Exploring Stress In Your Body

This is an effective practice for exploring the somatic expression of an emotion like stress or anxiety. In this meditation, you will be guided to observe from a place of curiousity, how your feelings express themselves in your body. Often when challenging emotions arise it can be tempting to try to numb or avoid them. In this practice, you will discover that there is nothing to fear by taking a few moments to place your awareness and attention on the felt experiences of feelings in your body.

Transcript

Challenging emotions such as stress and anxiety can be uncomfortable to experience, So we will often use quick-fix strategies in order to numb, Avoid or suppress them. The problem is, When we try to numb or avoid emotions, We actually experience them more strongly physiologically. However, When we take just a few moments to identify what we're feeling and focus our attention on the physical sensations these emotions are producing, We are better able to bring a sense of ease and relaxation to our mind and body. So sitting in a comfortable position, Gently close your eyes and take a deep, Slow breath in. . . And back out again. . . Breathing in. . . And back out. Now turning inward, Bring your awareness into your body and locate where the feeling is physically located. Where is the location of the feeling? What is the size of the feeling? Is it vibrating? Is there a pressure or heat to the feeling? What's its intensity level? Is it moving? Is there a weight to the feeling? What happens to the feeling as you place your attention on it? Does it stay the same? Does it move? Are there any thoughts that arise when you're exploring this feeling? To finish, Take a deep breath in through your nose. . . And release. . . One more time. . . You may want to spend a few minutes journaling on any of the insights that came up through this meditation. Remember that you can do this at any point during the day. Have a wonderful day!