Pendulation is one of somatic work’s core ideas: attention swings like a pendulum between what feels difficult and what feels okay in a way that stays manageable. Here are seven ways to practise it in ordinary life.
1. Learn the two ends first
Before swinging, know your anchors. Find a “difficult” spot – a tension, a worry, a tightness – and an “okay” spot: your hands, your feet, a warm mug. Spend a few breaths at each. It helps to make the okay spot specific and physical. Our explainer on pendulation covers the theory in more depth.
2. Swing slowly between them
Attention at the difficult spot for a few seconds – then back to the okay spot for a few breaths. Difficult, okay, difficult, okay. Spend seconds on the difficult spot and longer at ease. Stop if it feels too much.
3. Use it in traffic and queues
You can use it in everyday irritation. Notice the jaw clench in the queue (difficult), then the feet on the floor (okay), then the irritation again.
4. Pendulate inside a stretch
In any stretch, alternate attention: the edge of the stretch’s pull, then a part of you that is completely relaxed – the face, the hands. Do not force the stretch.
5. Pendulate through a hard memory – carefully
Bring a mildly difficult memory to mind for a few seconds, then return to something solidly pleasant – a place, a person, a pet. Small doses, easy memory first. If the memory is big, or the return to ease stops working, stop and work with a therapist rather than alone. Titration – small doses – is the sibling skill here.
6. Pendulate emotions with breath
When a feeling swells mid-day: a few breaths with the feeling’s physical shape, then a few breaths with something neutral – the chair, the air on your skin.
7. Check in over time
After weeks of practice, you can check in: do you notice any change in how much difficulty you can stay with before needing the return? Any change is yours to notice; there is no target.
When to get guidance
If touching the difficult end reliably tips you into overwhelm, dissociation, or panic, pendulate with a professional instead – a somatic practitioner can hold the other end of the swing.
Related: what somatic therapy is.
