This section addresses the following questions:

• Should I bring attention to my kidneys whenever I notice SNS arousal? Will that help me?
• Irene suggests doing this exercise a lot. Can we practice it in our day to day activities, or when we notice we are getting activated? Or should we pause and take the time to do it separate from anything else?
• Can I use heat, like a hot water bottle, to increase body comfort and relax the area?
• I really wanted to put my hands on my back. Why does Irene not do this in the exercise? Why do we put our hands on our front?

This exercise is similar to Orientation, in that it can be done anywhere, at any time. We can tune into our kidneys and use our intention to encourage them to be soft when we are sitting, standing, or lying down. It’s fine to do this any time during the day when we notice our sympathetic nervous system going into overdrive, and it’s also great to set aside time to deliberately practice and follow along with the audio.

It’s a great idea to use a heating pad, or hot water bottles that are about one-half full, or even folded up wash cloths, under the kidneys as a way to give ourselves some extra support and feedback into this area.

We put our hands on the front during this exercise, because it would be very difficult for many people to put their hands under their back while lying down. If that’s easy for you, then go for it! We just want to make sure you are not straining to do so, because that would be counter-productive.