Exploring A Difficulty

This practice helps us explore challenges in our lives with less reactivity and more insight and is inspired by the work of Jon Kabat Zinn and his colleagues.

Transcript

Exploring a difficulty.

Emotions are our signals letting us know what our response is to something that is arising in our lives,

Our relationships,

Our job.

Feelings are generally experienced as pleasurable,

Unpleasurable or neutral.

And in this practice we will be exploring staying open to the exact flavour of our feelings,

Our emotions,

Noticing our preferences but not being too swayed by them.

So let's begin.

Finding a sitting position where there is both a sense of balance and support.

Feeling into how the body is being supported in this moment.

Sensing into the sit bones underneath you.

Feeling the uplift through the spine and yet not sitting up too stiffly.

So we're finding that balance between being awake and alert and yet sitting with a sense of ease.

Allowing the shoulders to be soft,

Moving down.

The chest open.

Softening the jaw,

The eyes even if they're closed.

If not perhaps lowering the eyes with a soft gaze.

And now turning your attention to your breathing.

Noticing all the movements of this in-breath and this out-breath.

Where can you feel the touch of this breath as it moves in and out of the body from moment to moment.

Allowing the attention to settle with the movements of the breath.

Noticing all the subtle moments of breathing as it enters the body.

And all of the subtle movements as it leaves the body.

And we're being with our breath as we're experiencing it without needing to change or alter it.

And as you attend to the breath you may notice thoughts arising or feelings arising about the breath perhaps or about other things.

Noticing how all these things can arise and yet we can always choose to place our attention with the physical sensations of breathing.

So throughout this practice if ever you feel a little lost,

Confused,

Overwhelmed,

We can always come home to the breath to ground or steady our attention for a little while.

So when you're ready allowing yourself to bring to mind some troubling thought or situation,

Whether it be a worry,

An intense feeling,

And yet choosing something that doesn't feel too hot or too intense,

That feels workable so it needn't be the most challenging thing going on in your life right now.

And as you bring this to mind noticing the kinds of images or stories or thoughts that arise.

Whether it be images of yourself,

Others,

Noticing any conversations,

Narratives,

Simply all these different thoughts arising.

You may notice thoughts as positive or negative.

And also as you keep this difficulty in mind noticing any emotions that are arising.

Allowing yourself to open to the possibility of feeling these feelings.

You could even name the emotion if you know what it is.

I feel sadness arising in me.

I feel anger,

Hopelessness,

Frustration,

Whatever it is.

See if it's possible to make space for this emotion that's already here.

No need to push it away.

And if this feels difficult you might want to have or do a deeper breath just to have a sense of breathing into making space for whatever's here.

And becoming aware of the physical sensations that are getting generated in the body right now as you hold this difficulty in mind.

As best you can making space for any or all sensations that are here.

Perhaps focusing your attention to that part of the body where the sensations are strongest.

And using the breath as a vehicle to help you do this.

Breathing into that part of the body.

And you may notice how on the out breath there may be a softening.

How the out breath may help make space for whatever is here.

So allowing the attention simply to settle on these bodily sensations.

And as gently as you can letting yourself feel whatever is happening.

Allowing.

Letting be.

And at times you may notice some form of aversion happening.

Wanting to get rid of the feelings.

Change them in some way.

Again using the breath to help you soften,

Accept,

Allow,

Let be.

Letting the feelings to have space.

And watching as you give them this space if they shift And you may notice how thoughts or the story of the difficult situation can keep arising.

And that can generate even more feeling.

So noticing if this is happening and continuing to bring your attention to the physical sensations arising in the moment.

Recognising thoughts as thoughts and returning again and again to the direct and immediate body experience.

Which really helps ground us in this present moment.

Bringing you awareness with these bodily sensations.

As long as they have a pull to attract your attention.

Perhaps you can hold both the sensations and the sensations of breathing together in your awareness.

Breathing with and into the sensations.

And as you do this you may notice So simply staying with the flow of your experience.

Allowing yourself to feel whatever is happening.

Believe this is not a stationary practice of freakin' participation.

And if no powerful bodily sensations are arising,

You can simply be with whatever sensations are here in the body.

And if there are strong feelings or sensations arising,

Continuing to rest attention with them,

Breathing into them,

Making space,

What happens when we allow them to be as they are without needing them to change.

And when you're ready,

Coming home to breathing.

Placing breathing at the forefront of your attention now.

Letting go of focusing in on the thoughts,

The emotions.

Allowing the attention to rest in all of the sensations of each and every breath.

Always with us.

Always here.

Thank you.

Reviews

I really like this meditation and come back to it again and again💜Thankyou Elizabeth 🙏

This is a really good one. Allowing difficult sensations and emotions to be is such a difficult thing to do, and this meditation made it easier. I really like the grounding of the breath and the constant reminders to use it.

Good. Just tuning in and giving permission to feelings. It resembles "soften, soothe, allow" but without the soothing.

An excellent working with difficulty meditation, thank you so much.

New (to me) way to use mindfulness to approach difficult emotional obstacles. Subtle but powerful.

Really helpful. Thank you.

Very helpful! I have a very difficult time sitting with uncomfortable emotions and sensations in my body. I tend to numb out. Briefly, I felt free to feel emotions and sensations in my body. I felt these feeling and sensations with a sense of acceptance rather than a sense of denial or a need to push them away. I will come back to this meditation in the future. Thank you!

A nice guide to being present with what's uncomfortable

Such a nice method to let go of anger of feelings of struggle. Namaste

Just what I needed. Thank you.

Need this tonight. Thx

Thank you for this very helpful practice xxx

Many thanks 🌸🙏🏻

Thank you. I really liked this meditation.

Thank you Elizabeth for the grounding and rooting experience to what is present in Presence.

Nice voice, pace and phrasing. Very gentle and soothing. Thank you.

Beautiful!!! Perfect demonstration of the practice of mindfulness. So healing! Thank you!!

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