In moments of discomfort or worry, we often feel as though sensations need a place to settle—a part of the body or a corner of the mind to land and linger. But what if, instead, these sensations were free to hover without ever finding a home? With a gentle practice, we can train ourselves to meet pain, tension, or worry by allowing them to float weightlessly, letting them thin and dissolve rather than taking root.
This exercise begins with finding comfort. By settling into a position that feels relaxed and grounded, we open ourselves to awareness in a way that’s receptive yet unattached. Breathing deeply, we create a sense of spaciousness within, a place where sensations can arise and drift without barriers. This foundation of openness invites us to meet any discomfort or tension that arises in our body, mind, or emotions.
When a sensation or worry presents itself, we first become aware of it as simply something to observe. Perhaps it feels located in a specific spot, or maybe it has no precise anchor, like an itch that hovers without a clear origin. Here, we let go of the need to fix it or to focus on the “where” of discomfort. Instead, we imagine it as something weightless, a drifting cloud or an object that moves in the open sky of our awareness, without ever needing to touch down.
As we watch, we practice allowing it to hover. With each breath, we add to the sensation of lightness, noticing how the discomfort remains but lacks substance, as though it is a plane circling with no runway in sight. Just as a plane’s energy eventually wanes if it has nowhere to land, we can imagine our discomfort or worry gradually losing its need to settle. Breathing slowly and steadily, we can picture the discomfort growing thinner, lighter, drifting as if it were made of mist.
This process is about letting it dissipate naturally rather than pushing it away. The discomfort remains present, yet we perceive it as increasingly insubstantial. Each exhale encourages it to fade, until it dissolves into the openness we’ve created within ourselves. With gentle awareness, we can watch it disappear, without forcing or directing it, but simply by allowing it no firm place to land.
Once the sensation has faded or diminished, we sit in this open stillness, taking note of any lightness or ease that may have surfaced. This is a reminder that sensations, worries, and anxieties don’t have to occupy a fixed spot in our mind or body; they can pass through, coming and going like wisps of clouds. The more we allow these feelings to drift without attachment, the more readily we can find calm in moments of discomfort.
Through regular practice, this exercise can help us perceive sensations differently—by observing and allowing them to float without taking hold. With time, pain, worry, and even anxiety can feel less like solid objects and more like passing experiences, dissolving on their own in the spaciousness we create. This process offers us a sense of lightness, a reminder that when discomfort arises, it doesn’t need a landing place; it can simply float until it fades.
SHORT VERSION
Here’s an acronym for the steps in this exercise, using **FLOAT** as a guide:
F.L.O.A.T.
1. – F Find Comfort
Settle into a comfortable position and relax your body. Breathe deeply, creating an open and spacious awareness.
2. – L Locate the Sensation
Notice any discomfort, tension, or worry that arises. Identify its presence without judgment, observing if it feels anchored or unanchored.
3. – O Observe and Hover
Imagine the sensation as something light, like a cloud or a balloon, floating without a place to land. Let it hover, observing it with gentle awareness.
4. -A Allow Dissolution
As you breathe, imagine the sensation growing lighter, drifting further away until it begins to dissolve like mist in sunlight.
5. – T Take in Stillness
Conclude by returning to a calm state, noticing any feeling of ease. Acknowledge that discomfort doesn’t need a landing place and can simply float and dissolve.
Using **FLOAT** can remind you to move through each step with ease, allowing sensations to rise and fall naturally without anchoring in your body or mind.
Long Version
Try This: A Minute of Floating Awareness.
In this short exercise, you’ll explore a fresh way to meet sensations like pain, tension, or worry. It invites you to imagine them as weightless—floating sensations that drift without needing a place to land. Think of discomfort as a plane circling above, looking for a runway, or like a mosquito bite that itches without a clear spot. With gentle awareness, you can watch these sensations hover and eventually dissolve.
**Step 1: Get Comfortable (10 seconds)**
Find a quiet place and sit comfortably, either in a chair or on the floor. Let your body relax, and take a few slow, steady breaths. Imagine your body as an open sky, with no barriers—just a space where sensations appear and pass like clouds.
**Step 2: Notice a Sensation or Worry (10 seconds)**
Now, bring your attention to any sensation you might feel—a mild ache, tightness, an itch, or even a worry. Try not to resist it. Just notice it without judgment. Ask yourself: does it have a specific location, or does it feel a little unanchored?
Imagine this sensation as a tiny, weightless object—maybe a cloud or a floating balloon—that’s trying to find a place to settle in your body or mind. Just observe it, noticing how it moves or shifts with your awareness.
**Step 3: Keep It Floating (20 seconds)**
Here’s where the “floating” comes in. Instead of letting the sensation or worry “land,” picture it gently hovering, just like a plane in a holding pattern. As you breathe, imagine each breath makes it lighter. With every exhale, feel it float a little further away, growing fainter and lighter, like fog drifting in the breeze. Remind yourself it doesn’t need a landing place; it can simply hover, with nowhere to go.
If it’s a worry, imagine it circling without a destination. Like a plane running out of fuel, watch as it loses energy, eventually dissolving in the wide sky of your awareness.
**Step 4: Watch It Dissolve (20 seconds)**
Now, as the sensation grows lighter and more distant, continue to breathe. Notice how your body feels without anchoring the discomfort. Let the sensation or worry become thin, like a wisp of smoke. There’s no need to hurry this—just watch as it gradually dissolves. Imagine that any tension or worry simply fades until it’s no longer there, like a cloud disappearing in sunlight.
**Step 5: Return to Stillness (10 seconds)**
As you take one last deep breath, bring your awareness back to your body as a whole. Notice any sense of calm or ease. Remind yourself that any sensation or worry doesn’t need a place to settle. Whenever you need, you can let discomfort or anxiety float and dissolve, freeing your mind and body.
**How This Helps**
This exercise lets you approach discomfort differently—by not giving it a place to settle. Rather than reacting to sensations as solid or stuck, you let them “float” until they fade. Over time, this helps train your awareness to meet pain, tension, or worry with gentle observation instead of attachment. You might even find that worries or aches simply dissipate on their own when they’re unanchored.
Give it a try for a minute whenever you feel discomfort. With regular practice, you’ll be able to experience sensations as passing experiences, leaving you open, calm, and a little lighter.
Spiritual Gravity 