Find a comfortable position.
You can sit upright or lie down if that feels better.
Let your hands rest easily.
When you're ready,
Allow your eyes to close or soften your gaze.
Take a slow breath in,
And a long breath out.
Again,
Inhale gently,
And exhale fully.
Let yourself arrive here.
Bring your attention to the feeling of your body being supported.
The chair beneath you.
The floor below.
The weight of your body resting.
Notice the natural rhythm of your breath.
No need to change it.
Just feel the inhale and the exhale.
If your mind wanders,
That's okay.
You can always return to the breath.
Gently shift your awareness inward.
Not into thoughts this time,
But feeling.
You might ask yourself quietly,
What is here right now?
You don't have to search hard.
Just notice what's present.
And maybe it's calm.
Maybe it's restlessness.
Maybe it's something altogether unclear.
Whatever is here,
Let it be here.
Now begin to practice naming what you feel.
Not judging it.
Not analyzing it.
Simply naming.
You might silently say,
This is sadness.
This is anxiety.
This is frustration.
Joy.
Loneliness.
This is peace.
And if you're not sure,
Well,
That's okay too.
You can try instead saying to yourself,
Something is tender.
Something heavy is here.
Or perhaps something unsettled is here.
Let the naming be gentle.
Like placing a label on a jar.
Each time you name an emotion,
See if you can also add,
This is what is here right now.
Not forever.
Not who you always are.
Just what's present right now.
As we allow our emotions to move,
And we name them,
Notice what's happening.
Do these emotions soften?
Do they shift?
Do they stay?
There's no right or correct outcome.
Emotions are like weather.
They move through.
Your job is to not control them,
But to notice.
Ah,
This is here,
You might say.
Breathe with it.
That feeling.
That emotion.
If you feel overwhelmed,
Return to the breath.
And the nostrils.
Exhale through the mouth.
Place a hand on your heart if that feels comfortable.
And offer yourself a quiet phrase.
It's okay to feel this.
I can be with this.
This emotion belongs.
Or perhaps say,
I am not alone.
Let your body receive that kindness.
Even difficult emotions are simply signals.
Not problems to solve in this moment.
Simply experiences to acknowledge.
Begin to widen your awareness again.
Notice the room around you.
The sounds.
The air on your skin.
Take one final deep breath in.
And let it out.
Let us remind ourselves that naming is noticing.
Naming and noticing can be healing.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes and take your time returning.
Namaste.
