Acceptance of thoughts and feelings meditation.
Getting into a comfortable position in your chair with the feet on the floor,
Allowing the eyes to gaze forward gently or to close them if that's comfortable to you,
And taking a few moments to get in touch with the movement of your breath and the sensations in your body as you drop into the body and focus on the breathing in and out.
And now slowly bringing your attention to the gentle rise and fall of the breath in the belly or in the chest.
The breath is always there and we notice this rhythm in our bodies.
Noticing the changing patterns of sensations in the belly as you breathe in and out,
And just give yourself a few moments to feel the breath the way it is.
And sooner or later the mind may wander away from the breath to other concerns,
Thoughts,
Worries,
Planning or daydreams.
This is what minds do much of the time.
And when we notice our mind has wandered,
We gently congratulate ourselves because we've come back once more aware of our experiences in the moment.
And you may just want to acknowledge where the mind went and gently escort the attention back to the breath,
Coming in and going out,
As best you can,
Bringing a quality of compassion and kindness to this awareness.
And just seeing the wanderings of the mind as an opportunity to bring a gentle curiosity to our practice.
And as you become aware of a bodily sensation or a feeling that is part of your body,
You can just notice it and acknowledge its presence and see if you can make space for it.
We don't have to make them go away or hold on to them.
But we can make some room for the discomforts or the worries and just allowing them to be there,
Naming them.
And if you notice that you're unable to focus on the breath because of an intense physical discomfort,
You may allow your focus,
Go from the breath to shift to the place of discomfort and widen your awareness of that area and breathing into that discomfort and stay with it,
No matter how hard it seems.
What does it really feel like?
And again,
You may see if you can make room for the discomfort and allow it to be there.
And to help you experience the difference between the self and thoughts or feelings,
You can name thoughts or feelings as you notice them.
Worry,
Boredom,
Judging,
Planning and reminiscing.
Labeling the thought or emotion allows us to move back to the breath and have the awareness that thoughts and feelings come and go in the mind and the body.
You are not what these thoughts or feelings say,
No matter how intense they may be.
You are the place and the space for your experience.
Make that space a kind space,
A welcome home.
And as this time for practice comes to an end,
Gradually widen your attention to take in the sounds and sights around you,
Wiggling the toes,
Noticing their connection to the floor and bringing the awareness back to the present moment.
Thank you.
