Hi friends,
This is Suzanne here from Centered Living and I wanted to share a moment with you and then a meditation on this concept of cultivating the opposite.
Have you ever in your life had a negative thought?
A thought that perhaps didn't serve you so well,
Maybe you even regretted the thought.
I know,
You're probably raising your hand because I am too.
It happens to all of us.
We're hardwired to have this negativity bias which is totally natural.
It keeps us alive and safe.
But when we get stuck and when we have these negative thoughts that continuously come up and maybe even play like a bad skip in a record over and over,
These thoughts can become toxic and maybe you've experienced this as well.
It feels almost like we're polluting ourselves.
Yeah,
And so here's a cool idea to consider.
Each one of you is probably doing your best to take care of our shared resources on this planet.
Things like the water,
The earth and the air.
But what if we could think of the realm of our consciousness,
Our shared consciousness as another area that we need to take care of?
What if when we have a negative thought about ourselves or others that it's in effect polluting and making toxic our shared consciousness?
Now please know I am not at all saying that every thought we have to have is going to be a joyous or happy thought.
There is a place for anger and for frustration and sadness,
Right?
I understand that.
But what we're going to do here is recognize,
Wow,
When these thoughts come up,
Is this thought serving me?
Is this for the higher good?
And if it's not,
Here's where the practice is.
Can we turn that thought on its head or cultivate the opposite thought?
There's a Yoga Sutra,
Sutra 233,
Where it's mentioned this exercise or practice called Pratipaksha Bhavana,
Which again means cultivating the opposite.
All right,
So in this meditation we're about to start,
We're going to see what that feels like to cultivate the opposite.
So wherever you are,
Take a good seat,
Either on a cushion,
On the floor,
Perhaps on a chair.
And a moment to settle in,
Relax your shoulders,
Lengthen your spine.
And if it's comfortable for you to close your eyes,
Close your eyes.
Relax your jaw,
If you can relax between your eyebrows and across your forehead.
And let's now turn our awareness to our breath for a moment.
Take a long,
Smooth inhale through your nose and a long,
Smooth exhale out of your mouth or your nose.
Do this again,
Take a long breath in through your nose and a full breath out.
And then do this again,
Take a full breath in and a full breath out.
And now just allowing your breath to stay soft and smooth,
Letting your awareness linger there for a moment.
Allow your breath to become just natural,
So no longer needing to shape the breath in any way.
Just feel the breath as it moves in through your body,
Noticing where it seems to reside.
And then take a moment now,
And if this is comfortable for you,
Consider a thought that perhaps you've recently had,
Or maybe it's a thought that seems to come up over and over again that isn't as negative,
We could say,
Or isn't serving you,
And it could be a thought about yourself.
I wish I did something differently or said something differently.
Why do I always do X,
Y,
Or Z?
Why do I always fill in the blank,
That thing?
Maybe there's a thought that keeps coming up about a relationship,
Someone who frustrates you,
Or irritates you,
Or causes you to feel anxious.
Maybe you can think of that as well,
That thought,
And it doesn't need to be anything too dramatic,
But just notice a negative thought that comes up for you.
And where do you feel in your body that negative thought?
Or how does it express itself in your body?
It could be you get a little warmer,
Or your chest tightens,
Or your heart beats a little faster.
Perhaps you feel your brow wanting to furrow a little bit,
Or a heaviness in your body.
And without judging it,
Just be curious.
Where does that negativity lie in your body,
And how does it feel?
How does it express itself?
If this ever feels like too much,
You can open your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths in and out.
Now,
Letting that thought be as it is for a moment,
I'll invite you now to consider the opposite thought.
So if you,
For example,
Wish you had said something differently,
Or done something differently,
Or wish you were more organized,
Or funny,
Or smart,
Or compassionate,
Or whatever that might be,
What is the opposite thought?
Perhaps it's,
I am learning.
I am human,
And I make mistakes.
What is this teaching me this moment?
Or perhaps if someone is frustrating you,
Or in a relationship you're feeling that you're not being heard or respected in some way,
Perhaps knowing that we can't change other people,
Perhaps we can say,
I am worthy.
I am worthy,
And I don't need someone else's approval.
So whatever that thought is that you had,
Flip it on its head,
Cultivate the opposite.
And say that opposite thought to yourself a few times.
Maybe you deepen your breath a little bit as you say these life-affirming,
Positive thoughts.
And then how does that show up in your body?
What does that feel like?
Perhaps you feel a softening where there was tightness.
Perhaps you feel a letting go where there was resistance.
Perhaps you feel that light is replacing darkness.
And so sitting here for one more moment,
Bring your attention one more time back to your breath.
And as you breathe in,
Feel the breath moving,
A feeling of lightness in your body,
Carrying along the words,
The positive words that you choose to focus on.
I am worthy.
I am deserving of forgiveness.
I am compassionate for myself or for others.
And I'm doing my best.
Maybe it's just,
I am enough.
So take a few more deep breaths here,
Feeling again a sense of lightness in the body,
Carrying along those words inside.
Each time you breathe in,
Feeling the inner body get a little more bright,
A little more luminous.
So let yourself carry this lightness like a beacon into the rest of your day and into the rest of your life.
And continue this practice for your own health and for the health of our collective consciousness.
All right,
My friends.
I hope this was useful.
Thank you so much for listening.
And we'll see you soon.
Bye.
