Welcome.
Today we're going to be exploring difficulty.
The intention of today's practice is not to make difficulties go away.
Rather,
We're going to be exploring new ways of relating to difficulty.
Often when we experience difficulties in our lives.
The mind steps in.
And thinks a lot about the difficulty.
We start having these Sticky,
Adhesive,
Ruminating thoughts.
Around the difficulty.
And what we're going to be exploring today.
Is how we can work with.
The body.
And through the body.
To support us in disengaging with all the thinking.
And rumination.
Around the difficulty itself.
And I think,
As always,
We're going to be infusing the qualities or the attitudes of mindfulness.
When approaching,
When exploring difficulty.
What I invite you to do.
If you haven't already.
Is to settle in a posture.
Or a position that will support you in exploring.
Difficulty.
The invitation today is not to.
.
.
Work with the most difficult thing in your life.
We're going to be rather exploring practicing around a smaller or tiny difficulty.
If we're to think on a scale of 1 to 10,
With 10 being the most difficult thing that there is.
Can happen or has happened to me.
And one being Eh,
Maybe something annoying.
Something irritating like a mosquito flying around the room.
I invite you to pick something around a 2 or a 3.
So we can work with that.
This is a practice.
That can support us in in practicing this in real life.
Not saying that this isn't real life right now,
However,
This practice time is sort of the training ground,
The gym work.
That can support us when we're having the real difficulties.
Off the mat,
As they say,
Outside this meditation.
And if at any point in time,
It becomes too overwhelming.
And or difficult.
Knowing you can always pause.
You can always break.
Sometimes the best thing to do is actually to step away from the practice and then come back.
I will also be offering other.
Suggestions?
Throughout the practice today.
Let's begin by.
.
.
Bringing attention to The sensations of breathing.
And or the body.
The posture open.
Supportive.
Eyes open or closed or slightly open.
And finding an anchor.
In the body.
Whether that's the body itself,
Whether that's breathing,
The feet,
The seat,
The hands.
Something that's steady.
That's grounding.
Knowing we can come back to this anchor.
Throughout the meditation today.
And the invitation now is to.
.
.
Notice.
If there's anything.
.
.
Unpleasant or uncomfortable in your present moment experience.
Sensations,
Emotions,
Memories,
A current problem.
As best we can.
Recognizing it.
And allowing it to be here.
If imagery is supportive,
You can imagine placing this Difficulty on the workbench of the mind.
Perhaps practicing.
Breathing.
With it,
Alongside it.
Rather than trying to do something about it.
And if they're isn't any difficulty present,
Knowing you can.
Pull one out.
Of your past.
Or maybe a difficulty.
That you anticipate from the future.
Again,
Not the biggest difficulty.
And when you're ready,
Placing it on the workbench of the mind.
And now deliberately.
Intentionally.
Shifting to the body.
And noticing what sensation.
What physical sensations come along with this difficulty?
How is the body?
Reacting.
Maybe there's tension.
Maybe the breath is more shallow,
The heart rate has changed.
Exploring.
This with a more curious,
Gentle kind.
Awareness as best we can.
Practicing.
Allowing the sensations that you're noticing to be here.
Maybe even saying to yourself,
It's okay not to like this.
It's here already.
Maybe I can breathe with it.
Maybe I can.
.
.
Create space for it.
Holding it.
In a wider awareness with the rest of the body.
And now practicing on your own.
Bringing to mind.
Focusing on the difficulty.
Whatever it might be,
Putting it on the workbench of the mind.
And then deliberately,
Intentionally coming to the body.
Rather than working with thoughts.
Around the difficulty,
We're working with the body.
And exploring whether we can.
Allow the sensations to be here.
To breathe with them,
To create more space,
To be more gentle,
Curious,
Kind with them.
And if at any point it becomes too overwhelming,
Knowing you can pause,
You can break.
You can come back to your anchor.
You can open the eyes if they are closed.
When you're ready.
Returning to your anchor.
To breath,
Body.
Posture.
And back to the space that you're in.
This is the Exploring difficulty meditation.
Where?
Exploring.
Being with,
Working with difficulties.
In a different way.
We're mindful of the difficulty.
We recognize and acknowledge it.
And rather than.
.
.
Thinking about it and trying to solve it.
Ignore it,
Fight against it.
We're focusing on the body and the body's reaction to the difficulty.
Tension,
Bracing.
Breath rate,
Heart rate.
And so forth and so on.
And we're exploring whether we can.
.
.
Work with the physical sensations.
Related to the difficulty.
It's another.
.
.
It's another way.
To disengage the mind that becomes quite adhesive and sticky around difficulty,
All the rumination.
Most often our own suffering.
Is deepened and elongated and increased.
Because we think a lot about the difficulty.
Now.
I hope this practice doesn't come off as.
.
.
Ignoring the difficulty or just accepting it.
Rather,
It's around gaining perspective.
If the mind hijacks us.
Around difficulty,
Then we become less rational,
Logical,
Creative,
Compassionate,
And it becomes a lot more difficult to problem solve.
Hence,
We work with the body because when the body is more stable and grounded and present and calm.
Then the mind can work more at the capacity to problem solve.
And sometimes there's difficulties that we.
We can't get rid of.
That are part of our life.
And in this case we can also learn to work more skillfully with the body.
In in the midst of the difficulty.
This is a lifelong practice.
And I wish you lots of practice,
Practice,
Practice.
Thank you for practicing with me.
And wishing you successful practices with yoga.
Your difficulties.
