We’re all feeling it and being affected by it in different ways. As it goes in the realm of being human we can’t control some of the hard realities that we are being faced with but what we can do is choose how we want to be in relationship with it. Change is the cyclic force of nature but even knowing this, we’re seeing the humanness of the world and there is chaos in just about every corner of the earth. It’s holding a heavy weight and burden over our hearts. It takes tremendous self care and attention to move through. I believe it’s imperative during these times to contemplate how one moves through it with awareness, courage, and to find purpose in doing so.

Ever since my divorce in 2012 I began to lean into change and look at it in terms of smaller non physical deaths. Change always comes with an ending, a beginning, and in the middle is the journey where growth happens which often is accompanied by growing pains. We’re feeling both ends of the threshold here on earth. Death can be painful just as mush as birth is. Put the two of them together in one and it’s excruciating, yet can be so beautiful when we have the tools to support it. This is what we are all feeling together as a collective in movement, this polarity between ending(dying) and beginning (birth), the growing pains of being in change, plus the duality within ourselves and the external world that’s surfacing, and it’s overwhelming on the body, mind, and spirit.

We as a collective are having to face some real shit like the complexity, contradiction, and uncertainty everyday in the work place, in our structures, systems, communities, and with friends, and family members. The image that comes to mind when thinking of these times is a big boiling caldron of murkiness. All that stuff that has been avoided and disregarded by coping mechanisms that have induced protection in the past by keeping the body numb, cut off, and overly distracted from shadow aspects and oppressive structures that keep humanity small and disconnected from ones personal power are all bubbling up to the surface. This is challenging to see, hear, and to witness. My question to you is how are you in these moments of being a witness to all that’s bubbling up and boiling over in the external world? What is it bringing up in yourself? This is what needs to be attended to, not necessarily the outer perception of what we’re witnessing and the symptoms we’re feeling that we’ve been accustomed to overly focused on fixing.

So what do we do, how do we protect ourselves, and hold the heaviness of what is being brought up yet also move through this change? I love Ghandi’s quote “be the change you wish to see in the world.” I believe in the power of the body and a greater wisdom within to lead each and every human being personally and collectively through this change. This power in the body I speak of is in the nervous system, it’s inside YOU. Its about building the capacity to hold what is seen and experienced everyday, to be present with it, and attend to the feelngs inside one self that are being evoked by these hard realities so that the falling apart and the chaos doesn’t destroy one’s wellbeing but rather empowers it. This is resilience and it’s work. Just like building anything new it takes time and consideration.

The window of tolerance which is a term coined by Dr Dan Siegel and used in somatic psychology to describe the optimal zone of arousal for a person to manage and process stress and emotions. It helps to build the capability to fully move through the complete biological process of stress and feel safe to do so. This is a starting point if you’re feeling intrinsically connected to all that is going on in the world. The first step is to began to understand how your nervous system works. Education is empowering and learning to connect to and understand your body can be a liberating. You can read all about it in books but the key to understanding your nervous system is to become present enough to sense your internal experience in a safe and empowering way.

Here are a few starting points and exercises to begin your internal practice. Doing these small steps regularly will help you build safety and trust in your body, connect to your inner wisdom, increase that window of tolerance, your capacity to hold stress, and to do the deeper work which eventually leads to transformation.

1) This exercise is for increasing internal awareness and relationship between the mind and body. While seated in a chair begin to feel your bottom against the seat. You can leave your eyes open or closed. Notice what it feels like against your body, how do your sit bones sit on the chair, are they even, is one side heavier than the other, do you feel supported by the chair? Start to notice these pieces first then began to turn inward and start to notice whats happening in your body, what is the quality of your emotions and your mind, being present with what ever arises. Maybe it’s hunger, or discomfort, or agitation, or maybe a sense of peace. The next step is to get curious maybe associating a color with the sensation, asking what it’s name would be, or having any kind of internal dialogue with the sensations. Be present with this for a few minutes and then let the practice go. I want to remind you that discomfort is a good and normal part of this practice.You should feel into that edge of discomfort. This is how we grow the window but if it ever feels like too much then it probably is and you can start to focus on your surroundings noticing the texture on the walls, the colors, who is in your space, and feel the soles of your feet, maybe even stomping them on the ground.

2) This exercise brings in the element of nature and is a great practice of inner resourcing. Find a comfortable seat or lay down on a comfortable surface. In somatics the first step is to notice the support holding your body, how it feels against your body, noticing whats happening inside of yourself, any sensations, feelings, colors, or images are coming up. Then begin to imagine your favorite spot in nature, maybe you imagine just the spot or maybe you imagine yourself in this spot. This should be a spot or image that makes you feel good. As you hold the image of this favorite place in nature begin to tune into what is happening inside yourself, how you feel, notice your experience, and become curious what is arising in this experience.

3) This last exercise is called pendulation, a term coined by Peter Levine PhD., which teaches the body to accept and understand the contrast between different states of the physical/emotional being, the duality, and the ups and downs that many of us are feeling into on earth. You may start in any position you are comfortable, seated, standing, or laying on the back. Feel into whatever area of the body is touching the ground or a surface. Now constrict your fists and then let them go, tighten your jaw and let it go, continue to follow through with tightening each of the muscle groups then relaxing the muscles. Be mindful to bring your attention to how this exercise feels for you noticing how it feels in the tightening, constriction, and the relaxation.

Be gentle with yourself. This is a practice and it takes time, dedication, and commitment. Enjoy these practices and may you find inner peace and wellbeing along the way.