Hi and welcome to this short journaling practice where we use the power of words to ground ourselves in the here and now and put our current experience into perspective.
Words have a tremendous capacity to heal.
They affirm and confirm our joy and happiness and they also take the edge off of uncomfortable emotions like despair,
Anger and loneliness.
Words really are a letting go.
Feel free to do the exercise mentally if you do not have a paper or a pen with you.
To begin adopt a comfortable relaxed posture and direct your awareness to the body.
Whether standing,
Sitting or lying down become aware of your posture.
Notice everything about your physical experience of being.
Now for the next few minutes we will write this experience down as short I am sentences.
With each sentence beginning from a new line.
So for example I am sitting on a table in the study.
I am writing on a drawing paper with a black ink pen.
I am breathing in a way that is neither too shallow nor too deep etc.
Notice as many things about your physical being and environment as you can.
Things you can sense,
See,
Smell or touch.
And continue to write in this way without overthinking or striking any lines.
Now be with you shortly.
And now become aware of your thoughts and any feelings that are accompanying these thoughts.
Often there are multiple feelings at any given time.
So take your time to recognize them.
Whether pleasant,
Neutral or unpleasant.
Let your awareness hold them and your pen write them down again as I am statements.
For example I am feeling hopeful but also a little bit anxious.
I am experiencing this feeling in my stomach.
So continue to record your mental and emotional state of being.
So continue to record your mental and emotional state of being.
Let your awareness hold you back.
Let your awareness hold you back.
Let your awareness hold you back.
And now zoom out of this moment and recall a time in the past where you had a similar experience whether of contentment or dissatisfaction,
Happiness or heartbreak.
Remember how the experience appeared,
Stayed for a while and then faded away like a wave in the ocean.
Take a moment here to reflect on the transitory nature of all experience.
Your current experience is a wave too.
It is moving,
Shifting,
Changing on its own.
Without you having to manipulate anything about it.
You do not need to cling to it either.
Let's take a few deep breaths here and let go with the sigh.
Breathing in and let go.
That's good.
One more.
Breathe in.
Let something go.
Now pick up your pen one more time and in a big sweeping fashion enclose the first part of the sentences that has I am in it in a circle.
Imagine how life is but a string of these I am moments.
The steady continuous stream of consciousness that holds space for whatever phenomenon or experience arises and ceases.
This is the space of I am after witness consciousness.
That is just awareness allowing life's experiences to move through it.
A great sage once said,
Seeing is the only true action.
In seeing without preferences,
Without attachment,
The truth reveals itself.
It reveals this ocean of I am.
And you are it.
You are the waves of thoughts,
Perceptions and emotions.
And at the same time you are the deep,
Deep stillness of the sea.
Rest in this awareness.
Breathe in this awareness.
I am.
I am.
I am.
Everything is enough.
