The Meditation Get in a comfortable position, sitting or laying down. Bring your awareness to your breath Take a couple deeper breaths, feeling your lungs fill up with air, and contract with the exhale Feel the breath entering and leaving your nostrils Let your breath be natural and uncontrolled Feel the coolness of the in-breath And the warmth of the out-breath Observe any sensations that arise in and around your nostrils Let your awareness linger here for a few breaths Observing without judgement Without resistance or attachment Your job is only to observe from moment to moment Now, bring your awareness to the toes What do you feel there? Move your awareness over the entirety of each foot Observe. Move your awareness to your ankles, shins, and calves Notice any sensations Do you feel the touch of your clothes? Warmth? Coldness? Pain? Tingling? It does not matter what it is you feel, Only that you continue to observe. Become aware of your knees and thighs Move your awareness to your hip creases and bottom Then to your sexual organs and pelvis What sensations are arising, if any? If there is no sensation, you may spend a moment calmly exploring the area, but move on after a moment. Move your awareness to your lower stomach and lower back Notice your belly button, ribs and spine Become aware of your upper stomach and chest Your middle and upper back Observe. Become aware of your collar bone and shoulders Move your awareness down each arm, separately or at the same time Become aware of each hand, of each finger Observe. Bring your awareness back up to your neck Move to the chin and jaw The lips The nostrils, the nose The cheeks The ears The eye lids The eyebrows The forehead The scalp And now, return once again to the nostrils Observing whatever sensations arise there Take a deep breath and bring your awareness to your whole body Observe Now imagine surrounding yourself with a barrier between you and the rest of the world. It can be a bubble of light, a suit of armor, a stone wall, or anything that makes you feel completely safe. Once you feel surrounded by your barrier of safety, return your awareness to your whole body. Is there any emotional energy in your body? Do you feel any emotion in your stomach, chest, neck, or jaw? Where ever you feel emotional energy, let your awareness linger there and observe Move your awareness all around that area of your body Where does the feeling end? Where is it most intense? Is the feeling moving or changing? Does it have shape, texture, or color? Can you name any specific emotions? Say to yourself, to the emotion, “It is okay to feel this way” “It is okay to be this way” Trust that the emotional energy is there for a valid reason, and has valuable information for you. With authentic curiosity, ask the feeling what it needs or wants. And wait for an answer. Don’t try to figure it out. Give the feeling unconditional presence. Be with the feeling without motive, expectation, or judgement. When thoughts arise, allow them to come and go Keep returning your focus to observing the feeling. Thank the feeling for whatever message it has for you Take a deep breath Take another deep breath Sense the barrier that you created before Let it fall, or alter it to better serve you for the rest of your day You may at some point be guided to take action based on the information you received during your meditation, or with an insight that will come to you later in the day. Trust this process. With continued practice of attuning to your emotions, this process will become natural over time. You may find that you are meeting your emotional needs in new ways. Continue to observe your body’s physical and emotional sensations with unconditional presence. This wisdom does not need to be intellectualized. Trust this process. Send your awareness down the length of your body with unconditional love When you are ready, wiggle your toes, And open your eyes.
