With this practice you’ll practice greeting each thought, emotion, and sensation. You’ll watch it, name each with a single word, and then let it go. Some people have told me they find it useful to visualize writing each name on a balloon and then releasing it, or to visualize writing the name on a leaf and letting it float away down a stream. These are just a few ideas. Feel free to come up with your own. Whatever imagery you use, this practice is an effective means of clearing away some of the clutter from the insistent chatter of big deal mind, allowing you to experience more spaciousness.

Assume the attitude of mindfulness, closing your eyes, relaxing your muscles, and resting comfortably for a few minutes.

You can use the movie theater image or any image that works for you. The goal is to simply be present and watch the parade of your thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment, reaction, or distraction. Simply watch whatever passes through your awareness and greet each internal event gently with a “hello.”

After greeting each internal event, give it a name and then let it go. For example, if a conflict that occurred yesterday passes through, greet it with a “hello,” then just name it “conflict” and let it keep passing by. Then another awareness arises, perhaps impatience.

Greet it gently, then name it (“impatience”) and let it go. Use nouns, not adjectives, as you name your experiences. That way you’ll simply be stating what it is without opinion, reaction, or judgment.

It’s common for certain internal events to reappear time after time. That’s fine. Remember, that too is an opportunity for mindfulness. If something keeps returning, just name it without judgment, reaction, or distraction. If impatience keeps returning, just name it “impatience,” not “that damn impatience again.” Be open and curious in regard to things that come up repeatedly. Perhaps these are things that need deeper attention.

After watching your thoughts for at least five minutes, take some time to contemplate and answer the following questions.

• What did you notice about your thoughts, emotions, and sensations as you named them and let them go?
• As you continued with this practice, did you notice a shift? If so what was it like?
• Did certain thoughts, emotions, and sensations continually return? If so, what were they? What could they be asking you to pay attention to in your life? Is there anything that you’ve been ignoring or disconnected from?
• If you didn’t experience a shift, don’t concern yourself with it. Just continue doing this practice; eventually you’ll find your way to the shift. Keep in mind that developing mindful responses to your experience is a lifelong process. It isn’t like a switch that flips, instantly transporting you to some magical place.

excerpt from The Mindfulness Workbook: A Beginner's Guide to Overcoming Fear and Embracing Compassion by Thomas Roberts LCSW, LMFT