Welcome to this meditation for tough times.
You might have come to this meditation because you're aware that there's an uncomfortable feeling making itself known at the moment or you might not have actually reached that level of awareness,
You might just have a sense that you're not feeling like yourself right now,
You might be feeling overwhelmed,
There might just be a sense that life feels tricky right now.
And so this meditation is designed to help you to pause and just check in with your body and listen to what it's actually needing.
So to begin with,
I just invite you to find a comfortable position,
Somewhere that feels private and safe,
And sitting in a way that feels comfortable for your body right here right now.
And so to begin with we're just going to take a couple of long slow deep breaths to just land in this moment together.
In through the nose,
Out through the mouth,
Just starting to notice your body sitting here in this moment and to connect with it.
And next I'm going to ask you some questions about the feeling or the feelings that are making themselves known at the moment.
Some of the answers might arise really easily and sometimes you might find yourself drawing a blank.
All is fine,
Just hear the questions and notice what comes up for you.
If you can't answer them there's no problem,
Just wait for the next one.
So let's begin by checking in about where this feeling or these feelings are sitting right here right now in your body.
If you had to guess,
Where would you guess that they were sitting?
It might be your throat,
Your chest,
Your tummy or some other part of your body.
Just check in and see if you can get a sense of where this feeling is making itself known right here and now in your body.
And once you feel like you've got a sense of where the feeling is sitting,
The sensation is sitting,
I want you to just place a hand gently over that part of your body just to maintain contact with that feeling here and now as we go through this exercise.
The first thing I'd like to ask you about this feeling is how much space does it take up at the moment?
Is it the size of a coin,
A tennis ball,
A basketball?
Just take a moment to get a sense of how much space this feeling is taking up in your body.
And next I'd like to ask if you had to visualise this feeling as a colour,
What colour would it be if you had to pick something?
How do you see it sitting there?
What about hot or cold?
Does the feeling feel hot or cold?
Do you lean one way or the other?
Or is it neutral?
Next I want to ask what form do you think the feeling takes?
So you know if it had to be made out of something,
What do you think it would be made out of?
Is it hard and solid like metal?
Or is it liquid like water?
Or fuzzy like a gas or a cloud?
Just have a sense into it and see if you can tell what form this feeling takes.
And finally I want to ask if you had to choose a word to describe what this feeling might be,
What's your best guess?
It doesn't matter if it's not perfect or it's not specific,
We're going for ballpark here.
But can you tell if this feeling is sadness?
Or maybe fear?
Is it anger?
Could it be shame?
Maybe it's just overwhelm?
Just take a moment and see if you can find the right kind of word for this feeling.
And then once you've got a good enough word for this feeling,
I'm going to say some things out loud.
You don't have to say them out loud,
You can just repeat them in the privacy of your own mind.
But if it feels okay to you,
You can also say them out loud.
And you don't have to follow my template exactly,
You can put them into your own words.
I'm just giving you the gist.
So something along the lines of okay,
Name of feeling.
I feel you,
You've got my attention.
Oh,
I don't really like feeling you at the moment and I don't want to feel you but I acknowledge that you're here.
You have a right to be here.
And so I'm not going to fight you and I'm not going to push you away,
I'm just going to let you be here.
And I'm even going to try to hold you here with kindness and care for as long as you need to hang around.
I've got you.
And now is the final part of our practice.
I want you to ask this feeling,
What does it need?
What does it most need in this moment?
What is it craving?
What is it longing for?
You might have words float into your mind or it might just be more of a felt sense but I just want you to sit with that question for a moment and just see if anything makes itself known.
What does this feeling most need?
Sometimes it's just acknowledgement,
Sometimes it might be some space,
Maybe it's some love or care or a hug.
But just sit and listen and if something makes itself known just keep sitting with that question and just ask anything else,
Anything else that you need and just keep asking.
We're all ears.
And again,
Anything else that this feeling needs while it's got our attention and we're listening?
Anything else?
Big or small?
Possible or impossible?
Anything else that it needs?
And so to finish the practice in your own way,
In your own words,
I'd just like you to let this feeling know that it's been heard.
And you might not know exactly how you're going to meet those needs in the next hour but I want you to give this feeling a sense of,
You know,
I hear that you need acknowledgement or love or care or whatever you heard it say.
And you might say something like,
I'm not quite sure how we're gonna get that happening or when it's going to happen but I hear you and I'm on it and I will check back in.
Something along those lines.
And then just anything else that you'd like to say to this feeling in the privacy of your own mind and your own space.
And then there's no rush,
You can stay in this space for as long as you want but when you feel ready you can gently open your eyes,
Come back to the space that you're in,
Notice the surroundings and re-enter your day.
