Take a seat in a quiet place where you feel particularly safe. Sit tall with your spine long, your shoulders relaxed, and your belly soft. Close your eyes or gaze low at the floor. Maintain a level chin for a neutral spine.

 

Breathe gently in an out through your nose. Release thoughts of the past or future, and turn your awareness towards the present moment. Notice the movement of breath through your body to help get grounded and settle further into your seat.

 

As the mind gets quieter, notice if there are any emotions present. For today’s meditation, we choose to work with just one emotion.

 

It could be anger, sadness, frustration, resentment, or disappointment. Or you could choose something positive, such as love, kindness, gratitude, or joy.

 

But choose just one for today.

And silently to yourself, create an intention.

Your intention is to use your chosen emotion as the object of your focus.

 

(pause 3 breaths)

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So let’s turn now towards that emotion.

See if you can locate it within your body.
And wherever it is that you notice that emotion, hold your attention in that space.

If the emotion moves, your attention follows.

 

Stay present now with the emotion.

Notice all you can about the detail of the emotion’s size, color, temperature, shape.

 

As you explore the characteristics of this particular emotion, Be very careful not to chase the cause of the emotion, or the story. Don’t go looking for a reason, or a source.

 

Simply stay present with the emotion itself.

It’s felt sense.

Out of your head, and present in the body.

 

Stay present with the emotion itself, your object of focus.

Anytime you notice that the mind has gone off chasing stories, or anywhere else, come back to the felt sense of the object of focus.

 

Repeat this process, returning as many times as you need to.

 

Pause the meditation for 5 minutes to continue focusing on the emotion. 

 

Notice perhaps that the more you move towards the emotion, the more difficult it is to find.

 

It is changing, or moving, it becomes slippery.

 

Like all things, this emotion is energy. It’s always in motion, always part of a grand flow.

 

By watching it and observing it,

Versus grasping to it or identifying with it,

The emotion itself is given the freedom to morph, to move, and even given the freedom to go.

 

The emotion is not you,

It is energy in your body.

 

You, are the witness, the watcher, the noticer. You are the ever-present awareness. The blank canvas across which emotions are painted. The sky across which emotions are the clouds. The stage across which the play of emotions comes and goes.

 

You experience emotion,

But you are not your emotions.

 

Perhaps your object has wandered or waned. Perhaps the emotion is still felt strongly.

Turn attention now away from the emotion, and back towards the higher self that’s the witness.

 

Notice the space between the two.

The emotion itself, and the awareness of the emotion.

 

Remember that you are awareness.

Infinite, spacious, and free.

Identify with that limitless awareness as you slowly open your eyes.