Slowing Down and Orienting to our Senses
I was out on a recent Saturday afternoon walking the dog. The weather was almost sublime, and we were walking on one of my favorite streets – quiet, beautiful homes and gardens, hardly a car. It’s the kind of street you can stroll down the middle of and let the leash long. It’s the kind of street that makes you want to slow down and breathe. But what I noticed on this particular Saturday was an internal rush. Some deep sense of urgency and unconscious quickening of pace, tugging a little on the leash, “come on buddy let’s go.”
And why? It was Saturday and I had nowhere to be and nothing to do. There was no need to get back to anything or cut the walk short; no need to hurry us along. And yet it was so hard for my body, my nervous system and even my mind to just go easy and slow. What was I rushing onto? To get home and look at my phone or my computer? To get home and putter around the house? To get home and feel unable to relax there for no reason?
I had to consciously say to myself, slow down and look around. I had to remind myself – it’s okay to take your time. As I slowed my pace, leaned my head back to look at the canopy of trees and blue sky, listen to the birdsong, my body took a spontaneous deep breath. It’s as if by whole being was sighing in relief. I softened my grip on the leash and leaned into the slight humidity in the air. I turned my attention to what was around me and my body almost immediately felt more at ease.
One of the essential aspects of Somatic Experiencing is a practice called orientation. It’s one of the first things we learn in the training and one of the first things we might do with clients. It’s a practice of turning our attention to what we are noticing via our senses, the here and now. We might start with letting our eyes go where they want to in our space, letting them take in what they want with no agenda and to just see what they see. It could also start with the sense of sound, hearing what you hear in your space; it could also be tactile – feeling the texture of something in the space.
In essence the practice of orientation brings us right into the present through our senses, and in some way gives our nervous system the information that it’s okay to notice what is here now, there isn’t danger or threat that I have to be vigilant about in this moment. Many times, when we take a moment to orient, we will notice a shift in our experience. Maybe there will be a deeper breath, or our shoulders will relax or we will just feel more “in the room.” The ability to tune into our environment right in the here and now can help our system settle.
In a way, it’s what was happening on my walk. I had to consciously choose to stop and orient or my nervous system and body would likely have continued its “rush agenda,” but in choosing to slow down and orient to the sights and sounds, I could breathe differently, and I could be more present in that moment.
It sounds like a simple practice, but it can be quite profound and can also take time and practice to even feel like it’s okay to pause and orient to our surroundings. So if you want to try to do it yourself, be gentle; try it first maybe in a moment when you don’t feel particularly stressed or pressured. Try it in a moment where there is already some space for relaxation, maybe even while you are outside on a beautiful day. See which sense is the easiest to tune into and what it’s like to notice what that sense is noticing. Maybe you will even be aware of a shift inside that feels like a sigh of relief.
At the very least your dog might be grateful to not have to rush home so soon!
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