coming home

My daughter and I were playing roady this weekend for my partner who played a concert out of town. We took her to the ocean for the first time and she was enthralled, her senses taking in all the new sights, sounds, and smells. After a few minutes of sensory free-for-all, she began to stare intently at … my shirt (as she nuzzled in close). There was so much spaciousness and beauty all around her, but the interest was on a very close-by texture of clothing - a familiar anchor to settle on.

After a lot of external stimulus, she naturally came home to what was safe and familiar.

This cycle will repeat over and over again. She loops between what is new and what is old, what is far away and what is close by - too much of either ushering in fussiness and overwhelm.

Somatic Experiencing® describes this phenomenon as pendulation - the natural tendency for resilient nervous systems to cycle between expansion and containment - without getting stuck on either.

Can you relate?

For many of us who have been more isolated during the pandemic, we've craved spaciousness, exploration, and stimulation beyond our home, and now find ourselves re-emerging more in public. This experience can be a sensory overload. There is much more potential for nervous system overwhelm, as our attention is pulled in more directions, and we can balance ourselves with practice.

Where do you stand?

  • What's your balance of familiar anchors and unfamiliar exploration in moment to moment daily life?

  • What anchors you, bringing a sense of home?

  • How do you know when your body-mind self needs to settle in?

  • How do you know when your body-mind self is craving exploration?

Like with many things, when we insert conscious attention, we can cooperate with the natural waves of outward and inward - nurturing our own well-being.

I think of my movement practice as supporting both of these experiences; sometimes guiding me to explore new territory and sometimes guiding me home to myself, a familiar anchor.

However you use your movement practice, you can find a few of my offerings below…

happy pendulating,

Tracy