Comfort with Spaciousness
by Healing Arts Practitioner Lauren Drake

What is spaciousness to you? 

It could look like an empty day ahead of you, a wide open field, or a question mark. It could be a certain period of time spent alone, with no one to answer to and no one to relate to. It could be a free and mobile hip joint, or an unstuck diaphragm and a resulting deep breath. Some days register differently than others. Where are you on this scale today? 

In a lot of somatic inquiry practice and body-based trauma work, we talk about “containers,” or boundaries. Life requires certain boundaries for us to feel safe and held, and on a deeper level to know that we even exist. This is a space of inquiry in which to practice and test our edges. 

Do you feel a mini-surge of panic when you have nothing to do, nowhere to go, or no one to talk to? We can ask ourselves, “How comfortable can I feel with this degree of spaciousness today? Maybe it’s not comfortable, but can I search for just ‘okay?’ Where do I need to feel a boundary or an edge in order to feel okay?”

Underneath this inquiry is a sense of basic trust. On the surface, the practice is an exploration of our ability to tolerate spaciousness and emptiness. I would posit that it’s a slow and subtle seeking of feeling a sense of support from Life itself. Again this is a practice, not a goal or destination. Feeling loved, wanted, righteous in our very own existence, and dignified by Life itself is the gift, and it belongs to each and every one of us. With this trust, spaciousness becomes more available in our lives. 

See Lauren’s Healing Arts profile here, and her website here.