Feel Good
Learning to find, create & enjoy positivity
Guided Meditation
Practice Visual
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
Extra
/
Elaboration
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
There are several options to create positivity
Mnemonic Device STARS
S(mile)
Smile gently
Notice how the smile causes positivity naturally
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'
A(ctivate)
Some can, some can't
Simply by intending to feel good, one can feel good
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
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
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
Relax into it
Relaxing any tensions within body & mind
Releasing any blockages, hindrances between you and the positive experience
Non-Interfering
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
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
We either find or create pleasure
We observe the body sensation/s until gone
& 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
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
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
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