GH - Solitary Resplendence

Focus: connection to self. Two songs accompany this Guided Harmony that leads you to a deeper connection to self. Inspired by a reflection on how we toe the line when we are alone between contentedness and loneliness. I believe loneliness can exist whether we are solitary or surrounded by others. It really comes down to our relationship with self. Take a few minutes for yourself today and find a deeper connection that will help you support your life and your loved ones. 

Transcript

GH: Solitary Resplendence

Welcome to Guided Harmonies, the podcast where I put words to my therapeutic music. These are designed to provide short moments of reconnect – we don’t always have an hour to meditate. These take a few minutes to recentre. The music is key to allowing such depth in a short time. All you need to do is listen. Bring a gentle curiosity. And if you doze, worry not – for your unconscious brain will still be listening and when you come back to presence you will find you feel better.  

Today’s episode is about returning to self. I wrote these two songs for a daughter and father who love their independence and do a lot of adventurous things on their own. At the same time, they have a deep connection to their family and community as well. They had me reflecting on the human tendency to either love or hate one’s isolation. It can change from day to day. . . but I believe that loneliness is a disconnect from the self, so today’s episode renews and refreshes this connection. 

Let’s get started (chimes) 

Remember the joyful freedom and innocence you felt as a young child? Breathe this in. . . 

Many of us feel as though we are trying to recapture that pure unadulterated innocence of our youth – that time where we believed that our world was the only normal that existed. 

Without changing anything, Check in with your breathing – how far into your body do your breaths go? Be sure your breathing is gentle and not pushed while you do this. Do your breaths fill your chest cavity toward your shoulders and collarbone? Do not change anything. See if your breaths move down into your belly and toward your pelvis? Just be gentle. Can you feel your ribcage expand at all? This is just a check in; there is no need to change anything. 

 It takes space to breathe into our bodies – not just space in our torso, but space in our LIVES, where we can take pause. Allow this pause to create that space you need. . . imagine your lungs resting in your torso as a deflated balloon and that you can add shape one gentle breath at a time.

Keep Breathing as the music shifts. . . 

Can you feel the tips of your toes? Are they against a sock or shoe? Maybe they’re touching the floor? If they are not touching anything, can you notice the temperature of the air surrounding them?  

How about your ankles? Are they held firmly with a pair socks? Loosely surrounded by Material that is Loose or snug? Maybe they are bare? 

Now feel your whole leg, scanning from the calf to the knee to the thigh – what do you feel?  What is the texture of the cloth surrounding them? 

Notice how heavily your feet, your ankles, and your legs sit against whatever you are resting on. As you do, can you send your breaths to fill your legs, ankles and feet with energy?

Check in with your pelvis, Your buttocks, your hips. What can you feel? Can you notice material or seams from whatever you are wearing? While you do, can you imagine your breaths filling in the space between the borders of your clothing? 

Check in with your back – from the lower section, to the mid section and up into your shoulder blades. What can you feel? Are there any wrinkles or creases from your top? Imagine your breaths can gently press your back toward your clothing and more deeply against whatever is supporting it. A chair, a bed or the floor. 

Now check in with the front of your torso: you belly, ribcage and chest. How snug are your clothing. Where Does the material feel soft and where does it feel light or firm and supportive? Can you weave your breaths to gently make a clearer contact with whatever clothing you are wearing?  

How about your fingertips. Where are they in space? What are your arms doing? Are your shoulders relaxed? How do your sleeves feel against them? When you breath, can you feel your arms gently moving with each inhale and exhale? 

Tune in with your neck. How deep is its curve? Is your neck pulling your chin up or pushing it down? Is there a collar that makes contact with it? Just breathe and notice. 

How about your jaw? Do any strands of your hair make contact with it? How much space is there between your molars? Can you very gently breathe a little more space in?

Now check in with your eyeballs. Do they sit loosely in their sockets? Is there any unnecessary tension while your eyes are closed? Can you breathe and imagine your eyeballs sinking deeply into your body?

How about the top of your scalp? What can you sense as you breathe? Can you imagine that there is a way to loosen the skin with each breath? 

As you breathe, imagine that you can sit above your body and do a quick scan from head to toe. Gently feel the lightness and ease that your breathing brought in. 

Do not rush to open your eyes, if you plan to. If your breaths have deepened, you can energize them a bit before you let in the light. When you are ready, allow your eyes to crack open and move slowly at first. 

Thank you for joining me today. Do you want me to compose you your own Guided Harmony? Feel free to reach out. Have a wonderful day and know you invested in your own wellness and this will reach all of those around you.