Settling In

Settling In is a guided practice for being with intense emotions without becoming consumed by them. Through grounding, body awareness and gentle questions, it helps you notice a feeling, create some space around it, and experience the difference between “I am this feeling” and “I am here, and this feeling is here too.”
The goal is not to reduce or remove the emotion, but to stay connected to yourself while it is present, listen to what it is communicating, and retain your ability to choose what you need next.
Music licensed through Soundstripe.
Code: 6FRMAKANE4WCOKCT

Transcript

This is a guided practice for being with intense feelings, And it's called Settling In. Find a position where your body feels well supported. Let your eyes rest wherever feels comfortable and begin by simply noticing where you are. What can you see around you? What sounds can you hear? Pay attention to the ones that are furthest away. Slowly bring your attention a little bit closer. And then finally to the sounds that are closest to you. What lets you know, Right now, That you are simply here. Notice where your body meets the surface beneath you. Where do you feel the most support? Can you allow a little more of your weight to be held? Notice your feet. Your legs. Knees, Thighs. Your seat. Your chest. Back, Shoulders. Arms. Enhance. Notice your breath arriving. And leaving. Arriving. And leaving. How do you know that your body is here and now? Begin to expand the awareness through your whole body. From the top of your head. To your face. Your shoulders. Your chest. Cowbelly Your hips. Your legs. All the way down to your feet. What does it feel like to notice yourself as a whole person? And say, I am here. It is now. And from this place, Notice the feeling that is most present with you right now. There's no need to explain it. Simply notice it. Where in your body do you feel it most clearly? What tells you that the feeling is there? Is there pressure? Warmth? Coolness? Texture? Movement? Tightness? What qualities belong to this feeling? If this feeling had a shape, What shape would it have? Where does that shape begin? And where does it end? Notice it. How much space does it occupy inside of you? Now notice something important. What exists around the feeling, Around the shape. Where in your body does the feeling become quieter? Where do you notice something neutral? Where do you notice steadiness? Where do you notice support? Notice where the feeling is strongest and notice the places where something else is also happening. Become aware that the experience includes both. What happens when your awareness includes both. You can feel the intensity here and the steadiness of the ground beneath you. You can feel emotion here and the movement and flow of your breath. You can feel pain and support for your body. What changes when you notice more than one thing at the same time? Now, Listen carefully to these two sentences. Pay attention to the sensations that shift in your body. I am this feeling. And two. I am feeling this feeling. What difference do you notice between them? Where do you feel that difference? Now. We will try another. 3. I am here and this feeling is here too. What happens inside you when you hear that. You. Are here. The feeling is here. And there is space for both of you. How do you know that you are still here while the feeling is present? Notice your hands. Notice your breathing. Notice the room around you. Pay attention to the parts of your body that feel steady. Ask yourself, What else is true right now? The feeling is true. What else is true? There may be love. There may be support. There may be uncertainty. There may be tiredness. There can be strength. There can be tenderness. There may simply be the chair beneath you and the breath moving through you. What else belongs to this moment? Allow your awareness to become wider. Not by changing the feeling. That by noticing how much more of you exists around it. How much space there is around this feeling. What becomes possible when the feeling is allowed to occupy its space without occupying all of you? The feeling is real. The feeling belongs to me, And the feeling is not the whole of me. The feeling is real. The feeling belongs to me. And the feeling is not the whole of me. Notice what happens in your body as you hear those words. Now, Place a hand somewhere that feels comforting or steady. Feel the warmth and weight of your own hand and ask, How can I be with myself here? You already know how to accompany another person through something difficult. What does it feel like to offer some of that presence to yourself? What happens when you say, I am with you? Be powerful in simply staying with yourself, Feeling. Listening, Allowing, Remaining. You have visited your inner house before, Bring that house gently back into awareness. Notice its size. It's rooms, It's structure, It's foundations, It's texture. Now imagine this feeling somewhere inside that house. Where does it naturally belong today? Notice that room, And then notice the rest of the house. What exists beyond that room. There are other rooms, Windows, Light, Warmth, Space. There is the ground beneath the house and there is you. A feeling can live in the house without becoming the whole house. Every feeling has its space. Grief, Fear, Anger can have a room. Love can have a room. Uncertainty can have a room. And you remain the owner of the whole house. What changes when you experience the feeling as something you can make room for? Rather than something that must take over every room. Listen to a feeling without handing it every decision. Honour a feeling and still make a choice, Experience intensity and remain connected to yourself. Ask yourself. What is this feeling asking me to notice? And thin. Ask the feeling. What? What do you need from me right now? Not tomorrow. Not next month. Right now. Does it need tenderness? Rest? Warmth? Broughter? Quiet? A boundary? What answer comes first? And now ask yourself, What do I need? Is the answer the same? Is the answer different? Both can be heard, And you remain the one who chooses. Ask your body, What is one small thing I can choose for myself in the next 10 minutes? To answer may be simple. How does your body respond when you imagine giving yourself that thing? Return your attention to your breathing. Feel your feet. Feel your hands. Feel the support beneath you. Look around the room. Notice where you are. Notice what time it is. Take a deep breath in. Sigh it out. Ask yourself, What do I know now that I did not notice when we began? Allow the answer to come in whatever form it comes, A word, Sensation, Image, A knowing or simply a little more space. Remind yourself. I am here. I belong to myself. I can feel deeply and remain connected to me. There is more of me around this feeling. My feelings can speak and I can listen. I remain free to choose my response. I can give myself what I need next. Feel the ground beneath you. Notice the room around you. Take a comfortable breath. And recognize the feeling can be here. And I can be here too. There is room for both of us.