What Am I Feeling? Know Your Emotional Landscape

This practice is for moments when you are asked, “What are you feeling?” and realise you don’t quite have an answer. We often understand what is happening around us, but the emotional part can be harder to recognise. This practice helps you explore that emotional dimension and distinguish between thoughts, physical sensations and emotions. Use it as a regular practice to become more familiar with your emotional experience or in the moments when you need a little more clarity about what you are feeling.

Music: Naturally by Pufino
Image: Giulia Bertelli on Unsplash

Transcript

Before we begin this practice, Let's talk a little bit about what we mean when we are saying, What am I feeling? When somebody asks us, What are you feeling? A lot of the time we start talking about what is happening outside of us, We start thinking about what somebody else said or did. What is going wrong, What should have happened, Something about the past, Something about the future, What we need to do about it, Or what we are thinking about the situation, The people, The events. All of this is very useful, But it is still not the answer to the question, What are you feeling? Sometimes we are thinking, Sometimes we are noticing a physical sensation in the body and sometimes we are experiencing the emotion, The feeling. All these can happen at the same time but they are not the same thing. So in today's practice, We are going to start learning how to notice the difference and better answer this question, What am I truly feeling? To make this simple, Today we are going to use three areas of the body as the map. The mind. The sacral or womb area and the heart. You can also use the feelings wheel alongside this practice if that helps you. Now what is the mind? The mind is the center of thought. Physically, This is the space behind your forehead. This is a space where you plan, Where there are memories, Where there are sentences. This is a part of you that is constantly analyzing situations, Managing your daily tasks, Or thinking about what needs to be done next. For example, When you are talking about someone else, When you are mentally running through a conversation or mapping out your schedule, You are living in your mind space. The second space is the sacral area. This is the area just beneath your navel or the womb area in women. This will be the center of your pure physical presence. This location deep down in the lower belly, This area will be the exclusive home of your body's raw data. So this will speak through wordless physical sensations. For example, You might notice a tightening in your stomach, A sudden wave of warmth washing over your skin, Or maybe your heart is racing. So there are no words or stories attached to these sensations on their own. We might build some on top of it, But this center is where only the sensations will stay. And finally, We arrive at the heart center. Center of your chest. This is the space of your emotional truth. This is the space where you are holding your capacity to feel, To be affected by life and also to care and also heal. For example, When you step away from the details of the outside world and you look at how a situation is touching you personally. How is it making you feel? This area is where you will acknowledge your state. That feeling can be sadness, Joy, Frustration, Anything. Again you can look up the feelings wheel or keep it in front of you as a reference. But this is the area we will work with for your heart and for your feelings. And remember today we are practicing identifying these three spaces so go easy on yourself as you practice you might be able to differentiate well you might not be able to differentiate some areas might be blank some might be overloaded it's okay we are just observing without any judgment so go ahead and close your eyes and get comfortable we are going to start the practice now Right now, As of this moment, What is happening inside you, Outside you. Just stay with whatever there is. See what comes up first. Is it a thought? Is it an idea? Are you focused on something in the room? A sound, A smell. Maybe you are thinking about the past, About the future, About your tasks. Whatever is coming to your awareness, Let it arrive. See what it is. Now without analyzing or calculating, Observe. Whatever came after. Is it a sentence? Is it a story? Is it running in your head? Is it a physical sensation? Like tightness or heat. Or is it a direct feeling that you are feeling like anger or sadness? If it is a mental construct, If it is a story, If it is a sentence, Gently touch your forehead and leave this in your mind. If what came up was a physical sensation, Place your hand gently on your lower belly and let it stay there in your sacral area. And if it is an emotional feeling. Place your hand gently on your chest and let it rest in your heart. Once again the mental story goes into your mind. Physical sensations. Go in your circle area. And what you are feeling goes into your heart space. It's okay if you are able to do this and it's okay if you are not able to do this. We are observing and learning. Now become aware, Look inward again, What is the next thing that you notice? See what it is. Is it a thought? Is it a physical sensation? Or is it a feeling that describes you and your inner state? If it is a thought, Gently tap your forehead and leave it in your mind space. If it is a physical sensation, Place your hand on your lower belly and let it stay there. And if it is your own feeling, Place your hand on your chest and let it rest in your heart space. And now, One last time, Notice what is coming up right now in this moment. Is it a thought about the future? A memory from the past? Planning. Are you feeling something in your body? Tightness, Movement, Temperature? Or are you focused on what you are feeling right now, Your own inner state? I'm happy, I'm sad, I'm angry. Your own feelings. And once again, Gently tap your forehead to place a thought in your mind space. Or if it was a physical sensation, Tap your sacral space. And if it was a feeling, Tap your heart space. And finally take a full breath in and let it out. You don't have to start calculating, You don't have to start rating your practice whether it was good or bad. It was a practice and that is enough. You made an attempt and that is enough. Open your eyes and look around yourself. What are you seeing around you? What are you hearing? What are you touching? What scents can you smell right now? And what can you taste. And we are done. Thank you for doing the practice.