Welcome to this Allowing Emotions Meditation.
The intention of this practice is to develop emotional intelligence by experiencing emotions directly in the body.
To begin,
Go ahead and make any necessary adjustments to your body before settling into a posture that feels right to you.
Perhaps taking a few deeper than normal breaths,
Calling yourself into presence on each long in-breath,
And softening the body on each longer out-breath.
Now allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm as you continue to watch it,
Moving in and out,
Resting in stillness and silence for a bit longer,
Allowing yourself to settle.
When you're ready,
Simply note whatever feelings are present in this moment.
Sometimes it can be helpful to name the feeling or feelings.
Some feelings might have ordinary names,
Like angry,
Happy,
Sad,
Or excited.
And others may have more unusual names,
Like stormy,
Blue,
Fiery,
Churning,
Or empty.
It can be helpful to remember that feelings might be small and subtle,
And kind of shy,
Or they might be big and intense.
And feelings might shift over time,
And there might be layers to your feelings.
Continue to sit,
Feeling what is here for you now,
And naming it.
Once you've brought your kind and curious attention to a particular feeling,
And you've named it,
Notice where the feeling lives in your body.
Is it sitting in your chest,
Moving in your belly,
Pulsing in your face?
Now see if you can notice how the emotion feels in the body.
Does it feel small,
Heavy,
Hard,
Warm or cold,
Jagged,
Light,
Soft,
Smooth,
Big?
Is this emotion moving,
Or is it standing still?
Keep noticing.
If any of these questions shift you into thinking about the feeling rather than experiencing it,
Notice whether the feeling has a color,
Or colors,
Or imagine that it does.
Perhaps it's dark red,
Pale blue,
Or bright green.
And if it doesn't have a color,
That's fine too.
This is a more creative way to explore this feeling.
What color is your feeling now?
If this feeling had a sound associated with it,
What would it sound like?
Giggling,
Groaning,
Weeping,
Or whining?
And if there's no sound,
No problem.
Continue to explore this feeling as it changes from moment to moment.
To end this practice,
Notice how you feel now.
You might also congratulate yourself for taking the time to be with and befriend your feelings.
Then return your attention to the breath,
And rest in stillness and quietness for a bit longer.
Remember,
You can rest in stillness and befriend your feelings whenever you want,
Whenever they arise,
Not just in meditation.
When you feel complete,
Go ahead and take three slow,
Deeper than normal breaths on your own.
And when you're ready,
Opening your eyes and moving into your next moment.
