Start by taking a moment to check in with yourself and to get settled in your seat.
If you feel comfortable,
Allow your eyes to close or else direct your gaze gently in front of you.
See if you can locate the breath in the body and notice the sensations of rising and falling in your chest or in your belly.
Whatever you were doing before starting this practice,
Let it go.
Switch from the mode of doing to a mode of just being.
Taking this moment to care for yourself and to be with whatever shows up.
And when the mind wanders during the practice,
As it will,
Gently note where it's gone to and guide it back to the sound of my voice.
Now start to bring to mind a recent experience of a difficult emotion.
Bring to mind the situation you were in when this emotion was occurring,
What was going on,
Who were you with or were you alone,
And what was showing up internally.
See if for the next few moments you can just allow that emotion to be here.
First by giving the strongest emotion you can feel a name,
Maybe fear,
Sadness,
Indifference,
Hopelessness or anger,
And gently and compassionately repeat this name to yourself a few times.
This is fear,
This is fear,
This is fear,
Or maybe here's anger,
Here's anger,
Here's anger.
Now try to notice where you feel this emotion showing up in your body.
Although you may notice several sensations,
Pick just one and allow your attention to rest on it.
It might be the squeeze of tension in your shoulders or neck,
A hollow sensation in your chest or stomach,
A heaviness or fogginess in your mind,
Or an energy coursing through your limbs.
Pick one spot on your body where you most feel this emotion and rest the attention here.
Your mind might try to take you away from this sensation,
Maybe planning how to get rid of this emotion,
Distracting you with other topics,
Or even judging you for feeling this way.
If you notice these thoughts coming up,
Again just recognizing where the mind has gone to and refocusing the spotlight of your attention onto the physical sensation in your body.
For some it may help to visualize this physical sensation,
Maybe giving it a color,
A texture,
Or a sense of movement.
Trying to anchor your attention on this physical sensation in your body and visualizing yourself confidently holding this feeling in your hands.
From time to time during this practice your mind will shift away from this emotion and this sensation because that's what minds do.
When this happens can you,
With patience,
Guide your attention back to the emotion?
Allowing an emotion does not mean we like it,
We want the sensation here,
Or we agree with the situation associated with it.
But instead allowing is a radically genuine turning towards a difficult experience in this moment,
Just for this moment.
It's a way of showing up for yourself in the midst of a painful experience and fully listening to the felt sense of this emotion.
Now start to let go of your focus on this emotion,
Coming back to the breath in the body,
Allowing yourself to connect with the inhale and the exhale.
Being present with any reactions that came up for you during this practice and giving yourself credit for engaging in a practice of being with something painful in the service of hearing the message of this emotion and starting to heal this emotion.
And now as we bring this practice to a close,
For just a moment more let's be still and listen to the sound of the bell.
