Many of us are conditioned to believe that strong emotions are bad,
That they should be suppressed,
And they should be hidden.
We are often taught that emotions like anger,
Sadness,
And grief do not belong in the presence of others.
I believe that our feelings have much to tell us.
When we are open to them,
They can be storytellers,
Telling us about our inner worlds,
Our needs,
Perhaps the boundaries that have been crossed,
Or the wounds that have been unearthed.
Diving down into our most authentic,
Truest selves can mean listening deeply to our feelings.
Let us come now into a peaceful space and with a deep inhale invite calm and stillness into the body.
Hold at the top of the breath for a count of four and slowly release the breath through the mouth.
Inhale again,
Opening your arms and chest to the rush of air that enters through the nose,
Moves down the throat,
And settles into the lungs.
Connect deeply with this fresh air as you begin to slowly release it through the exhale.
Inhale again,
Preparing to hold the breath at the top of the inhale for a count of four,
Three,
Two,
One,
And release,
Exhaling through the mouth and releasing any stress or tension within the body.
Inhale slowly one more time,
Inviting fresh oxygen into the nostrils,
To the back of the throat,
Down through your lungs,
And settling into the upper belly.
Move your hand to your belly as you slowly release the breath,
Feeling the release as your diaphragm relaxes.
Move now into a natural breath cycle and make any further adjustments to your body so that you are comfortable and at ease.
Strong emotions such as anger,
Profound grief,
And sadness manifest within our bodies.
We can learn to tune into these emotions and welcome them without judgment by recognizing where they show up in our body.
Anger,
For instance,
May feel like a tight ball in the stomach or chest,
Or a clenched jaw or teeth.
Sadness is often described as a heaviness within the heart,
The chest,
Or upon the shoulders.
Grief may feel like a tightening in the throat,
The sting of imminent tears,
Or a general heaviness throughout the entire body.
Practice bringing the warmth of your hands to these places.
Many of us resist these strong emotions.
We tighten ourselves against them,
Creating a tension and a resistance that may ultimately feed them and prolong their presence.
On the next inhale,
Imagine that you are floating peacefully in water,
Enjoying the sun upon your skin.
As you exhale,
Feel the gentle touch of the small waves on your shoulders,
Along your arms,
Along the length of your torso,
The length of your legs,
Caressing your head.
As you bob up and down and move with the natural ebb and flow of the water,
Inhale,
Connecting with the tender rocking of the water as your body is at ease and naturally remains afloat.
Exhale slowly.
We can let go and with ease allow the ebb and flow of our emotions to pass over us.
When we remain open and relaxed,
We resist the temptation to tense up and allow these normal emotions to overwhelm us.
We essentially can go with the flow and not attach ourselves to feelings such as anger and sadness,
But rather recognize their impermanence as well as what they are telling us.
Inhale deeply here and connect with any sensations in the body.
Perhaps you have tingling in the feet,
Warmth in the palm of your hand,
Or some residual tension in the belly.
Slowly tuning into these sensations within the body can be the pathway to recognizing and listening to the ways that emotions manifest within the body.
And once we recognize them,
We can name them.
And once we name them,
We can approach them with curiosity and with non-attachment.
We can learn to sit with anger,
For instance,
Acknowledging that it will not stay with us forever.
And once we have let go of any resistance and fear of the emotion,
We can explore why it is here,
What it is trying to tell us,
What inner part of our being is being triggered.
Inhale now and consider ways to bring peace and solace to the body when heavy emotions like anger or fear visit.
What brings you comfort?
What eases the acute side of the emotion?
For some,
It is touch,
Bringing your warm hands to the belly and the chest.
For others,
Rocking the body back and forth can usher in calm.
Perhaps drawing a warm cup of tea close to you signals comfort.
Or snuggling with a beloved dog or cat invites total calm to your being.
Inhale and imagine reaching for these sources of comfort.
Inhale and feel the calm and the ease that accompanies them.
Inhale again,
Acknowledging that strong emotions are not bad.
Exhale,
Knowing that these strong emotions pass,
They release their grip.
You are not your emotions.
You are not anger.
You are not grief.
You are not deep sadness.
They visit you,
But they do not define you.
Come into the habit of seeing the ebb and flow of your emotions.
Recognize their impermanence.
Listen to the lessons they are trying to teach you and then let go and release.
Take a few more deep inhales and exhales here,
Connecting deeply with your inner world.
Feel the sensations in your body and bring compassion and warmth to the self.
When you feel ready,
You can begin to wiggle your toes and wiggle your fingers.
Start to listen to the sounds in the room.
And slowly open your eyes,
Coming fully back into the room.
Namaste.
