Hello,
My name is Ellen and I will guide you on this meditation.
This meditation can be done in moments that you feel sad.
First of all,
Let's settle into the posture.
Find a posture in which your body feels comfortable.
It can be sitting up,
In meditation position,
On a chair,
Or even lying down.
Take some time to allow the body to settle in,
Making sure that it feels comfortable and well-supported.
Bring your awareness to those areas of the body that are in touch with the surface that you are sitting or lying on.
Really feeling that connection,
Presence of the chair,
The cushion or the mattress beneath you,
And your weight pressing down into it.
And from this sensation of contact,
You can become aware of other areas of your body.
Just taking some time to feel your entire body,
Allowing the sensations to be just as they are.
No need to judge them or to change them.
Just welcome yourself and your physical experience in this moment.
And you can also gently start to notice the movement of the breath,
The gentle flow of air in and out of your lungs.
There is no right or wrong way of breathing.
Just notice the flow of the breath as it is.
And while you notice your physical presence and the movement of your breath,
You will also be aware of the sad emotion that is present.
This is why you chose to do this meditation after all.
So in this meditation,
In these minutes,
This feeling of sadness is completely welcome.
We are sensitive human beings and we have the ability to feel all sorts of emotions.
Emotions are always in movement.
They come and they go.
And in this time,
You find yourself experiencing an emotion of sadness.
And that's perfectly okay,
Even though it may not feel so nice.
It is often the resistance that we have against the sadness that makes it more and more challenging.
So let's see what happens if we allow the sadness just to be present.
Maybe you can drop into your body and see if there is a specific area in the body where this sadness resides.
Maybe it's a certain feeling in your heart area.
Or it's the moisture of tears in your eyes.
See how the body is experiencing this emotion of sadness.
When we experience strong emotions like sadness,
Our mind easily takes over.
It wants to help us to feel better,
To be okay.
The only thing the mind can do is to think.
So it easily jumps into analyzing,
Into blaming,
Into looking into why this happened and why you feel like this.
The mind may even be quite strict and speak with an unfriendly voice.
Maybe it tells you off for feeling like this,
Being sad.
If this is the case,
Then the sadness is even more challenging.
And even though the mind means well and wants to help you out in this painful situation,
It is simply not equipped to deal with strong emotions.
So let's drop away from the thoughts back into the body,
Giving yourself space to just feel.
Allowing the sadness to be present.
If there are tears,
Allow tears to flow.
And also notice how the breath can be present for you,
How it can help you in these challenging moments.
By gently allowing your focus to rest on the movement of the breath.
Opening up for the feelings present,
But staying grounded in the body and connected to the breath.
We easily see an emotion like sadness as problematic,
But let's change perspective.
Isn't it also something really beautiful that we can feel this?
That something happened that caused us to feel this strong emotion of sadness.
Something that was important to us,
Something that was meaningful,
Something that unexpectedly changed.
And it touches us.
Because after all,
We are sensitive beings.
And that's not a problem.
That's a strength.
Emotions only become problematic if we don't allow ourselves the space to feel them.
So the fact that you are taking time to do this meditation is a beautiful gift of self-love and self-compassion.
Emotions are always moving.
That's why they're called e-motions,
In motion.
There's no need to fix them.
All they want is to be heard and to be felt.
So that we can learn from these experiences.
And we could tune in to what this sad feeling is telling us.
Why did it come about?
What can we learn from it?
And now,
Towards the end of this meditation,
I would like to ask you to bring a hand to your heart.
As a kind gesture of compassion and presence.
Letting yourself know that you are there.
You are there for yourself in this difficult time.
And it's all okay.
It's okay to feel sad.
It's okay not to know how to continue.
But there's no need to panic.
You're only human.
And emotions are part of our existence.
Tell yourself that it's okay to feel.
It's okay to be sad.
And the sadness won't stay forever.
If you pay attention,
If you are present,
Allowing the feeling to be here in this moment.
We can also witness that at some point it will change.
It will transform into something new.
And meanwhile,
Stay connected to your body and to your breath.
Right now,
Feel again the surface that you are sitting or lying on.
Notice the flow of air in and out of your lungs.
And just give yourself some moments to be.
Feeling your hand on your heart.
Allowing your breath to calm your being.
Feeling your groundedness in your body.
And after you hear the bell,
Take your time to end this meditation.
And then reflect for a few moments how you feel and how you want to continue your day.
In what way can you take care of yourself in the best way possible?
