Hello and welcome to Choosing Mindfulness.
My name is Banu Joy Harrison and I will be guiding you in a meditation to become more present with your emotions.
We may think that our emotions have nothing to do with our bodies,
But every emotion has physical sensations that are unique to you.
How do we learn to track these sensations?
Let's begin.
You can practice this meditation sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down.
As you assume your posture,
See if you can make yourself 10 percent more comfortable.
To do this,
You have to turn your attention inwards to your body,
Noticing any sensations of discomfort that could be improved by a shift in your posture.
Are your shoulders hunched up to your ears and feeling tight?
Is the chair too hard on your seat?
Is your lower back tense?
Can you adjust your position,
Perhaps using a pillow for support or softening your shoulder muscles to feel just a little bit more comfortable?
Notice if there are any shifts in your body after making these adjustments.
Does your breath flow a bit more easily?
Does your back relax a bit?
Can you let the surface underneath your body really support your full weight?
Tracking sensations in our bodies like we just did gives us so much information,
Including what is happening in our emotional world.
Most of us notice our emotions.
I'm sad,
I'm upset,
I'm angry,
But we stop being curious about them after we label them.
Then the emotion can feel stuck or overwhelming.
As you do the following practice with me,
Honor your own process.
If it's too difficult to stay with an emotion for very long,
Shift your attention outside of your body,
Noticing something in your environment that is neutral or pleasant to look at.
Typically,
If your emotion gets really big or the sensations get really uncomfortable,
It's time to take a break.
It is important to gradually build up the capacity to be with any emotion,
Including the positive ones,
So don't overdo it.
Let's begin tracking sensations of our emotions.
If you are feeling anxious right now,
How do you know that?
What are the sensations you're experiencing that you are labeling anxious?
Scan your body and notice if there is a tightness in your jaw or stomach.
Perhaps your heart is beating faster.
Just being curious about the emotion of anxiety that you're sensing right now.
Maybe you're feeling sad or depressed at this time.
Again,
How do you know that?
What sensations are you experiencing right now that you label sad or depressed?
Is there a heaviness in your chest or maybe some tears gathering in your eyes or constriction in your throat or perhaps another sensation?
Maybe you are feeling content right now.
Again,
How do you know that you are content?
What sensations are you experiencing that you label content?
Do you sense a softness in your torso or are your hands warm?
Perhaps your heart feels expanded or open.
For whatever emotion you are experiencing right now,
Grief,
Jealousy,
Upset,
Anger or joy,
See if you can identify one or two physical sensations of this emotion.
Become very curious about these sensations and watch them with care to see what happens with these sensations next.
Do these sensations stay the same or do they shift?
If they shift,
Do they become more or less intense?
Do the sensations spread or shift to a different part of your body?
It can be difficult at first to keep your attention focused on your body sensations.
That's okay and it will become easier over the time with practice.
You may find yourself thinking about your emotion or going into the story of what happened or who said what.
While this is normal,
It usually isn't very helpful.
Bring your attention back to the sensations of the emotion you are feeling again,
Being very curious about the sensations right now.
Track these sensations,
Being curious and watchful,
And notice what happens with the sensations next.
As you are just present with these sensations,
With kindness and non-judgment,
You may notice a shift in your emotion.
The emotion and its sensations may change a lot or just a bit or perhaps not at all.
The intention is not to change your emotion or make it go away.
Rather,
It is to become kindly curious about them,
Turning towards your feelings to notice them just as they are.
Emotions,
Like thoughts,
Will continually change.
Know that by doing this practice regularly with both positive and challenging emotions,
You are coming into relationship with yourself,
Deepening your connection to your lived experience right now in this moment,
Ideally without judgment.
As we finish up this meditation,
Shift your attention from your body to your environment,
Looking around,
Noticing sounds,
Fragrances,
Colors and textures,
Letting yourself come back into the present moment.
Thank yourself for being willing to turn towards your emotions and be present in your body.
And thank you for practicing with me today.
