So why is it so hard to accept things that are so hard?
Whether it's for me as a meditator in my own life or when I'm teaching my students,
Where I like to start when there is an energy of,
I cannot accept this.
And it could be anything from somebody said something mean to me,
To a relationship has ended,
Somebody passing away,
Or a really big life event,
And you're in some form of denial,
Resistance,
Pain,
And you just have a hard time coming to terms with the way things are.
And what I like to always do first,
And you can practice with me right now,
Is to accept that I cannot accept this.
Let's start there.
Can you accept the pain,
The resistance,
The fear,
The rejection,
Whatever it is that you're experiencing that's going no to this moment?
So let's start there.
There's some pain,
There's something you're upset about,
You're in resistance to.
Can you start with me by just accepting that you're in pain,
That you're resistance,
That you dislike whatever the contents and feelings are of this moment?
And can you allow that awareness to just be here,
Just be present with whatever that resistance is?
I cannot accept this.
Okay.
Let me see if I can accept that I just cannot accept this.
And as you do that,
Notice what happens to your energy.
It's almost like taking your foot off the pedal a little bit.
A lot of our frustration in life comes with always trying to change things from the way they are to the way we want them to be.
Things,
People,
Events,
Our bank accounts,
Our families,
The impermanence of life.
Life is impermanent.
I want it to be permanent.
We're always in some way,
Shape or form trying to fashion the world into what we want it to be versus what it is.
And before you go,
But David,
I want to make the world a better place.
It should be different than it is.
We can get there.
But the paradox is we shift our energy and we shift the world by accepting things as they are and accepting ourselves as we are.
So notice whatever that mental frustration or resistance is that says no to this moment.
Can you just be aware of that energy with me?
You notice where it's coming from,
Have some insight of where it's coming from.
And as you sit here with some presence and some compassion,
It might start to lose steam.
You know,
It's like we need to throw a ball and it bounces less and less until it's rolling.
Can you allow it to just lose some steam?
As you breathe a bit slower and more deeply,
Can you let the mental rumination lose some steam?
And whatever the emotional waves are and fluctuations,
Allow them to be there,
Express themselves and also even possibly exhaust themselves.
See if you can be that center calmness in the middle of the storm.
And it's like watching a storm.
You don't fight a storm.
You can't push clouds away with your hands.
You just watch it unfold.
Can you accept whatever the storm is?
And notice that there is only one reality.
It's in this moment.
And whether you fight it with your mind or not,
It is what it is.
Can you accept the reality of this moment?
Can you accept the reality of how you feel,
Of whatever you notice?
As you do that,
You might just release some heavy resistance.
In some way,
Shape,
Or form,
I don't want things to be as they are.
Maybe some of that pain starts to come off of you.
Let those shoulders relax.
Let your heart open up.
Life is always kind of inviting us to be present in this moment.
And we're often like,
Not yet.
Not yet.
Gotta fix the past.
Gotta plan the future.
I can't be here yet.
And then that goes on and on and on.
And you end up here with me.
Ha ha ha.
Notice your energy shifting.
You can accept that you can't accept.
Let the pain start to drain off.
Let yourself just be here.
And then see what insight arises.
Great work.
Thanks for sitting with me,
As always.
I'll see you soon.
