Beginning with a sense of welcoming all emotion.
A sense of allowing all emotion to simply be as it already is.
So dropping away any resistance to emotions that we ordinarily would find unpleasant or uncomfortable and instead a sense of befriending these emotions.
Even emotions such as fear,
Grief,
Guilt,
Regret,
Rage.
Just for this time a sense of welcoming and allowing these emotions to simply be as they are.
These emotions are natural,
Healthy,
Innocent.
They simply are as they are.
They don't need to be pushed away or avoided.
Just for this time a sense of giving a loving,
Compassionate attention to these emotions.
Developing a relationship to your own inner emotional world that is one of unconditional acceptance.
Extend an intention towards all emotions to be one of pure welcoming.
You can say to your inner emotional world,
I don't need you to change.
I won't make you go away.
I won't try and fight you.
Instead saying to the inner emotional world,
I want you to be here.
Whatever the emotion is,
You are wanted.
You are needed.
Welcome and accept all parts of yourself.
They are natural.
Healthy.
Innocent.
And if an emotion is present that ordinarily you struggle with and find it painful or uncomfortable,
Simply drop all resistance.
No more trying to get away from the emotion.
Instead go towards it.
Love it.
Welcome it.
No behaviour has to arise in the presence of any emotion,
No matter how strong it is.
There is no mind activity necessary in the presence of an emotion.
Just ignore the mind.
Be disinterested in what the mind has to say about the emotion.
It's simply not important.
This is not the realm of the mind.
This is the realm of the heart.
And disregard any thoughts of what anyone else would say about this emotion.
It's not important.
What's important is developing the ability to just feel without behaving in any particular way,
Cognitively or physically,
And instead just welcoming and sitting with,
Being with the emotion as the emotion.
Allow this emotion to become front and centre in your experience.
Just for this time,
Allow all the other usual objects of experience in the external or internal world to simply fall into the background.
And just invite your emotion to become prominent,
To become vivid,
To become bright in your awareness.
It does not need to be buried or hidden.
Allow it to be front and centre,
Whichever emotion it is,
Even the darker emotions.
If it is here,
Then it is already here.
You haven't created this.
You are discovering this.
Simply allow it to rest in its discovered state.
And in this now loving,
Neutral and welcoming space of conscious awareness,
Invite any emotions out of their hiding places.
Ask yourself,
Is there any emotion that I'm refusing to feel most days?
Is there any emotion that I pretend I don't have?
Are there any emotions that I feel shouldn't be there?
Turn your attention towards these emotions now,
And change the intention towards them.
Become curious,
Interested.
Go to the emotion that you least want to face,
And go towards it.
And when that particular emotion reveals itself,
Just allow yourself to feel it fully,
Without any behaviour arising from it.
So don't go to the mind,
Don't go to any physical behaviour or activity.
Instead,
Just remain fully aware of the emotion.
Feel it vividly and intensely,
And allow it to simply be in the state that you find it.
Is it really so unpleasant?
Is it really unbearable?
Or is it just uncomfortable?
Realise just how safe you are in the presence of this emotion.
Now that you have no antagonism towards the emotion,
It's no longer an enemy,
It's no longer something that you feel can harm you in some way.
It's just seen to be a pure emotion.
It might be intense,
The energetic charge of the emotion might be a lot.
But that is all.
You are the space in which this can discharge itself.
So just be this space.
There is an allowing here,
A letting go.
And it's important to not try and get this over with,
Or get to the end of this.
That is just another sneaky way the mind tries to get rid of an emotion.
Instead,
The attitude is one of total acceptance,
Saying to the emotion,
You can be here as long as you need to be here.
You are needed,
You are wanted,
Just as you are.
There is no timeline here.
Let emotion be the guide.
What is the felt experience of this feeling?
Do not create a story or a narrative about this feeling.
Just allow this feeling.
And there is no origin of this feeling.
It's always been here.
You are simply discovering it.
Allowing yourself to be aware of it,
Just in a different way.
Approaching this sensation with a fresh perspective.
But the emotion isn't changing,
And you're not changing.
All that's changing is the relationship.
Befriend,
Welcome,
Love,
Accept,
All is well.
And with this pure,
Loving light of conscious awareness,
Continually expand,
To allow even the darkest,
Most hidden parts of your inner emotional world up,
Into the light of awareness.
Simply be the inviting space.
And upon contact with any of these darker,
Shadowy emotions,
Immediately welcome,
Immediately love.
Saying to the emotion,
You don't have to hide anymore.
You are safe to be seen.
All emotion has its place within a healthy spectrum of the inner emotional world.
And by simply allowing,
Welcoming,
And loving all emotion,
It will naturally find its own healthy position within your inner emotional spectrum.
It will no longer cause distress.
It will no longer be a source of suffering.
It will just be another thing that you are aware of in your experience.
No emotion is a problem.
They can be uncomfortable,
Unpleasant,
But that is all.
No emotion is harmful or dangerous.
By feeling emotion and allowing it to be just as it is without any behavior arising,
You have neutralized its potential for harm.
And once neutralized,
You become fully safe in the presence of any emotion.
So,
All is well.
In a moment,
We will be leaving the formal aspect of this meditation.
But as you begin to shift and perhaps go into usual daily activities,
See if it's possible to allow emotion to be more prominent in your awareness,
But become far less reactive to the presence of that emotion.
And through practicing this,
Just see if anything changes in your experience of emotions.
Thank you for doing this meditation with me today.
Take care,
Be well,
And stay present.
