity to use them easily and regularly.

Interested? If so, read on. If not, I understand.

The first of the skills I’d like to share is this: Know that you are free to choose. I know this might seem obvious; however, I have discovered it is one that is most often a shock when I first introduce it to people. (Credit to Imogen Ragone of the BodyIntelligence Community for languaging this concept for me. Her community is another great resource for self-care!)

I invite you to say this to yourself, right now and notice what you notice: “I am free to choose.”

For example, we are always free to choose where we put our focus.

I invite you to consider that if you choose to put your focus, your energy, your time, and your thoughts on the things and people over which you have no control, you deplete yourself and you give up at least some of your capacity to support yourself - your bodymindspirit - in the very small, mundane, crucial ways that embodiment provides.

You are free to choose.

Choosing to focus on yourself does NOT mean to shut down or numb out; however, it invites you to care for yourself FIRST as you also choose when and how much to inform yourself about things outside yourself.

The question I am usually asked at this point is: “I think this sounds good but how do I do this?”

Over these days and weeks, as we all live through this big unknown thing together, I hope I can support you in this very process. I hope to be writing regular blog posts offering trauma-informed, resiliency-focused, embodiment insights and practices. I am also planning to offer Zoom sessions designed to move folks in ways designed to maintain our bodymindspirit health, even if we can’t be in the same room together.

I have always believed in the importance of my mission of supporting folks to live life more fully. Now, in the midst of these global events triggering our collective sympathetic systems to fire in ways that cause us to want to fight, to run, to collapse or to simply numb out, I know that what I have to offer is crucial. It is more important than ever that we ALL learn ways to soothe our natural and biological reactions to this sort of thing- if for no other reason, for the sake of our immune systems.

So here is the second “skill” I have to offer: the practice of fully embracing the first of the gifts of life and health that we were given in our earliest days of our development. It was the first gift of life and it continues to be the MOST IMPORTANT gift you can give yourself right now and at any time. This wonderful gift? Accepting your free and full BREATH.

I imagine deflation in some of you. I hear some of you think thinking really, breath? “But I AM breathing”, I have clients tell me when they want something bigger and more magical as a practice.

And while it is true that if we are alive, we do some form of breathing; however, it is usually NOT true that we are taking full advantage of this health sustaining process. ALL of us have, in some way, let the patterns of our bodymindspirit control and compromise the full support that our breath has to offer us. So, if you choose, join me in knowing that we are free to allow and to accept our Breath’s full support. (In my next post I will share a bit about HOW a full and easy breath supports the whole immune system!)

Ready?

First, I invite you to say this statement so that your mind is fully involved “I am free to allow and accept my Breath’s full support”.
Continue to say this constructive thought as you allow your next exhale to be as slow and long and easy as you can, right now. Trust that by allowing a full emptying you are not only removing toxins from your system, you are creating more space for nourishment. When your exhale is as complete as is possible for you (without stress!), allow your body to naturally and reflexively fill you with the next inhale, in through the nose if possible. Repeat as frequently as you can.

And that is it for today. I would love any comments. Check in tomorrow for more embodiment support during this time of so much unknown.

If you are curious about the image for this blog post, please visit here.

2020 Snippet Blog #1: Social Artistry & Me

A quick blog post to invite you to listen to local podcaster Dick Dalton as he talks with me about my approach to healing. In this interview on KOPN’s Glocal News in Social Artistry, I speak as a Certified Movement Analyst, a LIcensed Professional Counselor, a somatic therapist, and as a part of both the Kindred Collective and the Women’s Issues, Women’s Voices collective! 

Here is the link to the podcast:

https://share.transistor.fm/s/0e83f665?fbclid=IwAR2LbG-wtFV2LOfegTWgNFUfxFg_eOHBeWmHLD3P9JYz_aGJrhlW_FRcQjc