+ MEDITATION +

Meditation is based in mindfulness, Yoga Nidra which means “yogic sleep” a sort of hypnogogic or deep relaxing meditation; and I also sometimes guide a visualization meditation.

  • First, ground the self and just arrive to being mindfully present. Think of a time when you feel content and deeply ok. You can always return to grounding or this place of feeling content at anytime - or just stay here.

  • Then we will do a body scan, just bringing awareness to the entire body.

  • Sometimes, we will do a visualization to see what comes to you - are there any messages you to receive? Any intentions that may come forward at this time.

  • Then slowly coming back out of meditation - taking a moment to move, and come back to being present in the space together.

I invite you to always make this meditation practice your own and to take care of yourself. If meditation is difficult or uncomfortable for you - you may want to consider some ways to keep your meditation empowered and trauma informed… and please let me know if you are struggling with the meditation and perhaps I can troubleshoot with you.

Trauma Informed Meditation Practice

Empower yourself to use “trauma sensitive” meditation skills and carry them into any practice. Here are some pointers for your meditation practice to be empowered and trauma sensitive:

  • CHOICE IS ESSENTIAL for trauma-survivors, learn about and give yourself options.

  • PERMISSION TO MEDITATE IN YOUR WAY. Even when someone is guiding, be empowered to make it your practice.

  • PERMISSION TO TAKE CARE OF SELF. Its OK if you need to take a break. You may need leave meditation for a moment and come back when ready.

  • MOVEMENT. Moving can be helpful if you are triggered, allow yourself do so if needed.

  • EYES. Allow eyes to be open or closed. Try experimenting with different approaches to meditating with eyes open at a soft gaze, expansive view, and also closed - know you have options. If you are triggered, you may want to open the eyes and notice objects in the room and describe them to yourself (Ie. chair, the chair is blue) or move, get cold water or use senses.

  • DIFFERENT ANCHORS TO THE PRESENT MOMENT. You may discover what helps you anchor to the present moment. Traditionally breath is the anchor to present moment for many reasons - breath is always with us, it is always present. Yet allow what you need as well - what grounds you?

  • BREATH. If awareness on the breath is triggering - consider some options until you feel you can access the breath. You can focus on the sensation of your feet on the ground instead of breath. If focusing on the sensation of breath in the belly is difficult, you can instead focus on breath at the tip of the nose. Notice where it is ok to feel breath in the body for you.

  • GROUND YOURSELF. If you need to, allow yourself to shift awareness on what helps you center or ground yourself. Do you need to shift focus to the felt sense of the floor? Do you need to open eyes and look and describe objects? Do you need an object with you that you can hold and come back to if overwhelmed? Weight sometimes helps. or temperature. Shifting attention to outside senses can be grounding: explore hearing, vision, smell, taste. Discover and own a good grounding technique to have when practicing.

  • THINK INCREMENTALLY. Eventually with practice and support, you may want to see if you can pair something that is soothing and grounding with something that is more challenging. I would recommend this when you have already experienced a meditation using established grounding techniques.

  • TIME - You may want to start with shorter meditations and build. One method is to choose a short time frame and stick with this for a month and then increase slowly over time. For example, 3 minutes everyday for a week/month, then increase to 5 minutes, 10 minutes and so on. Its better to start low and increase slowly (This is the method of titration).

  • WORKING WITH PAIN. Since pain already has a tendency to force our attention, we may need to approach it with gentle awareness and spaciousness. If focus on the body becomes overwhelming, shift awareness to the edges of the pain, a “neutral” body part, or the space just outside the body. Meditation may help us manage the mental, emotional aspects of pain as we learn to do this.

  • HOW IT LOOKS ON THE INSIDE VERSUS OUTSIDE You may feel something is wrong with you that you don’t feel how peaceful everyone looks, or meditation doesn’t feel like the associated peaceful imagery. Its OK - there is nothing wrong with you. Meditation is not always peaceful. Remember you may not be aware of what’s happening inside someone, despite their outside appearance - your not alone.

  • SUPPORT. Get support, don’t suffer in silence. Always ask your meditation teacher if you have questions, concerns or something isn’t going right. Not all meditation is trauma-informed and even if it is - the person guiding may not know what’s happening inside you. It can also be helpful to have a meditation buddy, to talk to about your experiences.

If you have questions, Id be happy to talk more about your meditation experience.

Resources https://www.mindfulleader.org/blog/26483-what-s-trauma-sensitive-mindfulness https://davidtreleaven.com