Welcome to this 15-minute guided meditation to help you weather the storm of difficult emotions like fear,
Anger,
Sadness,
Or worry.
Let's begin by finding a comfortable place where you're least likely to be disturbed.
You can be sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down,
With eyes open as you take in your surroundings,
Beginning with three deep,
Full cleansing breaths.
Inhaling fully through the nose,
With long,
Slow exhales out through your mouth.
Surrendering with each exhale.
As your breath returns to its natural rhythm,
Allow your eyes to close or gaze downward.
Tending to your body,
Give yourself whatever you need to feel comfortable yet alert.
And to whatever degree possible,
See if you can release any unnecessary tension that you might still be holding.
Relaxed yet fully present,
Become aware of your body,
Noticing how you're being held by the surface beneath you.
And noticing the gentle rising and falling of your chest and abdomen with each breath.
You might rest your hand on your belly,
If that feels comfortable,
Connecting with the ebb and flow of your body.
Guiding all of your attention to the full experience of breathing with your body.
Now bring to mind a situation where you might be getting tangled in a storm of difficult emotions.
Something challenging,
But not too traumatic.
When dealing with a storm of emotions,
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh describes a tree.
Looking out your window,
You see this tree standing in the storm.
If you look at the top of the tree,
You notice the branches are in the leaves.
They're swaying and swirling,
Battered by the wind.
Your mind,
He says,
Is like the top of the tree.
Don't stay up there when it's wild and stormy.
If you can,
Scan down to the trunk of the tree.
You'll notice that it's grounded and stable as it rides out the storm.
Rooted,
Connected to the earth,
Strong.
Feeling your own connection to your seat,
Your bed,
The floor,
And taking a cue from Mother Nature.
Bring your attention down,
All the way down into your trunk,
Connecting and rooted to your heart center,
Out of the chaos of your thinking mind and into your body.
Like birds in a tree,
Let the chatter of your mind stay in the branches,
In the background of your awareness,
And focus on what you're feeling inside your body.
Without running away,
You can acknowledge with a spirit of kindness and curiosity that it's challenging to be with these feelings.
Can you allow yourself to be nurtured in this moment?
It might feel uncomfortable being here,
Vulnerable,
Unguarded.
As you follow the journey of each in-breath and each out-breath,
Know that it's natural to feel this way.
Storms like emotions are part of life,
Part of being human,
Of being alive.
Calming down out of the eye of the storm,
You might sense a connection to all beings who are suffering,
Weathering a storm in some way.
Knowing that you're not alone,
Feeling a deep sense of our common humanity,
And knowing that like the weather,
Difficulties come and go.
There's nothing wrong with you.
Without getting too attached,
It might help to label the primary emotions that you're feeling.
What's underneath the story?
And gently whisper to yourself,
Simply fear or worry,
Anger,
Sadness,
Whatever's here.
Allowing your heart to hold you as you bring your attention back to your breath with tender awareness.
As Tara Brock would say,
See if you can be the holder and the held.
And with an energy of care and compassion,
Ask yourself,
How is the storm showing up in my body?
Is there tightness?
Racing?
Squeezing?
Tingling?
Heat?
Numbness?
What's the message this feeling is sending me?
What most needs my attention?
Nurturing?
You might bring your hand to your heart,
Sensing the warmth of your touch.
If this feels too overwhelming,
Simply pause,
Open your eyes and take in the space around you until you feel ready.
With deep care,
Honoring your natural pace,
Following your intuition.
If you're ready to continue,
See if you can bring an attitude of loving kindness and patience to what you're believing about this situation.
Sending whatever message feels natural and comforting,
As you tend to this hurting place.
Lean in and trust the inner knowing of your wisest,
Most loving self to find the words that you most need to hear.
Words you'd use to comfort a loved one.
You might say,
It's going to be okay.
I'm here for you.
I know this is a lot.
I'm so sorry.
Oh,
Honey.
I love you.
Or you might ask,
How do you want me to be with you right now?
What do you need?
Settling here for a few moments.
See if you can bathe yourself in a smile.
Letting it wash over your whole body to your feelings and emotions.
Recognizing that your larger presence can hold and nourish you.
Gently and with great care,
Rest in this feeling of presence,
Of openness,
Of tender awareness for a few moments.
Notice if anything has shifted.
Is the storm passing?
Or quieting down?
Can you sense an untangling?
A taste of freedom?
While we can't control what emotions show up,
We can care for them and change our relationship with them.
Shifting from reactivity to a calmer healing space.
As Thich Nhat Hanh would say,
If you know how to suffer,
You suffer much,
Much less.
And when you know how to make good use of suffering,
You learn how to create joy and happiness.
Picturing the tree again,
After the storm.
Smiling as you imagine the tree breathing out as you breathe in.
Breathing in and out with the tree.
Feeling your connection to each other,
To Mother Nature,
To all beings.
You,
Your tree,
Your planet,
Basking in the sunlight of this awareness for a few more breaths.
Smiling,
Breathing.
And when you feel ready,
Gently open your eyes or lift your gaze.
Thank you.
Namaste.
