Embodiment First: Mantras for Work and Rest

Hello 👋 all,

I could probably sit down and write a more thorough blog post on this, but instead I felt to simply share a collection of affirmations I’ve been writing down this week — in their raw form 😆 ✍🏼

(Ah, the beauty of Facebook — less egotistical than Insta, and with the capacity to keep it real.)

So…

In the past week, I decided to engage a virtual EA. It has been quietly life-changing — in focus, productivity, balance, and rest.

What surprised me most was the clarity it brought around how uniquely each of us is designed to work — and how our systems function best when supported correctly.

For example, I’ve always had a large internal capacity and many concurrent visions (projects both big and small). I tend to self-manage and work fast, often in isolation, particularly during the build stage.

This recent shift revealed something important:even when designed with large capacity, it doesn’t mean it’s healthiest — or most effective — to carry that capacity alone.

My system breathes better, produces more cleanly, and my nervous system is far more regulated when there is a supportive structure in place — such as an EA — that helps hold my capacity and visions as a safe container.

This container also helps break multi-layered projects into manageable segments, while gently tracking ideas and tasks that need to be parked for later consideration.

The effect on my nervous system has been profound — I no longer have to carry and remember everything myself.

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🌻 Sharing my daily mantras 🕉️ / affirmations

During this period, I found myself writing short mantras and weaving them into different phases of my work cycle.

I’m sharing them here in case they’re supportive for others too.

At a time of widespread upheaval — emotional, psychic, and systemic — I’ve found these simple affirmations deeply calming, grounding, and empowering.

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I begin each task with my feet and body grounded 👣, using slow four-part breathing on both inhale and exhale, and choosing a mantra from the collection below:

✨🌿“Each moment clears both space and mind.”

(Used as a ritual while resetting physical space on site.)

✨🌿“I am here. I am safe in this moment.”

✨🌿[Witnessing]

If faced with challenge or aggression:

“This is an invitation, not an attack.”

✨🌿[Holding Centre]

“I hold my centre.

The world can move around me; I remain clear.”

(Especially powerful when followed by something sensorial — a swim, bath, warm shower, or a few lines sketched in a journal.)

✨🌿[Morning 🌅 starting ritual]

“I build <state your project name> from the rhythm of my own nervous system.

✨ Embodiment first. ✨ Expression follows.”

✨🌿[Reset mantra between task segments]

“I stop when the work feels ALIVE, not when I am EMPTY.”

✨🌿[Mantra for rest 🛌]

“Rest grows roots for my next creation.”

✨🌿[Gratitude]

“I honour what was created, felt, and learned this week.”

———

Nic Anderson - November 2025