Mindfulness of difficult emotions practice.
So just beginning by taking a few slightly deeper breaths.
And seeing if we can follow the in-breaths for the full duration of the in-breath.
And the out-breaths for the full duration of the out-breaths.
Becoming aware of the breath entering the body and leaving the body.
And just allowing the body to settle into stillness.
And just as the body has become still,
Seeing if we can allow the mind to also drop into stillness.
So almost as if the mind can just drop into the centre of the body.
Maybe gathering up all the threads of distraction.
That are scattered with thoughts and planning.
So just gathering these all up and coming into this present moment.
Allowing the body to rest,
Allowing the mind to rest.
Becoming aware of any sounds in our environment.
So perhaps noticing sounds outside the room.
So without labelling or evaluating.
Staying with the movement of the sounds as they increase perhaps in intensity.
Maybe they stay for a while,
Disappear.
Maybe new sounds emerge.
So just resting in this environment of sound.
Bringing awareness to the quality of light in the room.
So if the eyes are closed,
Quality of light behind the eyelids.
Noticing little patterns of light.
And just seeing if we can stay with the sounds,
The light,
The breath.
Just allowing the body to come into a deeper stillness.
Allowing the mind to settle.
If the mind wanders off into thinking and planning,
Judgement,
Worrying.
So with a gentleness bring the mind back.
Back to the breath and the body.
Noticing any sensations in the body.
Maybe having a sense of temperature around the exposed skin.
Maybe a restlessness or a tightness in different parts of the body.
Just allowing whatever is there to be there.
On the in breath we can imagine the breath nourishing the whole body.
And on the out breath allowing for that quality of release.
So releasing tension or tightness or holding in the body.
Tuning in to how the body is experiencing the breath.
So without trying to breathe in any particular way.
Just allowing the breath to settle into its own natural rhythm.
Maybe noticing if there's a shakiness or a smoothness to the breath.
If the breath is shallow or deep.
Slow or fast.
So not trying to fix or change.
Just bringing a curiosity to the breath and the body.
And now bringing an awareness to the emotional state in the body and the mind.
Just seeing if we can notice whether it's pleasant,
Unpleasant or neutral.
So breathing in I am aware of this emotion in me.
Breathing out I am aware of this emotion in me.
And if a difficult emotion is present right now you can continue to work with that emotion and if there's no difficult emotion present maybe just engaging in a little bit of thinking to bring one to mind.
So perhaps not the most difficult emotion but something that's causing you a little bit of upset or annoyance.
So just thinking about the situation or the person that's involved.
And seeing if you can get in touch with that feeling.
So breathing in I am aware of this feeling,
This emotion.
So the practice here is just to recognise it.
So it might be helpful to name it so.
Breathing in I see anger or fear or worry or jealousy.
And breathing out I see that it is there.
So as we really connect with this difficult mind state we might notice a resistance.
There might be a tendency to analyse,
To be overwhelmed or to engage in right and wrong thinking.
So just seeing if we can let go of that and really stay in touch with the feeling and not the story around the feeling.
So it might be helpful to notice how you experience that feeling in the body.
So it might be a churning in the stomach or a tightness in the chest,
A clawing in the throat,
A tension in the back or in the head.
And acknowledging that this is difficult.
But just allowing it to be there.
Accepting that it is there.
And acceptance is an act of courage not of resignation.
So the ability to accept and be with takes strength and courage.
Just being curious as to how this experience unfolds.
How this feeling might change,
It might soften,
It might increase in intensity.
Just noticing what it is like to be in touch with this emotion.
To accept that it's there and to be with it.
And recognizing that people everywhere experience this kind of feeling,
This kind of emotion.
So maybe millions of people right now are feeling this same way.
So having a real sense of connectedness.
Maybe even a loving connected presence.
This is part of being human.
This is what makes me human.
There's nothing wrong.
Very gently we can bring some self compassion into the practice.
We can bring some kindness to this difficult emotion.
So maybe even putting one hand on our heart or on our belly as a soothing touch.
As a way of gently embracing,
Attending to the difficulty.
We might even offer ourselves words of kindness.
It's okay,
You're not alone.
Maybe even asking yourself what do I need to hear right now or what do I need to do right now.
And continuing to be sensitive to the breath and the body.
Recognizing that this is difficult to be in touch with these difficult emotions.
And that to show up for ourselves is a courageous act.
An act of strength and an act of compassion.
So we might have noticed that the emotional landscape has changed.
It may have intensified or lessened.
Other emotions may have emerged.
Just letting go now of these difficulties,
Letting go of this practice.
And just resting in this strength and the compassion and having a sense of the whole body breathing.
Having a sense of the body expanding on the in-breath and letting go,
Releasing the difficulties,
The tensions on the out-breath.
So increasing the capacity for awareness on the in-breath and letting go on the out-breath.
Nourishing and letting go.
