Position yourself comfortably in the chair,
With your feet flat on the floor and your arms placed comfortably beside you,
The chair fully supporting your body.
Allow your eyes to close,
And begin by paying attention to your breath,
Taking a few long breaths to get settled.
Now gently guide your attention to how you're feeling emotionally within yourself at this moment.
Note whatever feelings arise within you,
Whether they be positive or negative or neutral,
Whether they be strong or weak in intensity.
They are all just emotions,
All just feelings to be felt.
Whatever feelings arise,
Remind yourself that it is okay to allow yourself to feel it.
Remember that you are not your emotions,
You are the watcher of your emotions.
Take some time just to observe your emotional experience,
Making no attempt to change how you are feeling.
You might label the emotion to yourself,
Something like,
Ah,
There's frustration.
Or you might describe where and how you feel the emotion in your body,
Taking time to notice the physical signs that you're feeling the way you feel.
Watch as the emotion changes in intensity and nature.
Bring whatever image to mind that helps you be the watcher of your emotions.
Perhaps you can see your emotion like an ocean wave or an express train or a cloud floating by in the sky or a leaf floating down a stream.
You don't have to buy into your emotions and get swept up in them.
You don't need to change your emotions,
Fight them or get rid of them.
You are just here to watch,
Observe and experience what is going on right now.
See if you can make some space for the emotion.
Seeing it as part of a broader landscape within you that contains lots of other things like other feelings,
Thoughts,
Memories and body sensations.
Your emotions are just emotions.
Your feelings are just feelings.
Nothing more and nothing less.
When you have fully experienced whatever emotion is there and the experience has run its natural course,
Redirect your attention towards your breath and notice each inhalation and each exhalation.
Find your attention to the back and forth movement of the belly as you breathe in and out.
Notice the sensations in your body as you draw a breath in and then out again.
Take some time to allow your breath to be your anchor to the present moment.
If your mind wanders away from the breath to an emotion or thought or sensation,
That's okay.
That's what minds do.
Congratulate yourself for noticing and give your mind the time again to observe and watch what you are experiencing.
Once that observation has run its natural course,
Again gently bring your attention back to the breath as your anchor to the present.
Try to continue this mindfulness practice for as long as you can and when you feel ready,
You can gradually open your eyes and bring the mindfulness exercise to a close.
