Announcer (00:09):
This recording is an offering of Networks for Training and Development's Online University.

Tracy Lepreziosa (00:19):
Welcome to Networks for Training and Development's Healing Circle call, a time where we can share space, listen, explore some new thoughts, perhaps reexamine some of our own thoughts, wellness practices and maybe engage in a brief meditation. I'm Tracy Lepreziosa, and I'll be your guide for today's Healing Circle.

Tracy Lepreziosa (00:45):
When life brings you challenges, have you ever found yourself falling into old habits, old thought patterns, that you worked so hard to change? Sometimes, you may have found yourself without these patterns or thoughts for years, but something happened and they're back. Why? How? How does that happen? You worked so hard to work through these issues, to work through these feelings, and now they're back. How do we grow and learn our practices, our habits, thoughts and emotions become embodied? They become a part of our soma on a body level, in our cells. They're shaped by our social context, by our family, by culture, environment, and yet some of these practices are even inherited from the soma of our ancestors, especially our mothers.

Tracy Lepreziosa (01:59):
Hearing words or experiencing certain sensations sometimes can stimulate a motor reaction, a physiological response, an emotional response that are associated with these things. I think about places where I've gone where I've experienced something that was extremely traumatic or stressful, and when I go back to those places, I get that same pounding heartbeat, those same feelings, like "I don't want to go in there, I don't want to be a part of this," every single time. And it's because it's coming from my cells, it's coming from my soma, that cellular level, that experience being embedded.

Tracy Lepreziosa (02:42):
So for today, we're gonna focus on emotions, to some of the physiological responses, because emotions are whole body events that are triggered by thoughts, cognitive events, whether they're actually occurring at the moment, or we're just remembering them. Sometimes we can just have a memory pop up and create the same feeling in our bodies as if that actual event was happening right here, right now, and it's not. It's just a memory. If you've done any healing work where you have the opportunity to have like releases of emotions, whether it's a massage or a meditation or sound healing, memories come up that you may not even have thought about for years, and physiological responses can occur.

Tracy Lepreziosa (03:35):
Emotions are sometimes described as the embodied experiences that we cannot escape. We cannot get away from them. So, what kinds of things can we do to help us deal with these embodied sensations, emotions, thoughts? How can we live a more embodied life, more in tune to what's going on? We want to be able to embrace our inner experiences and be aware of that mind/body connection. If you can step back sometimes and realize what that is, it helps you to maybe quell those fear in the moment, that fearful response. Slow, mindful breathing is always a good way to help us deal with tension and to calm ourselves throughout the day.

Tracy Lepreziosa (04:31):
Another thing that we can do is observe the experience rather than engaging in it. Something comes up, try to step back outside of our bodies a little bit, kind of observe what's going on in my body. What's happening right now? What am I thinking? What's going on in my body? Rather than reacting. We want to just kind of observe it, rather than engaging in it. We want to really focus on the feeling, rather than the event or the trigger, and rather than trying to escape what's going on at the moment. We need to be mindful to notice what's going on in our bodies. When you're present in the moment, it's just you and the external force and not a million other things.

Tracy Lepreziosa (05:35):
One of my favorite mantras is "it is what it is," right? It is what it is. You want to accept what is. Fighting reality is draining. Accepting the moment for what it is, to let go of what is upsetting you and deal with the present. I think this has been one of the things that has gotten me through the most trying times of my life, and is that I found myself drowning in those thoughts of "what if," you know. And "what's gonna happen? What's gonna happen in the future? What's going on now? This is horrible. It's, you know, I t- can't deal with it." And when I finally get ahold of it and get myself into the "it is what it is," right here, right now what's going on, I need to deal with this moment right now. I can't worry about the moment five minutes from now or the moment five hours from now. I need to worry about this moment right now.

Tracy Lepreziosa (06:40):
And one of those times was dealing with my mother when she was very, very ill and in a very precarious situation in a hospital and it was absolutely horrible. And the only way I could get through it was being in the moment and like "it is what it is." Right now, in this moment, I have to be here to be a comfort. I need to be rational. I need to stay with myself and be in this moment. I can't worry about what could happen five hours from now or five days from now. I need to be here, right now in this moment because it is what it is. And to be able, like I mentioned earlier, to just kind of step back and look at the situation to know what it was going on in my body, why I was having these feelings, why I was having these reactions and, you know, those types of things.

Tracy Lepreziosa (07:32):
We need to have compassion for others, too, and give them the benefit of the doubt that they want peacefulness and help them have peacefulness while we're trying to hang on to our own or gain our own. And we need to practice self-compassion, treating ourselves as we would want others to treat us. Be gentle with yourself. Be kind. We can't always handle it in the moment, but we can try. We can try.

Tracy Lepreziosa (08:02):
So, that being said, let's do a brief meditation as a kind of example of how if you're starting to feel those sensations come upon you, things that you could do to help you be in the moment, right here and right now. So what I'd like you to do is just close your eyes and take a deep breath. In and out. In and out. Take a deep breath. Get your body comfortable. Get yourself into a comfortable position. Your feet may be shoulder width apart. You can either be sitting or standing. And we're just going to breathe.

Tracy Lepreziosa (08:59):
Breathe in and breathe out. And instead of trying to make your mind blank, let's just let your thoughts go where they may go. Let your thoughts go where they may go. And if they take you somewhere, [inaudible 00:09:29] of some of those feelings. Just be with them. And breathe in and breathe out. Don't try to wipe them out. Just be with them, engage with them, but don't react. If there's any type of response in your body, understand the mind/body connection. Understand how your thoughts can cause your body to maybe have an increased heart rate. There may be some tears. Just go with it. Stay with the emotion. Stay with the feelings.

Tracy Lepreziosa (10:28):
Imagine as you imagined earlier, step back and try and be the observer. Focus on what you're feeling. Don't try to escape. Be present in the moment. It's just you and that thought, that external trigger, that external force, not a million other things. Just that. It is what it is. I want to be in that moment. Accept the moment for what it is. Let go of the upset as you deal with the present. Let it go. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in and breathe out.

Tracy Lepreziosa (12:00):
Once you feel like you have dealt with this emotion or reaction, you're comfortable with that, come back to your breathing. Breathing is a way to bring us back and center it all in our body. Be aware of your body and where your attention is and let it go. Breathe in and breathe out. Bringing your focus on something positive. Bring your focus on hope, justice, gratitude, love, joy, anything that brings you peace. Bring it back to that.

Tracy Lepreziosa (12:54):
So, focus your thoughts now. Feel joy. Feel love. Feel that self-compassion, that love for yourself. Be kind to yourself, returning to yourself. It's okay to have these feelings. It's okay that they come back. Just be with them and focus on the positive. Focus on peace, love, joy, hope, whatever. We'll just take a few more breaths.

Tracy Lepreziosa (13:47):
We're gonna come back to present. Come back to now. I want to thank you for joining me, whether it was live or recorded. And be sure to check out our previous Healing Circle calls on our website, www.networksfortraining.org. And remember to join us on the first Monday of every month at 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. So I hope that you have enjoyed this evening's meditation. Enjoy the moment. Be kind to yourself. Stay safe and be well.

Announcer (14:43):
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