Close the eyes or lower the gaze,
Soften your focus,
And settle into the body,
Bringing your awareness inward,
Maybe asking the question,
How does my body feel now?
And with curiosity,
Sensing for that answer,
How do the feet feel on the floor,
How does my back feel on the chair?
If there's any part of the body that wants extra attention,
You can just rest your non-judgmental,
Loving-kind awareness on that body part.
Bringing awareness to the breath,
We notice how the breath feels on the way in and out of the body,
Sensing all the sensations of breath.
And when the mind wanders,
We come back to wherever the breath is,
Meeting it where it is,
With no judgment,
No attachment.
And as we allow the body to feel exactly the way the body feels,
You can bring to mind a situation that's triggered frustration or fear or stress,
Something recent,
Something that's happening now,
That we recognize.
What emotions are there?
Anger,
Sadness,
Fear,
Disappointment,
Anxiety.
Can just name the feelings.
There may be more than one,
That's okay.
And notice how they feel in the body,
A clenched jaw,
Tension in the stomach,
A knot in your throat,
Observing and noticing the sensations that come with this emotion.
As you sit with that emotion or those emotions,
Don't push them away and don't divert your attention,
Just allow it to be exactly how it is.
You can say to yourself,
This is happening.
This is what it's like to be me right now.
If you notice the pull to look away,
That's okay.
Recognize and allow that.
I don't want to feel this way,
And that's okay.
Just keep breathing into the discomfort and let it be exactly the way it is.
Imagine pulling a chair up for it at a table as if it were a guest.
And now let's investigate.
You can get curious.
Why does this hit so hard?
Have I felt this way before?
What's the story I'm telling myself about this?
Notice any conclusions you jump to or any assumptions you make.
Anything this means about the future,
Anything this means about you,
Anything this means about anyone or the past,
Notice all the drama,
All the tension,
And investigate,
Is it true?
Observing the relationship between the thoughts you're having and the physical sensations.
Are you reacting to the circumstances or to what you're telling yourself about it?
As you discover new aspects,
Continue to recognize and allow anything that's new,
Just let it be there.
It's a new guest at the table.
Moving into non-identification,
You might find your ability to shift from I am anxious to I'm experiencing anxiety,
Or I'm afraid to I'm experiencing fear,
Or upset,
Going from I am upset to,
Oh look,
There's an upset.
Just imagine stepping back and watching the feeling like a storm passing through.
You might take a deep breath and say,
This is just a moment in time.
It's not my identity,
It's not who I am.
This is happening,
But it's not me.
Notice if there's any loosening of the grip that that emotion had on you,
Allowing that to be there,
And if there is no loosening,
Allowing that to be there.
And then gently being gentle and kind to yourself,
Maybe even acknowledging yourself for a moment for having done such deep work,
Some kindness towards yourself.
You might put your hands over your heart and take a few more breaths.
When you're ready,
Open the eyes and come on back.
