Awareness Of Emotions Mindfulness Practice

Building awareness of emotions, and feelings and noticing one's feelings. This mindfulness practice allows us to spend time with, "name" or identify, and befriend the feelings that are presently arising in the mind, body, and spirit. The more we practice getting to know ourselves, and how we feel, we can also deepen our relationship with ourselves, understand conditions/causes, and soothe and train our muscle of self-acceptance.

Transcript

Emotion Awareness Practice for 8 minutes.

As you get comfortable in a distraction-free environment,

Whether you're seated,

Lying down,

Just allow yourself to settle into a relaxed but alert posture.

If you are seated,

Make sure your feet are grounded,

Hands resting on your lap,

Closing your eyes if you feel comfortable to do so,

Or just lowering your gaze at a spot in front of you.

And as you bring your attention to your breath,

Allow some relaxation to naturally occur.

Your neck,

Face,

Your shoulders,

Your back,

And anywhere else in your body that you might be holding any tension.

Just relax.

In this practice,

As we observe our breath,

We're also open to noticing distractions in the form of thoughts,

Physical sensations,

Or feelings and emotions.

As these distractions arise,

Simply observe them,

Give them a label,

Either by silently saying the word to yourself or visualizing it being written in your mind's eye,

And just letting it go.

Let these distractions pass,

Like clouds on a windy day,

Or like traffic on a busy road.

There is no need to analyze.

There is no need to judge.

There is no need to inquire.

Just simply observe,

Label,

And let it go.

And if you're not experiencing any distractions whatsoever,

Simply nothing to label,

There is no need to strive.

Simply relax,

Enjoy this time in silence,

And let's continue this practice for two more minutes.

As distractions arise,

Simply acknowledge them,

Label them with a word,

And just let them go.

Over the next few breaths,

Bringing your attention to the soles of your feet,

The palms of your hands,

Wiggling your fingers and your toes,

Welcoming yourself back to your body,

Back to this space,

And whenever you're ready,

Gently opening your eyes,

Welcome back.