This Week's Mindful Morsel 🍪 | May 21, 2025 — Feel safe first

Happy sweet Wednesday 💜

Knowing you’re safe is so important — in your home, your car, your workspace, and your body.

If you’ve ever experienced trauma (which I’m assuming for the purposes of this Mindful Morsel that we all have because I deeply believe that to be true), that usually means you need some extra help in feeling safe in certain contexts.

I’ve had a lot of experience not feeling safe in my own home, moving about the world, being with other people, and being in my own body, and because of that, I know that I need extra resourcing to show myself I’m safe. 

Any situations that can feel triggering for trauma responses or vulnerability deserve our extra efforts because if we don’t feel safe, we can’t sink into comfort or newness or love or joy or pleasure or any of the good stuff.

That’s why I start my yoga practices by encouraging people to orient themselves to the space we’re in with mindful observation. This intentional action signals to our bodies that we’re safe and we can let our mental and physical guards down (or at least start to). And once we arrive in both body and mind, then we can more easily immerse ourselves in open exploration and the practice of embodiment because we can start to allow ourselves to soften.

When we don’t take the time to show ourselves we’re safe, we’re likely to (a) rush and/or force our bodies into shapes, or (b) resist at the same time we’re trying to allow. Either of those things is a recipe for discomfort and pain, which is going to make you feel less safe. Which is going to turn up the tension and guarding in your body and mind. Which is not an environment that supports embodiment.

In our homes, we have safety signals like routinely locking doors, being familiar with our neighbors’ behaviors, sitting in our favorite spots, or curling a blanket up under our chins. These things tell our bodies it’s safe to relax and soften into rest. 

We can resource ourselves in similar ways with mindfulness. Whether it’s the start of a yoga practice or somewhere else out in the world, use your senses to fully notice details about where you are. I like to start with my eyes and work my way through sound, touch, smell, and taste. I find this funnels my attention closer and closer to my body until I can start to notice within.

Doing this helps my mind feel less on guard — a little quieter and softer itself — and a soft mind signals to my body that I’m safe and I can more fully drop into the physical experience.

If there are other ways you signal to yourself that you’re safe, I’d love to hear about them because I’m eternally curious about everyone’s experiences, so feel free to share.

With fresh & soft energy,