22/09/2021
Touch is so important. Those of us experiencing physical restrictions may be finding it hard to get our touch needs met in an already skin hungry world. And this breaks my heart.
As much as this sucks, and it does, we are beings wired for touch; this could be a really lovely(and necessary) time to delve deeper into our self touch practice. To intentionally connect with ourselves with attentiveness and curiosity. and to hold ourselves as we need to be held.
For anyone who's never thought to touch yourself as a precious and interesting delight, or anyone who just needs a reminder, here it is!
I find that allowing my hands to slow down and honour every part of me with no goal or time limit can help calm and soothe me as the world shakes out there.
If you'd like to, I encourage you to slow down, wherever you may be. Take some whole, deep breaths into your belly and use your fingers to explore your personal landscape. With curiosity. With love. With patience. With whatever it is you need to be with in the moment.
You may like to intend sending love through your fingertips to yourself, or imagine you are a lover touching or being touched. Or a child receiving touch from its parent. Or an artist tracing their art, learning its secrets...an explorer discovering a delicious territory for the first time. whatever comes to you n feels right.
I like to start by tracing one finger across and around and over my eyelashes and eyebrows....suuuuuper slowly, like at least for the length of a song. ..and then I make my delicate way across my cheek, tending to each hair/mole/indentation with curiosity. I wiggling my finger like invisible calligraphy around to my mouth, exploring its textures and depths....squeezing, gently poking, stroking, patting... and eventually around the edge of my ear..unfolding the foldy bits, flapping the lobe, playing, luxuriating..exploring... i like to mix it up with different fingers, more fingers, my palm, the back of my hand. i like to get lost in the tenderness.
And then i may continue wherever else i need to go..my head.. my neck.. my whole body..always with love. i just follow my own lead with presence and kindness. Drinking my body up with my fingertips and my body drinking up the touch to where it needs it most.
I like to notice what i feel if i focus my attention in the fingers/hand doing the touching or in the parts my fingers/hand are touching?
Can my attention be in both at the same time?
Do I speed up or slow down at certain points?
What kind of sensations are present? Warmth, prickling, tingling, vibration, tightness etc?..i like to allow them all to exist avoiding any analysis and to stay with them until i feel the urge to move on.
I let any thoughts that come up pass by and keep coming back to the sensations (as much as i can)
I like to pause and hold different places that feel right to and breathe as if i'm the most precious thing that i ever touched and the most precious thing that ever touched me. (even if i don't feel this way in the moment, i give it a gosh darn try! imagination is powerful)
Maybe you'd like to try this too?
Let me know how you go if you'd like to share x