Happiness Break: A Meditation for When You Feel Uneasy

Aug 21, 2025

Explore the transformative power of embracing discomfort in this guided meditation. Learn how recognizing and accepting feelings of unease can lead to deeper calm and self-compassion. Engage in practices that promote warmth and relaxation throughout your body, encouraging a gentle awareness of your feelings. Discover how allowing restlessness instead of resisting it may pave the way to inner peace. This meditation not only nurtures acceptance but also leaves you with a sense of warmth and presence to carry into your day.

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INSIGHT

Allowing Creates Inclusive Awareness

Allowing switches on a more inclusive awareness that accepts trouble and restlessness.
This inclusive awareness opens space for self-compassion instead of resistance.

ADVICE

Settle The Body First

Sit comfortably with a balanced head, relaxed jaw, shoulders, and hands before meditating.
Settle into the body to create a foundation for noticing and easing restlessness.

ADVICE

Use Warmth As An Anchor

Sweep warm, soft attention through chest, belly, seat, legs, and feet to create calm.
Use that warmth as an anchoring sensation before investigating subtle unease.

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In this guided meditation with poet and teacher Henry Shukman, learn how allowing discomfort, rather than resisting it, can open the door to greater calm and self-compassion.

How To Do This Practice:

Find a Comfortable Position: Sit comfortably, either upright with your head balanced or reclining, and relax your jaw, shoulders, and hands.
Invite Warmth and Softness into the Body: Gently bring awareness to different parts of your body—chest, belly, seat, legs, and feet. Imagine a gentle sweep of rest and quiet spreading through you, like a soft, warm wave.
Notice Any Unease Without Trying to Change It: See if you can detect any subtle unease or restlessness. Instead of pushing it away, simply acknowledge it.
Soften and Warm the Whole Torso: Move your awareness to the shoulders, sides, back, chest, and belly. Imagine each area softening like warm wax. Let this warmth frame your torso, surrounding even areas of tension or discomfort.
Hold What You Find in Loving Awareness: Rather than trying to “fix” or remove unease, allow it to be held by your warmth and softness.
Return Gently: When you feel ready, slowly bring small movements back into your body. Open your eyes and notice your surroundings, carrying a sense of warmth and acceptance with you.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Today’s Happiness Break Guide:

Henry Shukman, is a poet, mindfulness teacher, and author of Original Love: The Four Inns on the Path of Awakening.

Learn more about Shukman’s work: https://henryshukman.com/about

Order his book, Original Love: The Four Inns on the Path of Awakening: https://tinyurl.com/mwv5cuxr

Related Happiness Break episodes:

Loving Kindness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/2kr4fjz5

Embodying Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/46383mhx

A Meditation on Original Love: https://tinyurl.com/5u298cv4

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

Make Uncertainty Part of the Process: https://tinyurl.com/234u5ds7

How To Show Up For Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/56ktb9xc

How Holding Yourself Can Reduce Stress: https://tinyurl.com/2hvhkwe6

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/4x27ut3p