Hello everybody and welcome to your daily meditation.
Today we'll be exploring how to stay present with difficult emotions,
With a little more awareness,
Steadiness and care.
Start by finding a quiet space to sit where you won't be disturbed.
Establish a comfortable posture with a straight back in which you're both relaxed and alert,
Allowing the body to settle.
If it feels helpful,
Gently close your eyes or softening your gaze.
Let your shoulders fall away from the neck,
Relaxing them back and down.
Soften your forehead,
Your jaw,
Your hands and stomach area.
Feel your entire body lengthening and relaxing and gently bring attention to the natural rhythm of the breath.
Take a few moments to arrive here,
Allowing presence and stillness.
And from this more grounded place,
I invite you now to gently turn toward your own experience.
Begin by gently bringing to mind a situation that you have encountered recently that might have triggered emotional reactivity,
An experience you'd like to explore with mindfulness and compassion.
Choose something manageable,
Not the most overwhelming experience,
Something you can stay with gently.
It might be a conversation you had with someone,
A place of misunderstanding,
A worry,
A moment of tension or something unresolved.
As you bring this situation to mind,
Take some time to notice what emotion is most present right now.
Let yourself enter enough into that situation so you can sense what's going on and what's activating you.
What is happening in your experience when you're thinking about it?
Is there sadness?
Anger?
Fear?
Anxiety?
See if you can name it softly in your mind.
This is sadness.
This is fear.
This is anxiety.
And with that recognition,
Bring your attention to whatever feels most difficult with the intention of fully letting be.
Simply acknowledge and give some space for what's here.
If it feels possible,
Allow this experience to be here for a few breaths.
Not because you like it,
Not because you want it to stay,
But because for this moment,
This is what is present.
Notice what's like.
Just agreeing to experience something for these moments.
I can hold this.
Allow yourself to pause and stay present with the life that is here just as it is.
Sense where you are right now,
Bringing a kind and curious attention to your experience.
Where do you feel this emotion in the body?
Perhaps it's in the chest,
The belly,
The throat,
The shoulders,
Or the face.
And what sensations are present here?
Tightness?
Pressure?
Warmth?
Heaviness?
Stay gently connected with the experience inside.
And if it feels supportive,
Noticing what happens when you bring a little more attention or kindness to this place.
Now,
Seeing if it feels possible to offer some care inwardly.
Sense that you're asking and listening from a compassionate presence.
You might place a hand on your heart or somewhere else in the body that feels supportive.
Quietly asking,
What does this part of me need right now?
Maybe it needs reassurance,
Space,
Understanding,
Kindness.
And if this feels natural,
Offering a few words of care inwardly.
May I be kind to myself.
May I meet this emotion with gentleness.
I don't have to push this away.
And if at any point this feels like too much,
You can always return to the feeling of your feet on the ground,
Or gently opening your eyes and reconnecting with the space around you.
That too is part of the practice.
Now gently letting go of the situation,
Relax your attention.
Noticing the presence that's here.
Taking one last deep breath.
Returning your attention to the body sitting here.
Feel the support beneath you,
The space around you.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
I hope you enjoyed today's daily meditation.
Have a wonderful rest of your day and I'll see you back here soon.
