Thank you for joining me today.
This is a meditation to meet your emotions and come to a place of acceptance and understanding with them.
During the Buddha's sit under the Bodhi tree while on his journey toward enlightenment,
He was met with the demon god Mara.
Mara threw everything he had at the Buddha anger,
Fear,
Lust,
Greed,
In an effort to overwhelm him and throw him off the path to enlightenment.
Instead of allowing these feelings and temptations to overwhelm him,
The Buddha said,
I see you Mara.
He remained a passive observer,
Acknowledging the emotions without becoming personally identified with them.
This process isn't only available to the Buddha or those trying to reach enlightenment,
It's available to all of us.
One of the pillars of mindfulness meditation is cultivating the ability to remain a passive observer to our thoughts,
Feelings,
And reactions.
This meditation will help you build that skill set by inviting in our emotions as honored guests,
Regardless if they are challenging or easy to deal with.
By meditating with the intention to invite our feelings in,
We allow them the space to have their say without getting caught up in the story of them and triggering our nervous systems.
During this meditation we will imagine a welcoming neutral space to meet our emotions face to face.
You can invite them to sit with you for tea as the Buddha did with Mara,
Or whatever kind of environment feels nourishing to you.
I often imagine sitting in a forest surrounded by greenery.
Let's take a moment to set the intention to give our emotions space to have their say while remaining a neutral observer.
Remember,
You are not your emotions,
You are the observer.
We'll begin by taking three deep breaths together.
Breathe deeply into your belly and the sides of your ribs,
Feeling them expand.
Hold for a moment at the top,
Let it out,
Relaxing your body.
Another deep breath,
Filling up your lungs with air.
Hold for a moment,
Let it go with a sigh.
Once more,
Take in the biggest breath yet,
Hold.
Let it go,
Releasing tension from all the places you hold it.
Next,
We'll do a short body scan.
First,
Notice your feet.
Are they relaxed?
Move up to your ankles.
Give them the gift of your attention.
Next,
Your calves.
Your knees.
Your thighs,
Back and front.
Your hips.
Sense into where you're holding tension and try to relax.
Breathe into it if that's helpful to you.
Your stomach and lower back.
Is there any discomfort?
Notice and accept without trying too hard to change it.
Now bring your attention to your ribs and the middle of your back.
Maybe take another deep breath here to feel this area expand and stretch.
Your chest.
How does your heart feel today?
Relax your shoulders,
Upper arms,
Forearms,
And hands.
Bring your attention to your neck.
Is there any pain?
Now relax your jaw and face muscles all the way up to the crown of your head.
The places we hold pain and or tension can be the places the emotions we're about to meet will originate from.
Take another deep breath,
Letting it fill you.
And release,
Relaxing into whatever is supporting you at this moment.
Now imagine yourself in that welcoming,
Neutral,
Safe space.
What does it look like here?
Take a moment to take in your surroundings.
Maybe you're on a beach with the waves laughing against the sand.
In a room in your current or past home that you love.
Surrounded by greenery in a forest.
Wherever you are is the right place for you.
Now imagine there is an empty space across from you.
Invite in whatever you're feeling currently to fill that space.
Your emotions will often present themselves in this space as a character or being.
Maybe it's yourself as a child,
Another person you know,
A cloud or a cloud of dust.
Or a light or a color.
Remember again,
You are a passive observer here.
You can leave at any time if you start to feel that passivity slipping away and your nervous system becoming activated.
Just be aware of what is across from you.
You are safe.
Ask your emotion to label itself.
Approach this conversation with curiosity and tenderness.
This part of you wants to be loved and accepted as it is without resistance,
As all of us do at our core.
Ask what this part of you needs to tell you.
Even the most critical parts of our inner selves are there to try to protect us from something.
I'll be silent for a while to allow you space to connect with your emotion.
There is no right way to do this.
Try your best to remain aware,
Open and accepting.
How are you feeling now?
Did the emotion you met with grant you any insight into the true origin of itself?
Were you able to come to a place of deeper understanding or acceptance by meeting it with neutrality and compassion?
Take a moment to thank yourself for taking this time to connect.
You can come back to this space anytime you need it.
I find it especially helpful when I'm feeling something that seems overwhelming in the moment.
Let's take a final deep breath in and out together.
Thank you for joining me in this meditation and I genuinely hope you benefited from it.
I'm sending you love and gratitude from my corner of the universe.
