Mindfulness of Emotions Meditation.
Take a few moments to adjust your posture so you're sitting in a comfortable and upright position.
Relax your shoulders and allow your hands to rest comfortably on your lap.
Close your eyes.
Become aware of the space in front of your eyes.
Take a field of darkness,
Familiar and comforting.
Simply rest your awareness there and allow your eyes to relax.
Letting go of any tension in and around your eyes.
Relaxed,
Awake and alert.
Now notice any sounds outside.
Just listening with a gentle curiosity.
Let the sounds come and go.
Now notice any sounds inside the room.
Now move your awareness to your breath at the nostrils.
Notice the feeling of the breath as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
Feel the temperature of the air at your nostrils.
Feel the movement of your chest and your belly.
Rising with the in-breath,
Sinking with the out-breath.
And now bring your awareness to your centre,
The feeling line of your body.
With the intention to check in with how you're feeling and a willingness to notice body sensations,
Gently ask yourself,
How am I feeling?
Feel the breath flowing in and out of your body through your throat,
Chest and belly,
Easily,
Effortlessly.
There's no need to analyse whether the sensations come from a physical cause or an emotional cause.
Just feel the area as an observer.
Now move your awareness down to your lower belly,
Around and behind the navel.
Notice any sensations there,
Perhaps a tightness,
A softness,
Hardness,
A shakiness.
Explore all the sensations in the lower belly and feel the flow of your breathing.
Now bring your awareness to your upper belly and again ask yourself,
How am I feeling?
Notice any sensations in the upper belly,
A softness,
A tightness,
A shakiness,
A numbness.
Whatever sensations you feel there as you feel into your upper belly,
Feel the flow of your breathing.
Now move your attention to the centre of your chest,
Feeling for any sensations.
A slight pressure,
An ache,
A tightness,
A hardness or resistance to the breath or perhaps it feels soft and comfortable.
Explore the body sensations,
Free of any judgement.
And as you feel into your chest,
Feel the flow of your breathing.
Now move your attention to your throat,
Feel into it with a gentle curiosity.
Explore the sensations in your throat,
Subtle or strong.
Any sensations,
Just rest your attention in the throat and allow any feeling sensations to come into focus.
As you feel into your throat,
Feel the flow of your breathing.
Now move your attention to your brow,
Feel into it with a gentle curiosity.
Explore the sensations in your brow area,
Subtle or strong,
Any sensations or tension.
Don't concentrate,
Just relax.
Rest your attention in the brow and allow any feeling sensations to come into focus.
Just relax.
As you feel into your brow,
Feel the flow of your breathing.
Now open your awareness to include the whole feeling line of your being.
Your lower belly,
Upper belly,
Chest,
Throat,
Brow.
Just feel the feelings with curiosity and compassion.
And if there's an area that feels more intense or vulnerable,
Just sitting with whatever feelings are there.
As you notice the feelings in your center,
Feel the flow of your breathing.
If you notice your attention wandering or becoming caught up in a stream of thought,
Simply bring your attention back to the breath.
Feel your feet on the floor,
Your belly,
Feel into your chest,
Your throat and feel the flow of your breathing.
Now as we come towards the end of this meditation,
Allow your breathing to become a little stronger.
Perhaps a deeper breath or two.
Start to reactivate your body by moving your fingers and toes.
Have a stretch.
And when you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
