An Embodiment Practice to Support you through Disappointment and Challenging Emotions

A step-by-step somatic body based meditation

A moving meditation where we will address having a sense of disappointment in your body. This embodiment meditation is designed to help you gently feel, allow, and release challenging emotions such as disappointment, sadness, or feeling let down.

Our aim is to allow this sensation and emotion to be here and then gently release it moving, body based meditation.

Feel free to follow along with this video, or follow the steps below:

Step 1: Find a Quiet, Safe Space

So find yourself a private quiet place to either sit or lie down. And if it’s safe to do so, just go ahead and close down your eyes.

Just briefly become aware of your breath as it comes in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth.

Step 2: Bring Awareness Into the Body

Travel your attention down to your neck, to your centre of expression.
Breathe down into your chest space, feeling your heart.
Breathe down just below your belly button into your hips and down into your pelvic area.

Step 3: Begin Gentle Movement

Now I invite you to just start moving your body in any big or small ways. Often the easiest part of your body to start moving, if this feels a little uncomfortable, is your hips.

So just begin to circle them around, stretching out your lower back slightly. Just really enjoying the movement of your body and having your attention somewhere other than your head for a moment.

Feel against the chair or your bed how your lower back feels as you’re gently moving it.

And if you feel cool to move any other part of your body, just go ahead and do so now. This could be your shoulders, your arms, or perhaps stretching out your legs.

This is just your moment to really let your body lead. Just let your body move however it likes.

Step 4: Bring Awareness to the Disappointment

Now I invite you to bring into your awareness the situation that has caused you disappointment, let down, or sadness today.

Just take note of where you feel your body react to this situation.
Perhaps you feel a heaviness in your heart.
Perhaps you feel a tight throat.
Perhaps you feel tense shoulders.
Perhaps there’s an image or an energy that you feel.

Just allow whatever is here to be here.

If nothing is coming up, if it feels very numb, that is welcome too.

If you can’t feel anything in your body, I invite you to bring your awareness down to your chest space, to your heart, and even place a hand above your heart on your chest space. This will naturally draw your attention here.

Step 5: Breathe Into the Sensation

I’m going to focus on my heart space today, but feel free to focus on wherever you would prefer.

Just breathe down into your heart, or whatever other part of your body feels it, and really feel the disappointment that sits there.

Make sure you’re moving your body, even if it’s the smallest movement. As we feel the feeling and still move the body, it cannot stay stuck in one place.

Notice how it feels.
Is it heaviness?
Is it a quick panicky butterfly feeling?
Is there a colour associated with this feeling?

Just welcome it as much as you can.

Step 6: Allow Expression and Sound

As you welcome this feeling, you may feel the need to make sound. A sigh out, a cry, a scream, a hum, a moan. Any sound is always welcome here too.

As we welcome, move, and express, you may notice the feeling has moved to a different area or changed its energy.

If this happens, simply repeat the process. Move your awareness to the new area.

Step 7: Stay With What Is

I’m now going to bring my focus down to my solar plexus just above the belly button.

If you don’t feel anything, or if it feels numb or restless, that is welcome too. Just feel the music, move your body, and continue to follow the sensation.

Let’s take a few moments to just sit with whatever is here. Not trying to change it or rationalise it.

Remember to move.
Remember to breathe.
Remember to express.

If at any point it feels too intense, ground yourself. Feel your weight on the chair, or open your eyes for a few moments. There is no need to ever push yourself.

Step 8: Return to the Heart and Invite Gratitude

Now that we’ve given this feeling time in the sun and our loving awareness, bring your awareness to the heart.

Breathe here for a few moments.

Now bring into your consciousness something you feel grateful for today. It could be a pet, a child, a moment in nature, a good situation in your life, or even the coffee you had this morning.

As you breathe into the heart, keep this in your mind’s eye. You may feel a lightness begin to come.

Just sit with this lightness for a moment.

Step 9: Listen to Body Wisdom

With this sense of lightness, drop this question into your body:

Body, what would you have me know about this situation?

There’s no need to search for an answer. Just see what comes up.

Now drop in another question:

Body, how can I show myself love today?

See what arises.

Closing the Practice

As we come to the end of the session, I want to congratulate you on being open, welcoming, and accepting these difficult feelings of disappointment or let down.

You’ve allowed them to be fully in your body, allowed them to reduce in intensity, and listened to the wisdom of your body.

I hope this was a beneficial and calming practice for you.

Next Steps

If you would like to explore one-on-one coaching in this area, I do offer this service, so please check out this link for more information and to book a session.

Thank you so much for your time today. Well done for really listening to and supporting yourself.

I wish you the best for your day ahead.

About Me

I’m Christina Shakelian, certified Embodiment Coach and I combined body-focused, somatic coaching with over 10 years of coaching experience at Apple. When we combine body- first, embodied methods with structured coaching sessions, we can release stored emotions, tensions and traumas from the body and reach a deep inner knowing by connecting to the body’s wisdom, reaching our goals with more ease and pleasure.