We will do an exercise that involves looking carefully at and understanding your own physical and emotional responses.  You will need 30 minutes of solitude and relative quiet to do this exercise.  It won't work if you are distracted by activities, TV, music.  So plan to give yourself a tiny break for this work.  Before you read the instructions any further.... take a quick note of your current emotional state.  Make note of it.  Write down a word or two to describe it. 

Now, lie down in a comfortable place.  Be sure you are really comfortable so you can lie in quietly but without falling asleep for 30 minutes.  Get a pillow to support your head, your knees maybe.  A soft blanket.  Turn the lights down or off.  Turn off your phone/ stereo.  Tune into yourself for a few minutes with no distractions.  And slip into a restful (not sleeping) state.  Let your breath slow and go deep.  Take 10-15 slow steady breaths as you begin to relax. 

Once you are relaxed, begin to notice the sensations in your body.  Notice the places that feel particularly tight or uncomfortable.  Take note of these places, where are they and how do they feel.  Try to come up with an accurate description.  Notice also any places that feel particularly at ease and comfortable.  Notice the feeling/ sensations of those places also.  Take your time with this --- be sure to check in with your entire body... head to toe or toe to head, as you prefer.  Do a complete and gentle body scan and notice what is there.

Choose one location in your body that feels particularly noteworthy or seems to draw your attention to it after you've completed your scan.  Don't over-think your choice --- let your intuitions or gut instincts guide where your focus is drawn.  It may seem odd... it may seem surprising but go with where your focus leads you.   Now really focus in on what your body in that location is feeling.  Notice the exact nature of the tightness or comfort or whatever you find there.  What does it feel like/ remind you of.  Notice if any metaphors or images that pop into mind to help you with description.  (it feels like a clock wound too tight... or it feels like a gentle stream flowing over rocks and don't judge what comes into mind --- it may make no sense at all and that is just fine.  accept the messages from your body as openly as possible). 

Give a little attention to your breath and your heart rate --- what happens to them as you focus in this place.  Continue to watch and notice and see if those sensations/ metaphors/ images link up to any experiences or memories in your life. Let this part of your body sort of 'speak' to you... tell its own story.  What ideas or inspirations come to you as you observe this place in your body ....  Now let any emotion that is naturally a part of all of this flow in.  Watch the emotion for a bit.. what is it?  You want this emotion to emerge only to let itself be known... don't invite in anything that you aren't interested in watching or noticing for a few minutes.    Let the emotion emerge and then naturally subside.  Don't hold onto it.   You are just taking a look at what resides in your body.

Now... let yourself rouse out of this relaxed and introspective place.  Make note of your emotional state now.  Just a few words.  And discuss your experience in a brief paper -- describing what you noticed.   Did you notice anything in your experience was new or surprising?  Familiar?   Did you have any thoughts/ ideas/ memories/ inspirations surface that felt like 'ah-ha' moments?  Discuss any metaphor or images that seemed to emerge in the process of observing your bodily experience.  Did you notice any shifts in your emotional state?  You may want to comment on ways the the increased awareness impacted your emotional experience in terms of the ideas James put forth a century ago.  This should be no longer than a single page typed.

Label this work as Emotion Exercise 2 with your name and the date.