Welcome,
This is a short practice to help you learn how to accept and allow an emotion at the level of the physical body.
Many of us have heard that acceptance of emotions helps us to move through them more easily,
But we might be left wondering how acceptance actually looks in practice,
And that's where this meditation comes in.
Sometimes we might confuse acceptance with resigning ourselves to or giving up,
But acceptance means more of a sense of willingness.
We don't have to like the emotion,
But we are welcoming it,
And in doing so making space and opening up,
Allowing it to move through us and freeing ourselves up for whatever we need to do next.
Now the first step in feeling an unpleasant or difficult emotion is to bring the awareness to the breath and see if you can allow it to slow down just a little,
Inviting the inhalation to soften and inviting the exhalation to lengthen.
If you've come across something challenging which has brought you to this meditation,
Whether it is an event or a thought,
You might notice several painful or uncomfortable sensations in the body in reaction to the difficulty.
Take a moment to briefly scan through your body,
Starting at the crown of the head and moving down,
And try to find the strongest sensation,
The one that you find is calling out to you most.
This might be a lump in your throat,
An ache in your chest,
Or a knot in your stomach.
Focusing now all of your attention on the strongest sensation that you come across.
Observe it curiously,
As though you are a kind grandparent,
Watching with intense curiosity how a grandchild plays in the sand.
Observing the sensation carefully,
See if you can notice where it begins and where it ends.
If you had to draw a line around the sensation,
What would the outline look like?
Is it on the surface of the body,
Or deeper inside,
Or both?
How far inside you does it go?
Where is the sensation the most intense?
Where does it feel weaker?
And is there any movement or a vibration within it?
Or is it still?
Is it light or heavy?
And how would you describe its temperature?
As you continue to breathe softly and slowly,
See if you can let go of the struggle with this uncomfortable or maybe even painful sensation.
Can you imagine yourself breathing into it?
Imagining your breath flowing in and around it,
Making room for it.
You don't have to like it or want it,
Simply let it be.
Loosening up around it,
Almost as though you were inviting it to take up as much space as it needs.
You may feel an urge to want to fight with the sensation,
To want it to go away.
Know that this is normal.
Can you acknowledge this urge without giving into it?
Keep bringing your attention back to the sensation,
Making room for it,
As though you were inviting it to take up as much space as it needs.
If the sensation changes by itself,
That's fine.
If it doesn't change,
That's fine too.
The goal is neither to change nor to get rid of any sensation in the body,
Any feeling or any emotion.
They are all welcome.
You may need to stay with the sensation for anything up to a few minutes before you are fully able to feel yourself welcoming it,
Making peace with it,
Expanding around it,
Letting it be.
Know that in doing so you are learning a valuable new skill.
In a moment the bell will sound.
You are welcome to finish this meditation when you hear the sound of the bell,
Or to stay and to continue practicing acceptance of emotions.
You might choose to scan through the body again and see if there's another sensation which you find difficult or painful.
If so,
Simply repeat the practice.
