When Words Meet the Body

Hello!

Thank you so much for opening this letter and I hope you’re doing well!

I welcome you to explore the following somatic practice, either now or at some point throughout your day if it feels right for you.

Somatic Practice:

Before you Begin:

I welcome you to choose one affirmation from the following list that speaks to you, trusting your choice even if you’re not sure why.

Affirmations:

• Confidence and authenticity light my way.
• My inner light glows brightly.
• I breathe in courage and breathe out fear and doubt.
• I am grounded, centered, and steady.
• I honour my needs and my boundaries.
• I am more than enough, just as I am.
• Taking up space is my birthright.
• I am brave, bold, and powerful.
• I am magnificent and beautifully whole.
• I am worthy of all the good that comes my way.

Practice:

1. I invite you to explore this practice standing in front of a mirror, or if it feels better, without a mirror by softening your gaze or gently closing your eyes to connect with your inner reflection.
2. Begin by bringing your feet underneath your hips, or slightly wider if that feels better. Allow your body to settle into a stance that feels supportive.
3. With a sense of ease, I invite you to roll your shoulders forward, up, and then back, allowing them to gently relax away from your ears. Rest your hands on your hips, and then draw your elbows back just enough to encourage a gentle lift in your heart space.
4. Turn your attention toward your breath. Notice the gentle rhythm of your inhale and exhale, allowing your breath to be exactly as it is. Your breath is here to serve as an anchor, guiding you back home to yourself.
5. If you are using a mirror, look into your eyes as you begin to repeat your chosen affirmation. If you are practicing without a mirror, you might imagine yourself standing in front of one, offering the same gentle gaze to your reflection.
6. Repeat your affirmation slowly, at your own pace. You might choose to say it out loud, whisper it, or speak it silently in your mind.
7. As you continue to say your affirmation, gently notice how your body responds. The invitation is to stay open and curious.
8. I invite you to stay with this practice for as long as it feels right in your body.
9. When this practice feels complete, I invite you to take three conscious breath cycles.
10. I welcome you to either offer yourself a hug, place a hand on your heart, or gently give yourself a pat on the back as an expression of gratitude for exploring this practice.
11. If your eyes are softened or closed, kindly lift your gaze or open your eyes, and take your time to reorient yourself to your surroundings.

Thank you for exploring this somatic practice with me!

I’m curious – what did you notice? How did your body respond to the affirmation? Did any thoughts, feelings, or emotions surface? As you continued to repeat your affirmation, did anything begin to shift – perhaps in your breath, your energy, your posture, or the expression on your face?

As with all somatic practices, there’s no right or wrong experience. The invitation is to stay curious and to meet whatever arises with compassion.

I’ve been exploring this practice daily because I’m curious about how mirror work can influence how we feel on the inside and how those affirming words might begin to show on the outside. For a little more than 21 days, I’ve been repeating the affirmation “I am grounded, centered, and steady” each morning and evening. While 21 days is often mentioned as a guideline for beginning to rewire thought patterns, the timing is unique for each person and unfolds in its own way.

Since beginning this practice, I’ve become more aware of the connection between my feet and the ground, and I find myself sitting taller with greater ease. I also check in with my breath more often throughout the day. I’ve noticed that this sense of groundedness may be contributing to more people engaging in conversation with me when I’m out and about.

When we speak affirming words to ourselves and explore postures that help us embody those words, like the superhero pose you practiced in the somatic practice, our brains register not only the language but also the subtle shifts in posture and energy. Over time, this repetition can reshape our internal experience, which naturally influences how we move through the world.

The words we speak, and even the ones we think, are not just fleeting thoughts – each and every single word carries signals and its own unique vibration. Our cells are constantly listening and responding according to the messages they receive. These messages influence how we feel, how we behave, and what we come to believe about ourselves, others, and the world around us.

I’ve been reflecting on how affirmations might influence the way our genes express themselves. Epigenetics is the study of how our environment, both internal and external, and our behaviours can shape which genes are activated or upregulated and which ones are turned off or downregulated.

Affirmations can help ease feelings of stress and overwhelm, which can lead to improvements in sleep, digestion, heart and respiratory health, immune function, and mental clarity and confidence. Given these supportive effects, it feels meaningful to consider that affirmations could play an indirect yet valuable role in guiding the body toward a state of rest, healing, and renewal. In doing so, they may also influence gene expression over time.

I believe that affirmations are powerful and can literally transform you from the inside out.

Even with this understanding, we may still encounter resistance to certain affirmations, even when we truly want to embrace and embody them.

From my own experience, there have been moments when I listen to uplifting affirmations and feel a wave of positive energy and possibility flowing through me, only to have my mind quickly slip back into familiar, outdated thought patterns. Maybe you’ve experienced something similar too.

So what might be happening here?

When we listen to or speak affirmations, our conscious minds receive them. We understand the words and genuinely want to accept them as our new reality and truth. But our subconscious minds may still be holding onto past experiences, beliefs, and/or protective patterns that are not yet aligned with these truths.

For example, I could repeat “Taking up space is my birthright” every day for a year, hoping the words will eventually settle into my being. But if my subconscious is still holding on to past moments when it felt safer to stay quiet or small, that affirmation might feel unfamiliar or even unsafe. In that case, the message is not fully integrated. Instead, it may be met with resistance or rejected entirely, leading the mind to return to more familiar and comfortable thought patterns. Even if those thought patterns are not kind, helpful, or true!

If I want to truly embody this affirmation, the first step is to bring awareness to any resistance it brings up for me. This resistance might show up as a sensation – a thought, a feeling, an emotion, an image, an impulse, a belief, or a judgment. I can meet whatever arises with a soft and curious awareness, without needing to label it or judge it for being there.

Now, I might explore adapting this affirmation to meet me where I am in the moment. For example, I could say, “I am learning to take up space.”

This small shift offers more safety and flexibility, encouraging my nervous system to stay open to the message instead of shutting it out.

As time goes on, I may begin to explore the affirmation “It is my birthright to take up space” and gently notice how it lands in my body. In other words, how are my cells interpreting the message and how is it manifesting in my day-to-day thoughts, feelings, behaviours and beliefs? Do I feel subtle shifts in my posture or in the way I engage with others? Am I speaking my truth with more confidence, even when it feels uncomfortable or goes against the grain? When fear or self-doubt arises, do I remind myself that I am here to be seen, heard, and fully myself without feeling that impulse to shrink or dim my light?

If I notice any shift, even subtle shifts, I’ll know that these words are beginning to take root in me and will eventually be integrated as a core belief.

So if you ever notice discomfort or resistance when working with affirmations, the invitation is to meet that response with curiosity. And if it feels supportive, consider adapting the words in a way that feels more aligned with where you are in your journey. Sometimes, cultivating space within these practices is the very thing that invites the truth to settle in.

If it feels right for you, I invite you to repeat the affirmation you have chosen from the list above or adapt it so it feels authentic and true to you. I encourage you to say it a few times every morning and evening for at least 21 days. Notice what, if anything, begins to shift without forcing or expecting any specific outcome. Allow yourself to be curious about how your words may influence your physical, mental, emotional, and/or spiritual experience. You might also observe whether things around you start to shift in response.

I carried the intentions I have shared with you in this letter into the creation of our latest somatic yoga for self-confidence practice. This practice is intentionally designed to awaken, activate, and harmonize the energy centers of the body, starting from the grounding stability of the root chakra and rising to the expansive awareness of the crown.

May this practice gently remind you that confidence is not something to be found outside of yourself. It has always been within you. Even in life’s lowest moments, it never truly leaves. That confidence shines quietly like a steady light reminding you of your worth, your strength, your resilience, and the power that lives within you.

I welcome you to join me on the mat for this practice. Let’s glow!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter.

I hope these messages bring value and inspiration to your journey.

Wishing you a beautiful day!!

Sending positive vibes your way,

Rachel