This is another soften,
Soothe,
Allow practice.
So I invite you to take a comfortable seat or lie down,
Perhaps moving the body around a bit so you feel nice and settled and supported.
Allowing a couple of deeper breaths so that you can really settle.
Maybe pressing your feet into the ground if you're sitting or sensing the effect of gravity on the body,
Whether you're sitting or lying down.
Noticing that the seat or the floor is holding you.
Allowing the eyes to close or soften and calling to mind the situation or challenging emotion that you'd like to work with.
Choosing something that's not too high level or overwhelming.
And once you've called to mind this situation,
See if you can deliberately quieten the thoughts around this.
Seeing if you can let go of the story around this just for the duration of the meditation.
Might even help to put a hand on your forehead as you give yourself the invitation to let go of the thoughts and the story just for a little while.
Seeing if you can label what emotion has come up for you,
Is it fear,
Disappointment,
Sadness,
Or if you can't quite get there,
Can you describe the feeling in your body,
A clench,
A fluttering,
An ache?
Seeing if you can just be with the emotion in the body,
Perhaps gently scanning through the body and noticing where does the emotion show up?
What's the main location of the emotion?
Placing a gentle,
Soothing hand on that area.
If you're unsure about the location,
Can you get a general sense of where this is in the body?
Maybe it's mostly in the upper half or mostly in the lower half of the body or somewhere around the neck,
Throat area or somewhere in the torso.
Just a general sense.
And again,
If it's possible,
Putting your hands gently on the area or if it's quite a big area,
You might have one on each side of the area.
Just noticing the effect of those hands on the emotion.
And asking yourself now,
How are you feeling towards this emotion?
If your autonomic nervous system,
That's the part of your system that puts you in fight,
Flight,
Freeze,
Could speak to you about this emotion,
What would it say to you?
Would it say,
Danger,
Danger,
I'm out of here or I'm leaving?
Or would there be a sense of anger or irritation or clench fists towards it?
Or,
Whoa,
I'm just shutting down,
I'm shrinking,
I'm disappearing,
I'm gone.
Or would it say,
Yeah,
I'm okay with this,
I'm cool with this.
It's not pleasant,
But it's okay.
Maybe you have a little bit of a sense of that now.
You're taking a big deep breath and a nice exhale.
And if you've moved your hands,
Just bringing them back now to the location of that emotion.
Really noticing the sense of touch there.
You might even be moving your hands around a little bit.
This sense of touch is a wonderful way of acknowledging,
Ah,
Yes,
That's where this emotion is.
I'm starting to work now with a visual image of a big circle around this emotion.
So if you could perhaps draw a big circle around this emotion.
Moving your hands to be what you would imagine might be the edge of that circle.
Just reminding yourself that you're just witnessing this emotion.
You can stay all the way on the outside and just take a little look in.
Or perhaps it feels fine to move into the inner circle,
But only if that's agreeable with your nervous system.
Really checking in here as to how close it feels okay to be with this emotion.
Do you want to be around the outside of that circle?
Can you come a little bit into the circle?
Or can you go right into the emotion?
I'm pausing where you find a place that's close enough to come to the emotion that feels safe.
And we're very purposely now going to just bring in a little bit of softening.
Something that can come in and soften a little.
Not to make the emotion go away,
Just to soften it.
So I want you to consider what comes to you as might be really helpful.
Maybe bringing in some like warm liquid that might kind of soften and dissipate the intensity of the emotion.
How would it be to imagine a soft blanket gently draped around the emotion?
Or perhaps the emotion might be sort of floating on something.
Maybe some soft cloud or some fairy floss or a cushion.
Perhaps within that circle there might be a kind of dropper of some beautiful soft liquid that gently drips in,
Just softening.
Just noticing,
Could I let something come in just to soften the intensity a little bit?
What is that?
So just checking back in to see,
Do you still want to be on the outer edge of that circle around the emotion?
Or perhaps the intensity of the emotion has softened a little.
So you're able to move a little closer in.
Maybe your hands could move right to the emotion as a way to hold it,
Just for a moment even.
And if not,
That's absolutely fine,
You can still just be on the outer edge.
And just noticing now,
How is your breath with this emotion?
Taking a deeper breath in and a long exhale.
And maybe it might feel helpful to bring some soothing words into this emotional experience.
Seeing if you can gather some soft gentle words that help to hold,
To gently contain this emotion.
May I be kind to myself.
May I soften towards this.
May I remember I'm not alone with this.
Others feel this too.
Or perhaps just words like compassion,
Kindness,
Soothe,
Soften.
Me too.
Or it's okay.
And slowly releasing the hands now.
And before you externalize the awareness,
Just checking in.
Maybe just naming the emotion you chose again.
And naming the experience that stood out for you most.
Perhaps coming out of this meditation with a remembrance of what was most helpful in this.
Taking your time and perhaps even making a note in your journal if that's helpful.
Thank you.
