Newborn to child
Now that we are soft and sensate, we are going to go through an experience where we learn to co-regulate in which we will go through the foundational developmental stages of life – womb through childhood.
Touch consent – this exercise involves bodily contact including compression but can be adjusted to be solo –you may choose to be at the back or edges of the room if you want space. If you want to be enfolded, go towards the center of the room.
In this exercise we will go through the foundational stages of life while also learning self- and co-regulation skills. Regulation is a state of resourcedness in the nervous system – where you are peaceful and able to respond to stimuli in a grounded and centered manner.
We begin where all our lives began – in the womb.
cue womb sounds
Womb sounds : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk4qT4J_NUM
calmer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQMMgDB3ZEw
what you are hearing is the sound of your mother’s heart beat in the watery womb.
To begin find a comfortable place on the floor and rest in fetal position – either curled up on your side, or in child’s pose on your knees with your chest folded on your knees. If you feel safe to, you are invited to close your eyes and keep them closed.
Breathe deep into your belly and diaphragm, with a longer in breath then an out breath.
Feel free to let a relaxed sound fall out of your mouth on the out breath.
Place your presence in the points of contact to the earth. Feel how you are supported by your surroundings, the earth your primary partner, steadfast throughout the whole dance of your life. Gravity is the earth’s embrace of you, know that you can always rely on this planetary pull to hold you close. Loose enough to allow you to jump, but strong enough to keep you grounded.
In the womb we are regulated through the rhythm of shared heartbeat and compression. If you are open to a shared experience of back-to-back breath and compression, raise your hand and move to be back to back with someone else with a raised hand.
Find a comfortable position among yourselves – You do not have to remain in fetal position. Take a deep belly breath, and exhale with a longer in breath then an out breath. Stay connected to yourself as you feel your back in contact with your womb twin. Over time, you will likely naturally sync up your breaths.
You may choose to add another regulation technique by rocking or rolling. Experiment with different types : doing the wave down your spine, moving back and forth, side to side. You may be feeling more passive and receptive, or you may want to be more active. As you move tune into the affect you are having on your partner – are their receiving your actions with yielding softness, are they seeking something to push against?
Start exploring and stretching out your limbs, gently, as you have other beings near you in our shared womb. Start exploring more of your 3D space, and through reading your womb twin’s body language see if one of you wants to be rolled on and compressed. If you want to be compressed, you can guide your twin’s limbs on top of you and roll/ pull them gently. Use your words if you need to express your preferences. Compression is a deep regulation technique.
If you are solo see how you can compress yourself by moving into different shapes and utilizing gravity.
Baby babble
Toddler // baby blanket // stuffie rag doll cradle
Through co-regulation we can help each other find this state of equanimity through things such as : compression, rocking, rolling, verbal acknowledgement, petting someone’s head, massaging neck or hands, body weight, breathing together, back stories.