One of My Favorite Practices for Nervous System Soothing

This meditation, based on the work of Kathy Kain and Alaine Duncan, can help our nervous system shift into a more parasympathetic response - helping our body to choose relaxing instead of bracing.

When kidney/adrenals feel supported in this way it can help slow the flow of cortisol and bring us back to a felt experience of ease - especially when done consistently.

Get a heating pad, or warm washcloth or you can put dry rice into some old socks and microwave for 30 seconds at a time until it’s as warm as you like.

Plan to lay down and get cozy and place your heating source at your back where you see the kidney/adrenals here...

You can close your eyes or you can keep your eyes open, depending on which option feels most settling for you.

Lightly check in and notice how you are feeling...seeing what it’s like to give yourself permission to be exactly as you are without trying to ‘fix’ anything.

Imagine and/or sense that you are inviting your kidneys/adrenals to be received by the warmth underneath them.

Let your breath be steady, presence yourself with any sensations of relaxation, settling, or release that may arise. Stay for as long as feels supportive.

A couple things to note:

1) if you are feeling very sympathetically charged (anxious, fearful, angry, etc) then it can be helpful to move first through things like shaking, dancing, jumping in order to help you release some of that energy before coming into a meditation that encourages stillness.

2) While it is very common to experience a deep sense of relaxation and/or sometimes emotional release through this meditation, if you find you aren’t experiencing that it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. Whatever you experience is simply somatic information that you get to be curious about!

With care,

Halie