Welcome to this guided meditation on feeling tones.
This is a body scan meditation perfect for beginning meditators.
Together we will explore the foundations of feeling tones,
Which is every experience and feeling can be categorized into one of three feeling tones,
Pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral.
As we scan through the body,
You'll be invited to notice and observe,
Learning to be an observer of what's present with loving kindness and a non-judgment.
I invite you to begin by taking a comfortable position,
Becoming as comfortable as possible,
Perhaps taking in a few full deep breaths if you're able and at your own pace,
Allowing the eyes to soften,
Relaxing the jaw,
Allowing the shoulders to drop,
And allowing them to drop even more,
Releasing any obvious signs of tension in the body that can easily be let go of,
Sensing where the breath is felt the easiest and the most pleasant in the body,
Perhaps placing a hand on the chest or belly to feel each breath more fully,
Allowing the breath to be just as it is without trying to change it or control it,
Allowing thoughts to come and go like clouds in the sky,
Perhaps allowing each out breath to be extended just slightly longer than normal,
Inviting attention and word to the body and any sensations that may be present.
You might become aware of heat or chills,
Tingling or numbness,
Aching or pain,
And whatever is most predominant,
Whatever sensation is at the forefront,
Simply acknowledging that and as you recognize and allow what's here in the present moment to lean into the vibration of the feeling tones and sense if that particular sensation has a tone of pleasantness,
Unpleasantness,
Or is it neutral.
A pleasant feeling tone may be a place of ease and comfort.
An unpleasant feeling tone may be a place in the body where there is constriction,
Discomfort,
Or pain.
A neutral feeling tone will be places in the body that are neither pleasant nor unpleasant.
And in this practice of mindfulness and feeling tones,
We're simply observing,
Not getting lost in the detail or the story of why it's there.
We're lending our kind attention to what's present with compassion and without judgment,
Shifting attention now to the mind and noticing if it's busy and active or if it's calm and at ease,
Gathering the felt sense of the mind state,
Pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral,
Coming back to the body and the breath,
Perhaps taking in a deep cleansing breath.
And as you go about your day,
Perhaps taking some pauses to practice the feeling tones,
Noticing any sensations,
Noticing the mind state and sensing whether they are pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Or neutral.
Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide today.
Thank you for your practice.
