Hello,
And thank you for joining me today.
This is an emotional awareness exercise to help you strengthen recognition and mindfulness skills.
As always,
I invite you to take what feels helpful and leave what may not be helpful for you today.
Let's begin the emotional awareness practice.
You may sit or lie down in whatever position you feel most comfortable in.
I'd like to invite you to begin by relaxing your body.
We will be focusing for the next few moments on our breathing.
When you feel ready,
Take a deep breath in and breathe out.
Just noticing that breath,
That expansion when you breathe in,
And the release when you exhale.
Breathe in again,
And as you exhale,
Release the tension in your body.
Breathing in and exhaling,
Releasing tension.
Continue this practice of breathing slowly,
Allowing each breath to relax you.
And now we will begin the practice of noticing and sitting with our emotions.
Emotions may be experienced in one place in the body or several.
When you experience each of the feelings I mention during this emotional awareness practice,
Notice where in your body you are feeling something.
I would also invite you to notice what that sensation feels like.
You may experience feelings of heaviness,
Tightness,
Tingling,
Pain,
Comfort,
Lightness,
Warmth,
Or fluttering.
You may notice your body as a whole or the individual parts of your body.
You may notice changes in muscle tension,
Such as having a clenched or relaxed jaw or maybe tightened fists.
You may notice changes in the way your face,
Stomach,
Head,
Chest,
Throat,
Or other areas feel.
And if you're struggling to connect with the feelings in your body,
I would invite you to imagine a color or phrase to associate with the feeling.
With each emotion I mention,
I will guide you to experience the associated physical sensations.
Each time,
Just notice how your body is feeling,
What it feels like,
And where the sensations are located without passing judgment.
Remember,
If you need a break at any time,
You may pause,
Return to your breath,
Or do whatever helps you feel safe.
Let's begin the sensory process of experiencing emotions,
Getting in touch with your feelings,
And sitting with them.
To start the emotional awareness practice,
I'd like to invite you to imagine a feeling of happiness.
Think of a time when you felt happy,
And allow yourself to experience some of this feeling again now.
What does happy feel like in your body?
Notice these sensations now.
Where in your body is the feeling of happiness located?
Take a moment to just sit with the physical sensations of happiness.
Continuing the emotional awareness practice,
Now imagine the feeling of anger.
Think of a time when you were feeling angry,
And allow yourself to experience some of this feeling again now.
What does anger feel like in your body?
Where in your body is the feeling of anger located?
Sense the physical sensations of anger for a few moments.
Continuing the emotional awareness practice,
I'd like to invite you to imagine the feeling of excitement.
Think of a time when you were feeling excited,
And allow yourself to experience some of this feeling again now.
What does excited feel like in your body?
Where in your body is the feeling of excitement located?
Experience the physical sensations of excitement for a few moments.
Continuing the emotional awareness practice,
I'd like to invite you to shift to imagine the feeling of sadness.
Think of a time when you were feeling sad,
And allow yourself to experience some of this feeling again now.
What does sad feel like in your body?
Where in your body is the feeling of sadness located?
Take a moment to experience the physical sensations of sadness.
Continuing the emotional awareness practice,
I'd like to invite you to imagine the feeling of guilt.
Think of a time when you were feeling guilty,
And allow yourself to experience some of this feeling again now.
What does guilt feel like in your body?
Where in your body is the feeling of guilt located?
Take a moment to experience the physical sensations of guilt.
Now I'd like to invite you to shift to imagine a feeling of passion.
Think of a time when you were feeling passionate,
And allow yourself to experience some of this feeling again now.
What does passion feel like in your body?
Where in your body is the feeling of passion located?
Experience the physical sensations of passion for a few moments.
You have just practiced imagining several feelings.
Now just relax and allow the feelings that arise for you to be present here for a moment.
Notice how you are feeling right now without trying to encourage or discourage any particular emotions.
Just allow yourself to feel whatever it is that comes up for you.
Notice how your body feels.
Where in your body might you be feeling something?
What does this tell you about the emotions you are experiencing?
Can you identify the feeling or feelings that you have now?
Is there a name or a color or temperature for any of the emotions you are experiencing in this moment?
Just notice and observe the state of your body.
Allow your body to speak to you.
Notice that all of the emotions,
Both positive and negative,
Can serve a helpful purpose.
It's okay to feel emotions,
And it is normal and natural to feel emotions.
When you are in tune with your body,
You can allow your body to speak to you and find out what your body is trying to tell you.
Your body will let you know which situations are helpful and which ones you may want to change.
When you are ready to conclude this process,
I invite you to begin returning your awareness to the present moment,
Noticing the environment around you.
Maybe bring back sensations into the body with small movements.
Thank you for joining me today,
And I invite you to extend gratitude to yourself for participating in this skill-building practice.
