Using Labels With Mindfulness

Today we practiced "Mindfully Focusing On The Body + Labelling".

Turn your attention to the sensations arising form the body. If your mind wanders, gently and lovingly bring it back.

Just observe the sensations arising. Labeling them as pressure, tension, heat, dull, etc. Avoid judgements like 'good or bad' or 'pain or pleasure'.

If you pain or itchiness arises, observe and label the component parts. If you need to move, do so slowly and mindfully.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to the session. I invite you to take a seat or lie down and get yourself comfortable. You can close down the eyes if you wish. Just begin by slowing down the breath. Taking some slow, Deep, Sighing breaths in through the nose. Just turning your attention to the sensations arising in your body. Not trying to move towards or move away from. Just feeling whatever is arising. Approaching and accepting it all with compassionate curiosity and calm confidence. Taking a moment to label the feelings that are arising. Maybe there's tension, Pressure, Movement, Softness or heaviness, Sharp or dullness, Or perhaps emptiness and numbness. As a feeling from the body comes into attention, Observe it, Label it, And watch as it slowly dissipates to be replaced by a different sensation. If you have the urge to shift or move or scratch due to pain or other sensations, Do your best to just observe the feelings that are arising. Those are just more sensations to observe. If they become unbearable, Gently, Slowly, Mindfully shift the body. But observe the process as you do. The body is in constant motion. The breath, The heartbeat, Digestion. But also within the muscles. Activation, Release, Tension, Pressure. These are the sensations arising in your body in this moment. Observe them. Accept them. Label them. But do so without clinging. Watch them come and then watch them go. Okay. So today we're practicing mindfulness but using the body and the sensations arising as our anchor. Your mind wanders, You bring it back. We also looked at the idea of labeling. We label the sensations that are arising. Not as a judgment call. Not as good or bad. Not as aversive or desirable. But just to help better identify and focus upon the sensations. Pressure, Tension, Numbness. All feelings, Good or bad. Or rather that we would traditionally describe or crave or run from. Are built from component parts. And those component parts can be observed and described. So in a formal session like this, We sit, We observe, We describe. And we watch those sensations come. Get stronger for a bit. Peek. And then fall away. Just to be replaced by more sensations. And that's the practice. So thank you for joining me. And I'll see you in the next session.