Feel Good

Learning to find, create & enjoy positivity

Guided Meditation

Learning to Feel Good - Feel Good Technique

Core Instructions

Objective - Why?	Pleasant Self-care at any moment Increase Appreciation of pleasure Condition a positive personality
Basic Instruction - How?	find or create pleasure within the body Enjoy
Attention Method	Localized
Attention Range	Activation Method Pleasure within body
Consider	Subtle experiences are totally fine Negativity may arise, which one 1) accepts 2) let go of & return to the attention range
Acknowledgement	UM 'Feel Good'
Extra	/

Elaboration

Instructions

Introduction

In this practice we train the skill to find or create positivity, observe & enjoy it

Practice - Feel Good

Transition in

• Posture

  • Settling into one's posture

  • Releasing any unnecessary effort & tension

• Becoming aware

  • Noticing the current experience

    • e.g., Sights, sounds, touch, thoughts

Phase 1 - Contact Good via Find or Create

Either find or Create Positivity.

Finding Positivity

• You may find pleasant areas throughout your body

  • e.g., exhale on breath

• You may release any tensions and find pleasure in the relief

• you may already have positive emotions present and being able to notice them in your body

Creating Positivity

There are several options to create positivity

1. Mnemonic Device STARS

   1. S(mile)

      • Smile gently

      • Notice how the smile causes positivity naturally

   2. T(hink)

      • Visualize a positive scenario

        • e.g,. pleasant memory, pleasant fantasy

      • Create positive talk

        • e.g., a person you respect sharing kind words with you 'you are doing great', 'i am here for you'

        • e.g., Self-talk: 'It's fine, be at ease', 'You are doing good, be confident!''

        • e.g,. Good wish: 'May my friends be at peace' 'May I be at peace'

   3. A(ctivate)

      • Some can, some can't

      • Simply by intending to feel good, one can feel good

   4. R(espond)

      • Utilizing external stimuli to cause positive emotions

        • Touch

          • Cuddling a pet

          • Cuddling yourself

          • Taking a bath

        • Hear

          • Listening to music

          • Listening to kind words

        • See

          • Beautiful scenery

   5. S(upport)

      • Utilizing the benefits of other techniques e.g,. loving-kindness, progressive muscle relaxation

        • Once positivity arises during the technique, one places the attention on tit

Phase 2 - Enjoy

1. Place your attention on the positivity

   • e.g., pleasure you feel in the body

   • e.g., joy felt in the chest, or safety felt in the abdomen area

2. Relax into it

   • Relaxing any tensions within body & mind

   • Releasing any blockages, hindrances between you and the positive experience

   • Non-Interfering

3. Enjoy

   • Smiles may arise naturally

   • Increase of pleasure may arise naturally

Phase 3 - Gone & Repeat

Once the positivity has disappeared completely, you may start again at phase 1, either finding or creating positivity

Process of Feel Good

Example-Buffet of Activation Methods for Positivity

Understanding

Introduction

Feel Good is basically about having a good time.

It is about learning to notice the existence of pleasurable body sensations, the pleasant aspect of it, learning to fully enjoy it and if not present, the ability to create it independently of external conditions.

Benefits - Why?

• Non-Interference

  • Learning to be totally fine with the presence/absence of positivity or presence/absence of negativity as well as the transitioning from on of the other i.e., change

• Clarity

  • Develop sensitivity towards positivity

    • How does it feel like?

    • How is it felt in the body?

    • What are the causes for it to arise or cease?

      • e.g,. mental image -> positive emotion

      • e.g., pleasant sound -> positive emotion

• Conditioning

  • Condition a positive personality

    • Personality being how we respond to our experiences. A positive personality may respond with joy, gratitude, forgiveness, loving-kindness, appreciation, and understanding, rather than the opposites

      • e.g., instead of greediness -> generosity, patience

      • e.g,. instead of anger -> kindness & forgiveness

    • Whenever we activate e.g., kindness, we train our mind to behave similarly next time as well. With that, we create a habit of mind to automatically react with kindness

• Increase Appreciation of pleasure

  • Learning to enjoy pleasure, without feeling guilty or having aversion towards it

• Positive Self-care at any moment

  • Ability to create positive emotions or pleasant feelings whenever you like

Spectrum of Positivity

Positivity is any experience you perceive as good, such as pleasure itself or positive emotions.

• Emotional Sensations

  • 
  • Emotions can be found as bodily sensations

    • e.g., kindness may be a cozy, warm feeling in the chest

    • e.g., joy may be a light, cold feeling in the chest & cheeks

  • Be curious about which emotions are pleasurable for you

    • e.g., kindness, gratitude, calm, respect, friendliness, empathy, forgiveness, etc.

• Non-Emotional Sensations

  • There is also pleasure in the body, not depending on emotions.

  • Be curious about which body sensations are pleasurable to you

    • e.g., physical relaxation, warmth or coolness, stretching or tensing, etc.

Example-Buffet of Activation Methods for Positivity

These are some, not all, ways of activating positive emotions or physical pleasure.

Feel free to explore & combine, so that you effective one's suitable for you.

• Everyone is unique, and ever-changing, hence one method may work for you, and not for another. As well as, one method may work for you today, and not tomorrow.

• Note that some may be hard at the beginning and turn out to be quite effective later.

Practically, what matters is how the method makes you feel, not the method itself.

Attention Method

• Localized

  • Observing the experience of pleasure within the body

    • May be a bigger or smaller area, different parts or the whole body

Attention Range

1. We either find or create pleasure

2. We observe the body sensation/s until gone

3. & Repeat

Consider

• The method of activation is not important

  • Important is that you are able to create & fully be with the positivity created

  • You may choose to use a self-hug, a nice song, or a good-wish. Any is equally fine.

• Subtle is fine

  • If the e.g., positive emotion is subtle, rather than intense, that is fine

    • Our practice is to place the stimuli. What results due to the stimuli is not in our control. This is an opportunity to practice non-interference, patience, etc. .

• Negativity may arise

  • This is the nature of our mind - This is reality. This is also fine.- .

    • What experiences arise is not under our control. Hence, no benefit in resisting.

    • Our practice is to place a constructive stimuli and be patient

  • Options

    • Keep negativity in the background while returning your attention to the practice.

    • Recycle the reaction

      • Observe the negativity with Equanimity until it satisfied, weakened, gone

• Be Gentle

  • Don't force the experience to be in any way

    • Place the stimuli/intention to create or find it - wait for nature to respond

• Relax& Enjoy

  • Appreciate, relax into & enjoy the pleasantness

Progress

/	Level 1 - Non-Skilled	Level 2 - Skilled	Level 3 - Maturity
Essence	Inability to enjoy Inability to notice pleasure when present Inability to create pleasure	To a degree, able to enjoy pleasure To a degree, able to notice pleasure To a degree, able to create pleasure	Ability to enjoy pleasure, without guilt or aversion Ability to notice pleasure when present Ability to create pleasure anytime, anywhere
Example: Having a (pleasurable) meal	Not noticing or only partially noticing the amount of pleasure available in the body when having the meal, while unable to contact and cherish the pleasure from it	Noticing the pleasure from having the meal, while being to cherish partially	Experiencing all available pleasure arising from having the meal while being able to fully cherish and enjoy them

Daily Life

Intention

• Notice how your body feels when being happy

  • e.g,. a smile from someone, a beautiful view in nature, receiving or giving compliments

• Notice in what ways you can create pleasure - anytime, anywhere

  • e.g., relaxing of tension, loving-kindness, imagining a pleasant memory

• Take a moment to enjoy

  • Pause, and relish the moment of pleasure

• Counter-Condition

  • Whenever a negative conditioning arises, you may use that opportunity to counter-condition

    • e.g., Anger arises and we cultivate loving-kindness

    • e.g,. guilt arises and we cultivate forgiveness

Common Scenarios

• Eating delicious food

• Laughing with others

• Looking forward to an event or meeting

• Warm sun shining into one's face