A Quiet Yes

How ‘I-Feel’ Proficiency Stops Energy Waste and Invites Healing

There’s a moment—a soft, fleeting pause—where something shifts. It’s not grand or loud; it doesn’t demand attention. Instead, it feels like answering a distant bell in the fog, a gentle chime that calls us back to ourselves. It’s subtle, but if we listen closely, it changes everything.

In Somatic Mindfulness, and especially in the practice of ‘I-Feel’ Proficiency, this moment is what I call a quiet yes. It’s not a command, nor is it a demand to be different. It’s an agreement—a soft acknowledgment of what’s already here. When we notice a tight chest, a fluttering stomach, or a faint ache somewhere deep in the back, and we pause—not to fix, but simply to be with it—we are offering this quiet yes.

And in that moment, energy stops leaking. The nervous system begins to recognize that the tiger isn’t lurking in the bushes after all. It’s in this quiet, unforced noticing that something profound begins to happen.

The Body’s Call and Our Attention’s Reply

The body speaks in sensation. Tightness, warmth, fluttering, stillness—it’s a language older than words. Polyvagal theory refers to something called neuroception, the body’s ability to detect safety or danger without conscious thought. It’s a watchful guard, constantly scanning for threats, even when we’re not aware of it.

But when the body perceives a threat—even one that’s long past—its responses become automatic: tension, bracing, shallow breath. These are wise survival strategies, but they aren’t always appropriate for the moment we’re in. Often, they’re echoes from an old story, playing on repeat.

So what happens when we notice? When we stop, even briefly, and turn our attention inward? When we offer a quiet yes to whatever we find—a tight jaw, a held breath, a knot in the belly?

It’s a reply. An attentive reply to the body’s signal. It’s us saying, “I hear you. I’m here. It’s safe now.” And in that exchange, something shifts. Energy that was bound in holding patterns begins to loosen. A cycle that was running on autopilot starts to wind down.

Not About Changing, But About Seeing More

One of the most common misconceptions about mindfulness—and by extension, Somatic Mindfulness—is the idea that it’s about reaching a particular state: calm, peace, stillness. But this practice isn’t about arriving somewhere different. It’s about arriving here—in the present moment—with all its sensations, textures, and qualities.

Most of us are already well-versed in asking, “How do I feel?” The answers are usually broad and conceptual: I’m tired. I’m stressed. I’m anxious. But beneath those words, there’s an entire world of sensation—a landscape waiting to be noticed.

In ‘I-Feel’ Proficiency, we don’t replace “how” with “what”. Instead, we add “what” to “how”. If we notice tiredness, we might also notice where that tiredness lives in the body. Is it a heaviness in the limbs? A dull ache behind the eyes? A sense of sinking in the chest?

This isn’t about forcing anything to change. It’s not about analyzing or dissecting. It’s about being sincerely curious. It’s about pausing, noticing, and offering a quiet yes to what’s already here.

In that moment, the nervous system catches a glimpse of now. And in that glimpse, it starts to recognize safety.

Acceptance Isn’t Resignation

When we talk about acceptance in this work, it’s not about passivity or giving up. It’s not about rolling over in the face of discomfort. It’s about curiosity—a willingness to see more, feel more, and notice more.

Acceptance, in this sense, is active. It’s relational. It’s saying, “I’m here with this. I’m listening.”

Imagine standing still and hearing a faint sound in the distance—a distant bell in the fog. Acceptance is the act of quieting down long enough to listen. It’s not about chasing the sound or trying to silence it. It’s about being with it, letting it ring, and understanding it for what it is.

This is where a moment of resonance happens. The body calls through sensation, and we reply with focused attention. In that moment, something aligns—like two strings vibrating in harmony.

And what happens next isn’t forced. It’s natural. It’s easeful. Energy stops bracing, muscles soften, and breath deepens—not because we tried to make it happen, but because we stopped trying to make it not happen.

The Process, Not the State

If there’s one thing to remember about this practice, it’s this: It’s not about where you arrive. It’s about how you’re arriving.

‘I-Feel’ Proficiency isn’t a ladder to climb or a box to check. It’s not a technique for achieving peace or calm. Instead, it’s an ongoing conversation—a back-and-forth between sensation and attention, between the body’s call and our quiet reply.

Each moment of noticing is an attentive reply. Each pause is a listening pause. Each time we notice something—a breath, a flutter, an ache—it’s a quiet yes.

And this yes isn’t passive. It’s powerful. Because in that moment, energy that was tied up in old defensive patterns becomes available again. The nervous system settles. The body feels safe. Healing—whatever form it might take—becomes possible.

An Invitation to Pause

The next time you feel a tightness in your chest or notice your shoulders creeping up toward your ears, pause. Don’t rush to change it. Don’t try to fix it. Just pause.

Listen. Notice. Offer a quiet yes.

It might feel like catching a glimpse of sunlight through clouds, or like hearing your name whispered in a crowded room. It might feel like answering a distant bell in the fog.

This moment is the essence of Somatic Mindfulness. It’s the heart of ‘I-Feel’ Proficiency. And it doesn’t require force, effort, or analysis. It only requires your presence—and a willingness to meet yourself, exactly as you are, with curiosity and care.

Because sometimes, the most profound healing begins not with grand gestures, but with something far simpler: a quiet yes.

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