Welcome to the immediate intention practice and observing primary emotions.
Immediate intention is a short practice to return to yourself and take a moment for contemplation.
It can be done in just a few minutes in the morning or at any time during the day when you feel the need to reconnect with what you are experiencing,
Calm the mind or re-center.
The aspiration of this practice is to bring intention into awareness and to begin observing the emotional experience as it is lived in the embodied mind.
So to begin,
Take a stable,
Comfortable seated posture and allow the body to settle gently.
You can also take three deep breaths to bring yourself in this moment.
As you enter this day,
Or simply this moment,
What is your conscious intention?
This is a moment to shift from doing to simply being,
Not a to-do list or goals to achieve for today.
Rather,
How do I want to be?
How do I want to relate to my inner world today or in this moment?
Gently allow your attention to turn inward.
Begin by exploring the embodied mind.
If it helps,
You may place a hand on your chest or abdomen.
Without trying to interpret,
Simply notice the sensations in the chest,
Abdomen and throat.
These areas often reflect our emotional state.
Then gently ask yourself,
What primary emotion might be present right now?
Fear?
Sadness?
Anger?
Joy?
Disgust?
Surprise?
If it is not clear,
You can simply note unclear,
Mixed,
Numb.
Allow the experience to be as it is,
Without judgment.
Let the emotion exist without trying to suppress it or amplify it.
Then gently name the experience.
Silently say fear is present,
Sadness is here,
Joy is present.
Notice the difference between I am angry and anger is present.
If more difficult emotions are present,
What is your intention?
To reduce their intensity?
To regulate them?
To understand them?
To soften them?
If more pleasant emotions are present,
What is your intention?
To sustain them?
To depend them?
To allow them to grow?
Now clearly name your intention.
Then ask yourself,
How do I want to relate to what I am feeling?
Then allow a quality or a practice,
Formal or informal,
To emerge that could support you today.
Now feel the body as a whole.
Notice what is here.
Allow a few breaths to integrate the experience.
And gently return to movement and to your environment.
In the informal moments of your day,
Take a short pause to return to yourself and care for your experience.
I wish for you to continue returning to yourself with softness and clarity.
And to let this presence stay with you as you move through the rest of your day.
