Bell sound Start by taking a few moments to connect with your breath.
Notice the contact point between the air you breathe in and your nostrils or mouth.
Notice the coolness of the air when you inhale and the warmth of the air when you exhale.
Maybe take a few moments to notice the rhythm of your breath today.
The rate at which your body rises and falls every inhale and exhale.
Notice where your breath stops today.
Is it getting down into your belly or stopping in your chest or throat?
Without trying to control your breath,
Just notice the qualities of your breath today.
Now start to connect with any sensation you feel in your body.
Maybe starting with asking yourself the question,
Where do I feel the day today?
Where am I feeling the weight of the day in my body today?
Now start to check in and take note of any feelings in your body.
Feelings that would be attributed to an emotion,
Whether faint or strong.
Take a few moments to scan your body,
Just notice where you notice the most feel,
The most emotion coming up as feeling and start to focus your attention there.
If you can't notice any strong feelings at the moment,
You need to begin to picture a recent situation where you did have strong feelings.
Picture it in great detail,
Recalling any conversations you remember,
Where you were,
Any images about the space,
And most importantly,
Try to remember how it felt and allow yourself to re-feel those feelings.
Once you notice the feelings in your body and where you have the strongest feelings,
Stay with that feeling.
If it helps,
Put a hand on the part of your body where you have the most feeling,
Just to help you keep yourself focused here.
What I'd like you to do is just stay with the feeling itself,
Focus on the sensation of the feeling.
Don't try to understand or analyze the feeling,
And if you notice your mind or thoughts trying to kick in and assess the feeling,
Just bring yourself back to the sensation itself on your next inhale.
If it helps,
You can even try to describe the sensation itself,
The same way a poet might,
Giving description to its details to keep you from analyzing it.
What color might this feeling be?
Would you describe it as hot or cold?
Would you describe it by any textures?
Would you describe it by any movements?
How would a poet describe the sensation of this feeling?
If your mind wanders,
Just notice it.
You can label it thinking,
Worrying,
Planning,
Analyzing,
And on your next inhale,
Gently come back to the place of feeling in your body and focus on the sensation.
Now silently to yourself,
Either through your hand or just by directing your words to this place of feeling in your body,
Reassure the feeling that you were there with it.
You aren't going anywhere.
Tell this feeling,
I'm here.
I'm here to be with you.
I'm just going to stay here with you.
Let yourself feel the reassurance that comes from this,
From being with yourself,
From being there for yourself.
Now whatever the feeling,
Whether it feels positive or negative,
Understand that this emotion,
This feeling is trying to teach you something.
It is trying to show you something about yourself,
To show you an emotional need that you have.
Silently to yourself,
Either through your hand or by directing your words to this place of feeling in your body,
Ask this feeling the following questions.
Is there anything you want me to know about this feeling?
What is it that this feeling is trying to teach me?
Is there anything you want me to know about this feeling?
What is this feeling really trying to teach me?
What does it most want me to know?
Is there a different way of understanding this feeling that I haven't thought of before,
That is new for me?
Is there a different way of understanding this feeling?
And is there anything more I should know about this feeling?
With all of that learning in mind,
Take a moment to thank this space in your body,
To thank this feeling,
This emotion for all that it has tried to teach you.
From here,
You can send yourself a few lines of Metta,
Love and kindness meditation if you know one and if you'd like,
Or simply finish with the question,
What do I now know?
What have I learned from this experience?
You can continue to consider the answer to this question as you hear the chime of the meditation bells.
At the end of the third bell,
You can open your eyes and come back to the room.
