Connecting to Your Authentic Feelings

This meditation supports you in learning how to presence your emotions in your body and move them through to completion.

Transcript

This Presencing practice is a mindfulness practice related to commitment number three of the 15 commitments.

This is a commitment to feel your feelings all the way through to completion.

And the practice we'll do in this meditation is a specific practice about how to feel your feelings.

So begin by just simply allowing yourself to take a few deep breaths.

Imagine breathing 50% more than normal on your inhale and really completing your exhale.

Go ahead and breathe all the way out.

And then allow your breathing to return to normal.

And begin as we often do by simply paying attention to what's actually here now.

And what's here now is the experience of this moment.

So begin by just noticing sounds that you're hearing.

It could be the sound of this voice,

The sound of traffic outside of your window,

Or a bird chirping in a tree nearby.

All you're doing is bringing your attention to the sounds that are actually here now.

And then you might bring your attention to sensations.

So just notice the sensation of your feet resting on the floor,

Of your seat in the chair or the couch wherever you're currently sitting.

You might even notice the sensation of air moving against your skin or the tickling at the tip of your nose.

All you're doing is bringing your attention to what's actually here now.

And see if you'd be willing to just welcome,

As best you can,

Welcome what's actually here now.

The sounds,

The sensations.

As best you can,

Just let yourself be with the momentary experience that's here.

Now let's begin the practice of using feelings as a meditation.

So begin by simply asking yourself what feeling state is here now.

And I invite you to use the five core feelings.

Is there sadness or fear or anger or joy or sexual feelings,

Creative energy?

And remember these could be very,

Very subtle or mild or they could be moderate or even quite strong.

Just pick one of the feelings that's here now.

And now notice where that feeling is in the body.

If you had to locate where the feeling is in the body,

Where would it be?

And then bring your attention to that place in the body.

And simply notice the sensation.

Is it tight?

Is it hot?

Is it twisting or popping?

Does it feel heavy?

All you're doing is resting your attention on the sensation that is arising in and on the body that has a feeling tone to it.

And then could you just simply allow the sensation to be here?

So there's no need to change it to make it go away.

No need to resist it or try to fix it.

In this meditation could you just allow it to be here while resting a gentle accepting attention on the sensation?

And as you rest your attention on the sensation you might notice that it shifts.

It might grow in intensity or size.

It might actually get smaller.

It might move.

Sometimes it just goes away.

All you're doing is allowing yourself to feel the feeling in the body and simply welcome it.

Now let's do that again.

If you ask again in this now moment what feeling state is here?

And it could be the same or a different feeling.

All you're doing is practicing.

Is it a feeling of sadness or anger or joy,

Fear or sexual energy?

And just pick whichever one you're most aware of.

Again these could be quite mild or subtle or quite strong.

And then simply notice where that feeling is in the body.

Is it in your throat or your chest?

In your belly?

Is it in your back or your jaw?

And simply rest your attention on the sensations occurring in and on the body.

And see if you'd be willing to just welcome the sensation.

Just simply allow it to be here.

Bringing a quality of awareness and observer to the sensation.

Observing whether it's moving or changing shape,

Growing or diminishing in intensity.

All you're doing is bringing a welcoming presence to this feeling state as it manifests in a body sensation.

Now let's go just one step further.

If this sensation could make a sound,

Allow yourself to imagine what sound it would make.

This isn't about saying words.

It's about noticing what sound would match the sensation.

Sometimes it's a groaning or a sigh.

Sometimes it's a growl.

If your only responsibility in this moment was to match the sensation with a sound,

What sound would it make?

And if you're in a place that feels comfortable to you and you're willing,

You could actually go ahead and make the sound.

And if not,

Just imagine making the sound.

And only do that for a couple of moments and then bring your attention back to the sensation.

Just noticing it,

Welcoming it,

Allowing it to move in and on the body.

Good.

So let's do this practice one more time.

If you were to ask yourself what feeling state is here now?

And again,

Stick with the core five.

Is there anger,

Agitation,

Irritation,

Frustration?

Often those are all forms of anger.

Or is there sadness,

A little melancholy,

A little blue,

A little flat?

Sometimes even nostalgia can be a form of sadness.

Is there fear,

A little bit of nervousness or apprehension or anxiety?

Is there joy?

This can show up as peace and equanimity.

Happiness,

Delight,

Bliss.

Or is there sexual energy?

That's the creative vibration that often shows up in the body as tingliness or kind of effervescence flowing through the body.

Whichever one of these you're most aware of,

Just give it a name.

Sad,

Angry,

Scared,

Joy or sexual energy.

And then again,

Notice where that is in the body.

We're bringing our attention from our mind and a label into the actual direct experience of the feeling.

And wherever you notice the sensation in the body,

Just simply breathe and allow the sensation to be here.

Even if it's quite intense,

It's just a series of sensations in the body.

So as best you can,

Could you just welcome the sensation with breath?

And just notice it.

So you're resting your attention on the sensation.

And then again,

If this sensation were to make a sound,

Not words.

This isn't about talking or describing.

If the sensation could make a sound,

What sound would it make?

And you could hear yourself making that sound in your mind or if you're in a place that feels comfortable to you,

Go ahead and make the sound.

It could be loud or soft.

It could be quite intense or quite gentle.

You're just matching.

That's the key.

Matching your expression to your experience.

And we'll go a step further with this set of sensations,

This feeling.

If that sensation could move the body,

If you were to imagine that your body was like a marionette and the sensation was going to move the puppet,

How would it move it?

Would it jump up and down?

Would it pound its fists?

Would it curl up in a ball?

Would it kind of just sit and shake a little bit?

Again,

You're just letting the sensation guide you.

If you were to match the sensation with movement,

How would you move?

Again,

It's okay just to imagine how the movement would occur or if you're willing,

Go ahead and actually move the body.

So the practice is simply to give feeling a name,

Locate the sensations of the feeling in the body,

Breathe and welcome the sensations.

Again,

As best you can.

Sometimes they're painful and we want to push them away,

So just do it as best you can.

Resting kind of a loving attention,

Loving kindness on the sensation.

Can you just welcome them?

And then can you match the sensation with sound and movement?

This is just a very,

Very gentle way of allowing the sensation to guide you.

Again,

The sound and movement can be quite strong and powerful or very subtle.

No need to interpret that,

Just let the sensation lead.

And then all you're doing is staying with and noticing what the sensation does.

Quite often in just a few moments the sensation begins to unwind and often goes away.

Though that isn't the goal of this,

It just happens.

And sometimes the sensation moves to another part of the body.

It's okay,

Just follow it,

Breathing,

Making a sound and moving.

Sometimes the sensation grows in intensity.

It's perfectly alright.

Often we've been repressing a feeling and as you create space for it and it comes up,

It has some intensity to it.

Just welcome that.

So meditation is nothing more than paying attention to what's here now in a non-judgmental,

Non-cognitive way.

And in this practice we're using feelings as the object of our meditation,

Especially the sensations that arise with feelings in the body.

And in so doing we're allowing the feeling to be and to unwind itself in the body.

And if the mind gets involved,

Sometimes the mind wants to try to figure out why we're feeling the feeling or what's the cause of the feeling.

For this meditation that's actually not useful.

So when you find the mind wanting to figure out why,

Just bring it back to the body and to the sensations in the body.

Sometimes the mind will want to replay a situation or a conversation from our lives that we believe is the cause of the feeling.

So the mind starts playing the videotape of the experience with which the feeling is associated.

And when you notice that,

Just very gently bring the mind back to the body and to the sensations of the feeling in the body.

We're wanting to do a practice of releasing thinking from feeling.

So we're just experiencing the experience of the feeling without needing to figure out its reason,

Without needing to replay the video of our life.

Just allowing ourselves to have the experience of the feeling.

This is a practice you can do throughout the day.

You can just periodically ask yourself what feeling is here now.

Answer with one of the five core feelings.

Sometimes there are multiple feelings here,

But just pick one of them.

Locate it in the body.

Breathe and accept it as best you can.

And then match it with sound and movement.

And just allow the sensation to do what it does.

Good.

Reviews

This was very helpful and powerful for me. Great practice! As was noted actual running time is 19:20.

Very useful practice! Duration is actually 19:20 😊

This is my favorite meditation to listen to. I always have a different experience, and the dreams I have afterwards are so healing. I wake feeling refreshed and ready to rock the day.

Didn’t expect it to be so great

Helpful 20 minutes

The program is around 22 minutes and you will not be formally guided out.

Useful resource. Thank you. Only lasts 20 mins

Great meditation to help with uncomfortable feelings.

This is my go-to meditation when I feel strong fear. Today, I felt the fear as a constrlction in my throat and upper lungs. The next feeling was acceptance. Third fearing was actually peace and joy. This meditation is very helpful for me as I am just learning to connect Body Sensations with feelings. Is it powerful method for me to welcome, embrace and then let go of fearful feelings. Thank you very much for this gift.

Very good, good narration, well explained, pity it didn't last the 51 mins though I did notice at the start it showed 21 mins.

Very powerful method of meditation. Agree with others about the abrupt ending and a lot of talking. But a great practice that I will be using a lot!

Loved this. Did not feel pressured to feel or experience anything or try too hard like I usually do, so I was able to track feelings and sensations quite clearly.

Enlighting...thank you!

Great way to hone in on the physical manifestation of feelings from within and gently find peace with them which is very soothing.

I found this to be very empowering. To be present but an observer was healing. Thank you Jim.

WOW feeling so much better, more in control.
☆ thank you Jim ☆

Very good I will return to this

Excellent. Would recommend this highly. Jim is calm and compassionate.

Love it. Very healing for me.