What is Swamping and How Can You Use it to Feel More Embodied and at Ease in the World?

This Sunday, I have my first official Swamping Circle with my high-vibe tribe of witchy badass girlfriends I met two years ago now in a coaching container that teaches you to be absolutely unapologetically shameless about all aspects of your sexuality and desires.  

We are all so grateful that we have managed to keep our group connected despite being in different countries and continents. And yet, when you truly find the group of friends that make you feel seen, heard, and supported in all your crazy, you don’t let them go!

I first heard the term swamping at a yoga retreat in Puerto Escondido that I attended in January. One of the participants suggested we do a swamping circle. It was explained briefly and quickly that everyone is invited to share whatever they wish on any aspect of the emotional spectrum. What are you excited about? What are you mourning? What scares you? What do you want to vent about or clear?

The participant was an ICU nurse in a large Canadian city; she had been burned out in the pandemic, quit, and moved out of the city to find a simpler life and job at a regional hospital. She mentioned that the nursing unit would hold swamping sessions to help everyone clear their day before going home to their families. It’s a good intention but not enough to compensate for the physical, emotional, and mental overload of being asked to constantly work overtime in an already high-stress position. 

Regardless, it is a great exercise to get in the practice of doing. You don’t even have to go as far to have a group – you can have an agreement with one trusted friend willing to hold space for all your feelings when you text *need to swamp. 

Mama Gena was recently on Layla Martin’s podcast, This Tantric Life, discussing their exact arrangement. She also describes the practice in detail on her blog: 

“It’s a practice where you deliberately choose to feel every drop of emotion.

You are not pretending that everything is okay or fine.

You are actually throwing a party for your feelings.

Inviting them in.

Choosing to feel, instead of going numb, is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.“

Read it in full here. 

To be clear, this requires you to seek permission from someone – we don’t just want to unload our emotions on someone without asking. Most of us often operate in some version of ‘managing,’ and an onslaught of someone else’s tragedy, grief, pain, frustration, anger, or even happiness can be too much.  

Those of us who support others as a profession usually have some intentional practices and awareness around holding space for people without letting it all seep in or carry it with us – not true for most people.  

Not sure if your bestie is game? You can start your own group! Keep it high level first and work your way up to FULL FORCE EMBODIMENT over time as trust and safety builds.    

Note: You want to focus on embodying one emotion at a time or clearing one emotional reaction to something going on in your time or an experience you have over time. Being specific and focused is an important element of this exercise.

Allowing ourselves to embrace, express, and feel our feelings is healing and powerful. Heck, you can start with yourself in the mirror. Scream into a pillow. Dance it out naked to some heavy metal or heavy hardcore house music. Search ‘swamping’ on Spotify and get a list of playlists to get inspired.  

Speak your feelings out loud. Cry. Yell. Move your body. It is what we are designed for, not suppression or feeling ‘fine’ all the time. 

As you get more comfortable with your emotions, you will see how powerful you are when you are honest with yourself and in touch with your emotions. Most people walk around, afraid to go there, not knowing that what we resist persists. Holding things in makes them seem bigger than they are. Emotions are simply energy in motion. They come, they go; they don’t need to define us or our internal state. 

Being more open to feeling things at the moment allows us to see that we can be happy and sad, frustrated and in love, and fed up and hopeful. We are complex – our internal experience is a layered mosaic of feelings. Understanding ourselves better makes us more compassionate with others, and over time, this improves our relationships and makes us feel more at ease knowing – this too shall pass. 

This past weekend was my first experience swamping with a group of trusted women. It was magical. We did a guided meditation initially to help everyone feel grounded and less nervous. Then, we each shared in the circle what emotion we wanted to focus on embodying and clearing. This was accompanied by the song we wished to use to move the emotion through our body. Each of us took a turn fully expressing our emotions to music, and the others witnessed and held compassionate, loving space.

I won’t share the details as it was a sacred private circle. Still, I can tell you it was so powerful to watch other women you love and respect fully express themselves – raging to Rage Against the Machine or embodying their hurt, frustration, or sadness.  

The secret sauce is bringing some Eros or erotic energy into your embodiment right at the end. This can seem counterintuitive, but it is teaching your mind, body, and soul that it is not just okay but even pleasurable to feel your emotions – no matter what they are. So you can imagine me starting with punching pillows, head banging and screaming, wrapping it up, gently stroking my face, and giving myself a butterfly hug. This blend of strong emotions with loving energy makes swamping such a fascinating and powerful process for people who are open to it. Just think, what if you were never afraid to feel how you are feeling again? 

Early next year, I am going to be starting a virtual group; get in touch if you are curious to join or be notified when we start. The experience is unforgettable, and once you get a sense of it, it is likely a wellness practice you want to have in your toolbox.

Welcome to the Wellness as a Way of Life where we talk about how to master your health and wellness routines as a way of life.

WHO IS THIS PODCAST FOR?

This podcast is for ambitious women who are looking to live with more sustainable energy, confidence, mental clarity and ease. I’m your host Megan Swan, creator of the Wellness as a Way of Life course and the Sustainable Integrated Wellness Approach. I have more than a decade of experience in the wellness industry and on my own personal wellness journey – learning how to tune into and trust my intuition and drown out all the noise.

WHO IS MEGAN SWAN?

As a certified IIN Health Coach, Detoxification Expert, Plant-based Chef, Yoga Teacher and Coach I will help you distill down the information overload and feel more at ease in your own skin again. At 30 I sold everything to embark on my own “Eat, Pray, Love” journey of sorts and now at 44 I’m still on my first stop where I fell in love with one of my English students. We have two beautiful boys and three adorable dogs and love to travel and explore the lesser-known beaches of Mexico. I am also 5 years sober.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

This podcast will teach you how less is more and that there is no one-size-fits-all in terms of wellness practices! It will also teach you how to identify which wellness trends are really for you, personalize them and make them a part of who you are instead of another checkmark on your to-do list. So, let’s Swan dive in!

FOLLOW ALONG WITH MEGAN: 

• Wellness as a Way of Life on Spotify

• Wellness as a Way of Life on Apple Podcasts 

• Megan Swan Website

• Follow along with Megan on IG at @meganswanwellness 

Resources Are Available

If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.

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