There is a difference between I am depressed and I am feeling depressed. This whole meditation lives in that gap.

About 12 minutes with Steven Webb's calm voice.

Thoughts first, then feelings, and the same line each time. I have thoughts, I am not those thoughts. I have feelings, I am not those feelings. Here is the proof: if you were them, you could not be aware of them. The chair can be aware of the table but not of the chair.

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Steven

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Hello and welcome to The Serene Observer. This is a little meditation that goes beyond your

thoughts and emotions and it really helps you to separate what's going on in your head, what's going on in

your body. And who you really are. You just take a step back from them. And very often when we're

feeling really depressed or we're feeling really lonely or we're sitting in a lot of pain,

very often we feel like that's us. And what this does is just separates ourself from that. So instead of

I am depressed, we become I'm feeling depressed. And it separates the self from the thoughts

and whatever's going on. And it gives us the power to be able to step beyond them

and transcend them. So it's about a 10-15 minute meditation. So if you begin

by finding just a comfortable seated position. And settle yourself in and you can gently close your

eyes if you choose to.

And if you choose not to close your eyes, just soften your gaze a few feet in front of you.

You don't always have to close your eyes to do meditation.

And just allow your body to settle in. Allow your body to relax. Your body knows how to relax. Your

body knows how to breathe we just become aware of the breathing.

And I'm Steven Webb And

Just a reminder, I have another podcast called Stillness in the Storms. Which

just helps you to get through some difficult times in life or just see life a little bit differently.

And as you're Allowing your body to settle in.

Allowing your awareness to become aware of your breath. Breathing in calm. Breathing out relaxed.

Just notice the natural rhythm of your breath.

You don't have to do anything with it.

Breathing in calm.

Breathing out relaxed.

And with each breath, just allow your body to relax a little bit more.

And now just shift your attention to your thoughts.

I want you to observe them as they come and go.

And it could be anything you could be thinking right down to. What am I doing sat here? Or

what's this meditation about? Or perhaps something you need to do later? Just

give it a gentle smile and a nod. And thank you for the thought. And allow it just to float

on down, say, a stream. And

you can see them and you see them just float away.

And as you're becoming more calm, just say this affirmation.

But really look at it and feel it and see what it resonates with you. Say

to yourself, I have thoughts. I am not those thoughts.

I have thoughts. I am not those thoughts.

And just recognise how that feels. Recognise how that lands.

I have thoughts. But I am not those thoughts.

And notice the small gap between the thoughts and your awareness.

And now you can turn your awareness to any feelings or emotions that are present within your body.

They could be around your heart or they could be lower. They

might even be in your shoulders or your throat.

Just become aware of any of these feelings or emotions.

And imagine them rising and becoming more and then fading and disappearing.

And You have feelings. But you're not these feelings.

And you can observe these feelings and affirm to yourself just by saying, I have feelings.

I am not those feelings.

I have feelings. I am not those feelings.

And just as you, you

can bring your attention to the taste in your mouth or what you can hear.

Whatever sensation you use, you're not the sound or you're not the taste. You're just they're

experiencing it. And this is the same with your feelings. You're just experiencing the feeling.

I have feelings. I am not those feelings.

And if you were these feelings or you were these thoughts, you wouldn't be able to be aware of them.

Just like the chair can be aware of the table,

the chair cannot be aware of the chair

I'm Not sure if that's a helpful analogy.

But if you're observer and you're watching over your thoughts or watching over your feelings, you cannot be those feelings.

You're

aware of them. Same as you're aware of any sounds that are coming in.

And recognise that your true self, your awareness, is separate to these thoughts and emotions.

You have emotions, but you are not those emotions. You

have thoughts, but you're not these thoughts.

And now just feel the liberation and the understanding that you are the observer. And

you're the observer of your thoughts and feelings. And you're not defined by them.

You have feelings, but you're not those feelings. And it means you can be free of them. You can

experience them. You can sit in them. You can enjoy them. You

can try to push them away if you don't like them so much. Perhaps they are not all joy.

But ultimately you're not them. You're

just aware of them.

So as we embrace the role of the serene observer here,

this part of you that is calm, it's unswayed and

you're away from the mind's chatter or the heart's turbulence and you're just observing.

And in this space there's a profound sense of peace and clarity. Just

rest here for a moment.

And just remember as you to go about your day that you can have thoughts and you can have feelings,

but you are not these ones. You're not the feelings, you're not the thoughts, you're observing them, you're having them.

Just the same as if you eat something, you experience the taste of the eating. You're not the actual

taste itself or you hear something. It comes in and you hear it. You're not the sound itself. And this

is the same for your feelings and the same for your thoughts. You're not the thought itself. You're just

experiencing the thought. And

when we really grasp this concept, it's really mind-blowing. It suddenly gives you this ah

this separateness that we've wanted for such a long time, this calm peacefulness. So

as you slowly bring your awareness back to your breath, I'm breathing in calm. I'm breathing out relax Feel

the sensation of the air entering and leaving your body.

And when you're ready, just gently open your eyes and shake out your arms and just look around the room

and really feel this sensation that you're not your thoughts. You just have thoughts.

You're not your feelings. You just have feelings. And they come and go. They're not permanent.

There's something to experience. There's something to either enjoy or not enjoy quite so much sometimes.

You

are just the observer, just awareness itself.

I'm Steven Webb and I hope this meditation helps and if it does you can support the show by clicking

the links below in the show notes and

just by leaving a review and sharing this meditation with others really does help. It

gives us a sense of calmness in the world. When it feels like everything's going crazy, we can have this

centred calm. Thank you.

Take care. Have a wonderful, peaceful day.