Hi my friends,
Welcome to this practice.
Today we're looking at emotional intelligence and mindfulness of feelings.
Finding a comfortable and relaxed posture,
Sitting upright with a straight spine,
If possible both feet on the floor,
Your hands are gently resting on your lap.
Taking a moment to settle into your posture,
Connecting with your body,
Connecting with your breath,
Gently closing your eyes or lowering your gaze.
To begin with,
Just noticing where you're at today,
Mentally,
Physically and emotionally.
And wherever you're at,
It's all good.
Just welcoming your experience in this moment and knowing that it is bound to change.
And now gently dropping in from the thinking mind into the feeling body.
As we're sitting here together,
Bringing your awareness into your body and noticing how you're feeling in this moment.
There is not a right way or wrong way to feel,
Simply noticing the felt sense in your body.
Not wanting to change anything,
Simply recognizing any emotion that may be present for you in this moment.
Inviting a sense of curiosity and openness to our practice.
It may take some time to notice these emotions in the body.
Being patient with your experience is important.
In our society,
Our relationship with emotions is often misunderstood.
We label them as positive or negative,
We crave for the positive ones while trying to avoid the negative emotions.
And this way of interacting with our emotions is unhelpful and unhealthy.
Emotions are neither positive or negative.
They're simply states we experience.
They provide useful information which can be used to make informed decisions.
They are ever present and a normal part of being human.
So let's start normalizing our experience with emotions today.
Whatever you're feeling is welcome to be here at this moment.
We're not trying to get rid of them,
Crave for the better ones,
Or avoid them.
We will just start noticing them as they come up.
Are you able to scan your emotional world and noticing any emotions that may come up for you right now?
There is no need to do anything.
Just inviting your awareness to be open.
If a feeling is present,
Can you name it?
Maybe there's a sense of calmness or gratitude.
Maybe anxiety,
Overwhelm,
Or stress.
Maybe joy,
Anger,
Or sadness.
Noticing what is there for you in this moment without any attempt to change it in any way.
What is the felt sense of these emotions in your body?
Where do you feel them?
Do they feel strong or subtle?
Heavy or light?
Pleasant or unpleasant?
Are they familiar or new?
Which part of your body feels these emotions?
Are they on your chest?
Are they on your gut,
On your belly?
Maybe on your shoulders or in your head?
Being curious about these emotions without getting caught up in them.
And whatever is here for you,
Making a space without judgment.
Welcoming any emotion,
Although some of them may be challenging and difficult to feel.
Emotions can often trigger thoughts.
So any time you lose your focus and your thoughts take you away from the presence of emotions,
Remembering that it is very normal part of the process of cultivating mindfulness.
Simply guiding your attention back to the physical sensations in your body.
How do these emotions manifest themselves in your being,
In your body?
Maybe there's a sense of heaviness or lightness in your chest.
Some butterflies in your belly.
A sense of upliftment around your shoulders.
Or any other sensation you may notice right now.
Simply observing them as they arise in this moment without any attempt to control or change them.
As we come close to the end of this practice,
I invite you to bring to mind three to five things that evoked the feeling of gratitude in you in the last couple of days.
The tendency of our mind is to often notice the negativity.
What is not working well,
What is upsetting us.
Let's take a moment to bring some balance to this negativity bias.
Let's start noticing the goodness that we all have in our lives.
What made you grateful lately?
Maybe a smile on a colleague's face or the satisfaction you felt after a productive meeting.
A warm cup of coffee in the morning.
A hug from your child.
The sunshine on your skin.
Anything else that triggered the feeling of gratefulness in your being?
Bringing these events in your mind's eye and start feeling the emotions of gratitude.
Where do you feel gratitude in your body?
Maybe you're noticing some warmth around your chest.
A smile on your face.
A sense of upliftment in your heart.
Wherever you're feeling these sensations,
The invitation is to breathe into them.
Expanding these sensations in your body.
Focusing on the goodness of life.
And now,
Taking a few deep breaths down to your abdomen.
Exhaling with a sigh,
Letting go.
Slowly coming back.
Moving your body gently.
Opening your eyes if they've been closed.
And having the intention to bring a sense of greater gratitude into your life.
By noticing the goodness that you experience each day.
I wish you an amazing day,
An amazing week.
And please share your gratefulness with others and start spreading the goodness in life.
Thank you for joining me today on this journey of emotions as well as the journey of gratitude.
I look forward to seeing you again soon.
