Hi,
I'm Sarah from Metaya and this is the meditation Being with Feelings.
Let's begin by taking a moment to arrive.
Find a posture that feels both upright and at ease.
You might be sitting or lying down.
If it feels comfortable,
Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a few moments to notice the contact points of your body,
Of your back,
Of your legs and feet.
The body supported by the chair or the ground.
And take a moment to stay still by the intention with which you are doing this practice.
In a friendly manner,
Observing the feelings.
How they feel,
What you feel,
Without judgment.
Noticing and letting it be for what it is.
And now bring your attention to the breath.
You don't need to change it,
Simply noticing the natural rhythm of your breathing.
Perhaps you feel it most clearly at the nose,
The chest or the belly.
Allow the breath to become an anchor,
Something steady you can return to whenever you notice the mind wandering.
And just allow yourself to settle here,
To give yourself a soft landing in this present moment.
And now I would like to ask you to gently shift your attention inward,
Toward your emotional experience.
Not thoughts for now,
But feelings,
Emotions,
Your mood,
The emotional tone of this moment.
And it's important to know that there is no need to search for anything special.
It's enough to notice what is present for me right now.
If you notice a feeling,
See if you can acknowledge it kindly.
You might name it softly in your mind if that feels helpful.
There is no need to analyze or explain the feeling.
There is also no need to change it or make it go away.
This practice is about being with,
Rather than fixing.
And now notice how this feeling shows itself in the body.
Where do you feel it most clearly?
In your head?
Your upper body?
Your chest or belly?
It can be something very subtle or rather strong,
Like tightness,
Heaviness,
Temperature,
Pressure,
Or just ease.
And it may be that the feeling is not immediately clear,
Or that you cannot name it.
But that is perfectly fine.
It's enough to simply feel it.
And you might gently notice the feeling tone.
Does it feel pleasant?
Unpleasant?
Or neutral?
And there is no need to decide or judge.
You are an observer.
You are noticing.
You are feeling.
Another way of approaching this,
If it resonates with you,
Is to imagine the feeling as a color.
What color would this feeling be right now?
And there is no right or wrong here.
No need to make sense of it.
This is just a subtle,
Playful way of staying in contact with the experience.
By observing and allowing it to be exactly as it is.
And allow the breath to gently move around and through whatever is present.
Not to push anything away,
But to create a little space.
Space for what is present right now.
Any moment the feeling becomes intense or uncomfortable,
Remember that you have a choice.
You can gently return your attention to the breath.
Or to the sensations of the body being supported.
This practice is guided by kindness.
Not force.
And allowing it may bring you further on your way than resisting it.
If it feels possible,
Approach the experience with curiosity.
As if you were meeting it for the first time.
Noticing how it shifts,
Or perhaps how it stays the same.
Notice that feelings,
Like the breath,
And like thoughts,
Come and go.
They arise,
Change,
Transform,
And pass on their own timeline.
You do not need to hold on to them,
And you do not need to push them away.
And if no strong emotion is present,
That too is part of the practice.
You may notice neutrality,
Spaciousness,
Or calm.
Simply be aware of whatever is here,
Right now.
And for the next few moments,
Rest in open awareness.
Notice the breath,
Body,
Feelings,
Thoughts,
Sounds.
Just notice what is now in the foreground.
As we come toward the end of this practice,
Take a moment to acknowledge that the breath can be an anchor.
Not only here,
But also in everyday life.
When you find yourself facing something difficult,
Challenging,
Or painful,
You can gently return to the breath.
Finding your center.
Allowing yourself to be soothed by something that is always available.
Your breath is always with you.
And you may notice that you can carry an emotion rather than push it away.
By acknowledging it.
Naming if labeling feels helpful.
And allowing yourself to be present with it,
Just as it is.
This practice is not directly about feeling better.
It's about befriending our experience,
Exactly as it is.
So if at any moment in your everyday life there is a moment or experience that feels overwhelming or too much,
You can gently and kindly shift your attention back to the breath.
Resting your awareness there.
And allowing the body and mind to find a bit more ease.
And it's not always easy.
It's just learnable.
And know that you are the one who knows best what you need.
And sometimes it takes time and practice to discover that.
Before ending this practice,
I would like to invite you to take a brief moment of gratitude.
For taking the time.
For making the effort to pause.
To practice.
And for meeting yourself with kindness and awareness.
And when you hear the bell,
You can gently begin to bring your attention back to the room.
To your posture.
Noticing the air.
Noticing sounds.
Noticing how you feel again.
And take a moment before moving on.
And see what fits best for you to end this practice.
