Befriending Your Emotional World

A warm welcome to you.

It is my pleasure to be here with you today to guide you towards a closer relationship with your emotional world.

In today's society,

Emotions are often misunderstood and as such they get a bad reputation.

We are told we are too emotional or that your emotions are getting the better of you.

Society suggests to us in both strong and subtle ways that there are positive and negative emotions and that we should welcome the good ones with open arms whilst avoiding the bad ones in fear of offending people or making ourselves feel uneasy.

This way of interacting with our emotional world is both unhelpful and unhealthy.

Emotions are neither positive or negative.

They are simply feelings or states we experience in response to what is going on around us.

Emotions are ever-present and just a normal part of being human.

So by shying away from them or denying them in some way,

We are at the same time denying ourselves the full human experience.

During this meditation we shall gently invite a sense of curiosity and openness towards our emotional world.

We shall explore the relationship between our emotions,

Our bodies,

Our thoughts,

Our breath and our hearts.

In this way we shall greet our emotions as we would greet a friend with an open heart,

With acceptance and with warmth.

When we act in this way towards our emotions they can ebb and flow like the tide with a sense of natural movement and ease.

So when you are ready just beginning to settle into a comfortable position this could be seated or lying down,

Whatever feels good for you today.

And closing down your eyes now if you like,

Letting the landscape of your awareness turn inwards to the movement and melody of your inner world.

Bringing your awareness now to your breath,

This gentle life force that exists within us all.

No need to manipulate your breath,

Just noticing it as it is today.

Coming home to your breath now,

It's gentle ebb and flow.

Noticing now the air as it enters your nose.

Noticing the air as it leaves your mouth.

Noticing the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe.

Noticing the soft expanse of your belly as the air moves in and out.

The simple act of air flowing in and air flowing out.

Really arriving now into this moment,

Remembering that there is nowhere else you need to be.

It's okay to take this time for yourself.

Surrendering a little more into this intimate act of befriending your breath.

Your breath is a four-part cycle.

There's the inhale,

The pause at the top of the inhale.

There's the exhale and the pause at the bottom of the exhale.

Can you be curious about these four parts of your breath for a moment or two now?

Smoothing out the edges a little if you are able.

Just getting a sense that your breath is washing over you.

Scanning your body now for any spots of tightness or tension,

For any sense of holding on.

And if you are able,

Just offering these parts a few deep nurturing breaths.

How lovely to be able to soothe yourself in this way.

Now are you able to scan your emotional world?

Just noticing if any emotions come up for you.

There is no need to do anything with these emotions.

We are just beginning the process of inviting our emotional world into our awareness.

Perhaps cultivating some curiosity here.

Do these emotions feel strong or subtle?

Are they familiar or are they new?

Can you be curious about these emotions without grabbing onto them?

I wonder,

Can you imagine them moving in and out of your awareness like wispy clouds on a summer's day?

Now I am going to mention an emotion and I invite you to simply reflect on whether you have experienced this emotion recently.

Remembering not to get too drawn into the emotion or the connecting story or circumstances.

We are just trying to identify with these emotions in a gentle way.

So beginning now with worry.

Have you experienced the emotion of worry lately?

How does worry make you feel in your body?

Heavy or light?

Vibrant or dull?

Where does worry sit in your body?

Perhaps in your tummy,

Your chest or your legs?

Maybe worry finds home across your forehead or behind your eyes.

I wonder,

How does worry make your heart feel?

If worry had a colour,

What would it be?

With one deep intentional breath,

Letting worry pass by like clouds in the sky.

Moving your awareness now to stress or overwhelm.

Have these emotions or feelings been present in your world lately?

Remembering not to get too caught up in these emotions,

Just letting these reflections wash over you with a sense of openness and curiosity.

I wonder,

How do you feel in your body when you are stressed or overwhelmed?

What is your posture like?

Do you feel open or contracted?

What happens to the nature of your thoughts when you experience stress or overwhelm?

Do your thoughts flow freely or do they feel more scattered?

What happens to your sense of perspective when you experience stress or overwhelm?

Is it broad or is it narrow?

And finally,

How would you describe the state of your heart when you are experiencing stress or feelings of overwhelm?

With one deep intentional breath,

Letting stress and overwhelm pass by.

Moving your awareness now to guilt.

Has guilt been present in your emotional world lately?

If guilt was a shape or a thing,

What would it be and where would it sit in your body?

What happens to your heart when guilt presents?

Just taking a few deep breaths now as a way of softening into these sensations and reducing any feelings of discomfort.

Remember,

There is no right or wrong here,

No good or bad emotions.

We are just focusing on being curious and open as a way of understanding our emotional world a little more.

Now turning our attention to joy.

Have you experienced joy lately?

Perhaps you may like to cast your mind back to a moment when you have felt real joy in recent weeks.

Who was there?

What were you doing?

Breathing into this memory for a moment or two now.

I wonder,

How does your body feel when you experience joy?

Does it feel heavy,

Light,

Open or vibrant?

Does it feel warm or cool?

Where does joy sit in your body?

If joy had a colour for you,

What would it be?

Imagining yourself breathing in this colour,

This sense of joy now for a few breaths.

How does your body feel?

How does your heart feel?

Moving your awareness now to love.

Have you felt the emotion of love recently?

Can you cast your mind back to a time when you either gave love or received love?

Perhaps to a friend,

A child or a pet?

Breathing into this memory for a moment or two.

How does the experience of love make your body feel?

How does the experience of love make your heart feel?

And if love had a colour,

What would it be?

Imagining yourself breathing in this colour,

This sense of love.

Resting here in this felt sense of love for a moment or two.

From this place of openness,

Safety and warmth you have created within you,

I wonder,

Is there one emotion in particular that you are curious about today?

One that is shining in the light of your awareness?

Can you allow this emotion to move freely through your body,

Mind and heart with the aid of your breath?

Can you greet this emotion with a sense of warmth,

Of curiosity,

Of openness?

Can you offer this emotion a gentle smile?

I wonder,

Are you able to ask this emotion,

What are you here to teach me?

Offering you some time now to tap into the wisdom of your experience and of your emotional world.

Let's finish this meditation together with three deep intentional breaths.

Slowly finding movement in your fingers and toes.

Offering your body any other gentle movement it needs.

Bringing your awareness back into the room.

And may your day be filled with a greater sense of your emotional world.