QUOTE OF THE EPISODE

What does it change for you
if you imagine yourself allowing
yourself to be held by you?

Welcome to episode seventeen of the podcast where I gently guide you through five self-holding practices.

Listen on iTunes or Spotify or below. If you love what you hear, press subscribe or leave me a review. I love hearing your thoughts!

Important Links from Episode:

DM me + tell me what you think about the episode.

Check out our amazing partners: Marvelous + Willowspace.

Read the Transcript:

Welcome to episode 17 of the Gentle Business Sessions. A podcast hosted by me, Ashley Beaudin and powered by Marvelous and WillowSpace. It is so good to have you here today.

In this week's episode, I'm going to take you through a guided practice of supportive or loving self holding, self touch. I'm going to present a few different ways to interact with your body, and I encourage you to follow along on the ones that feel kind to you.

I really want to encourage you to center your body and your safety and your support in this experience. And so try on what feels good, play with them, let them be supportive to you, and whatever is not, you can allow those things to soften and fall away.

As you move through these exercises. Notice what feels good. Notice what feels safe. Notice what brings soothing. Notice what brings almost an enlivening. And allow the, these practices to meet you.

So to start off, we will start with one that is very well known, which is placing a hand upon your heart. It is as simple as that. Simply placing one hand upon your heart or chest space.

Feel the presence here. Feel the warmth here. Feel that connectedness here.

We can add to that a little bit and also place the opposite hand on our belly or abdomen. One hand on our heart space and one hand on our belly or abdomen. Again, noticing presence, noticing connectedness.

What comes up for you to meet yourself in your body in this way?

Does it feel good? Does it feel loving? Does it feel supportive?

Take one more moment with that one.

Then allowing your arms sort of to melt or soften. And then, again, as we try a second option.

In this one we are going to cup our faces. Placing one, your right hand on your right cheek, your left hand on your left cheek, and allow yourself to let go. Allow your hands to feel the weight of your head, your face.

Notice what it feels like to surrender in that way.

Notice the support that can come when you don't have to hold your head up by itself, but that it can be supported by your hands.

What could be here for you in this posture, if anything?

Again, allowing your body to soften or melt. As we try on a third movement.

As we try on a third prompt for self holding.

In this one, we can try out a hug. A very simple and universal way of being with ourselves. Taking your right hand. placing it on your left shoulder, your left hand on your right shoulder, and squeezing or tightening or embracing.

Notice what it could feel like to fall into it a little bit, kind of melt into it a little bit.

What does it change for you if you imagine yourself Allowing yourself to be held by you.

I really like introducing a little bit of a rhythmic sway. Just like a left to right, slow, rhythmic sway.

It's one of the most soothing things in the world to me. See if it might be soothing for you. And I'll give you one more moment with that.

The fourth prompt I'll offer is placing your right hand on your forehead and your left hand on the back of your neck. I find this to be such a beautiful practice when we have a lot of thinking happening. When I feel anxious or if I'm overthinking.

It offers me such a gift of containment. See if it might offer you something here today.

How does it feel? What do you notice? Is there anything for you in this?

And I'll give you one more moment with this one.

In this last prompt, I'll invite you to take a hand and rub the inner wrist.

For some people, you might find this ticklish. For others, you might find it supportive. Some might find it soothing. Some might find it energizing. See if it could bring anything to you.

One of my favorite things about this practice is that I can literally do it anywhere. I can do it absolutely anywhere and no one would know. When I just need like an extra dose or an extra layer of support saying, hey, I'm here with you. I'm here with you. I got you.

See if it might bring you any sense of care.

Those are the five movements that I wanted. No, no, no. Those are the five self touch, self holding prompts I wanted to share with you today. A hand on the heart. Cuppingyour face. A hug. A hand on your forehead and the back of your neck. And rubbing the inner wrist.

See if one might bring you more support. See if there's one that calls to you more. See if there's one that you want to play with or try on for a few days.

There's so much power in meeting our bodies. With soothing and assuring and loving touch. And it has really revolutionized my life. And so maybe it'll have a difference on yours. And maybe, These are all things you've heard of before, and that this can just be a revisiting. No matter where you're at, I hope that this met you today, and I would love to hear from you, if there's anything that you want to share, so don't hesitate to reach out.

Whatever you're up to today, whatever you have going on, internally or externally, I hope that You are gentle with you. Cause you are so very deserving of care.