Working with Cravings Mindfully: Urge Surfing

Instead of automatically or impulsively acting on an addictive or compulsive substance or behavior, I offer a new solution inspired by Ronald Seigel's (2010) book. The Mindfulness Solution; ride the waves of the cravings mindfully as they ebb and flow; Urge surf!

Transcript

Alright,

So to get started,

I want you to think of something that you could be craving right now.

Perhaps it's a brownie or checking your Facebook or your Instagram or wanting to have a drink or wanting to shop.

Any compulsive behavior or chemical substance that you could be craving right now or that you could perhaps have a bad habit with.

And before we work with the craving,

We're going to spend a few minutes to anchor our attention.

So we're going to start tuning into our breath.

The breath is one of the most convenient anchors because it's always there.

We can always work with it.

We need to be breathing.

So as you're noticing your breath,

Make sure to tune into the fullest cycles of your breathing.

There's four full steps.

There's the inhale.

And then if you're paying attention,

There's a soft pause.

And then there's the exhale.

And there's also another pause after that.

So just notice that full cycle a few times.

The inhale pause,

The exhale pause.

Without modifying,

Without changing your breathing,

Just watching the breath unfold naturally in the moment.

Just continue to tune in to the four steps of your breathing without trying to change it.

If you would like to continue to work with your breath as an anchor to strengthen your attention,

Feel free to press the pause button now on your meditation.

But if you're ready to work with the craving now,

Gently start to notice the craving.

What's happening in your mind?

What's happening in your body?

Perhaps if it's food,

You notice saliva building up in your mouth.

Perhaps if it's alcohol,

You can,

You're just anticipating the taste of it.

Perhaps you notice your heart beating differently,

Your muscle tightening or not.

But just as you're starting to notice the craving,

Start to use your breath like a surfboard.

This is a metaphor.

So you can ride the wave of the craving without getting wiped out.

So you're kind of resting your attention on the craving,

Of course,

But you're using the breath like it's a surfboard.

And you're using the craving as like a wave in the ocean.

And just like waves in the ocean,

The cravings rise,

They get big,

And then they fall.

And they go down and they peter off up and out into the shore.

And you're just breathing,

You're using your breath as a surfboard as you're watching each craving come and go.

It rises,

It falls,

Perhaps it's really a big wave coming up.

Perhaps it gets really strong,

And then it slowly peters out.

Perhaps it's small waves,

Perhaps there are many waves,

Perhaps there aren't that many waves.

You're just breathing with the cravings like you're on a surfboard.

You're using your breath to ride the waves.

As long as you stay with the breath,

You stay on your surfboard,

You won't get overwhelmed.

You won't get wiped out.

Allow each wave to rise as high as it wants until it peters off into the shore.

Remember to feel the texture,

The form,

The detail,

How it manifests in the body,

In the mind.

Perhaps you can't stop thinking about it.

Perhaps this is uncomfortable.

Perhaps it's easier than you thought,

It's interesting.

Just stay with the breath as a surfboard as you ride each wave of the craving.

Feel free to experiment with how much of your attention is on the breath and how much of it is on the craving.

Either way,

Notice the cycle of rising,

The crescendo,

And then how it's subsiding again.

Notice how it rises and then crescendos,

And you're just breathing on your surfboard,

Watching each ride,

Each wave of craving come and go.

No matter how big,

No matter how small.

For the next two minutes,

Feel free to work with your anchor a little bit longer.

You can stay with the craving as well if you'd like.

If you would like to continue riding the waves of your craving,

Feel free to press pause for as long as you want to right here.

But if you're ready to start wrapping up today's craving meditation,

Gently bring your attention back to our anchor,

Back to the breath.

You could be noticing the breath more in the belly or in the tip of the nose,

And follow it in its full cycles,

All four steps.

As you inhale,

Then it pauses,

And then you exhale,

And it pauses.

Tune into that for a few more moments until we wrap up.

Without rushing,

Mindfully,

Slowly,

Gradually,

Steadily,

Bring your attention back to the room,

And let your eyes open very slowly.

Tune into any reactions,

Any thoughts or feelings about the activity.

Feel free to journal about it or share your insights with your friends or family.

And please,

I would appreciate it if you left any comments so other people can know if and why it was helpful or what can be improved.

Thank you so much for listening.

Enjoy your day.

And notice how the craving manifests throughout your day.

And feel free to use this practice or activity whenever you notice that your craving is heightening,

Especially if you have any personal goals about reducing it or modifying it or working with it mindfully.

Reviews

Short and helpful meditation for cravings. Loved it

Very soothing and no judgmental way of approaching a craving. Enjoyed this and your voice very much

Wonderful exercise and helpful! Thank you!

Cleaver way to “ride” an urge via a medaphoric surfboard. Simple and helpful.

Really great meditation. It worked like magic on me. I have been playing the collectible card game Magic: the Gathering since mid 1993, almost 27 years, and I buy new cards far too much. This meditation has helped me a lot. I liked the breathing exercise at the beginning as well as the surfboard metaphor, they both resonated with me.Not only is it making me a happier person because I’m not thinking about what cards to buy, but it’s also saving me lots of money, more than you probably think. The most expensive cards I buy cost upwards of $3000. Thanks so much!!!

Very helpful visualization. It worked!!!

Good SOS for when you’re struggling with an acute craving for anything you’re trying to put down (a brownie, you’re ex’s phone number, etc.)

I love the imagery. I think this will really help me. Thank you.

Thank you - I will revisit this concept. It will come in handy!

Excellent talk I liked that a lot.
Thanks😃👍

I like the way how it makes you think about your breath and craving. “Surf board”😊

loved the surfing analogy. tried it once in Hawaii and didn't wipe out, incidently, so it was perfect for the technique to abstain from the nasty self destructive habits I've mindlessly mistreated by body with, for YEARS. ciggies, liquor, sugar. gack! thank you for this, it's highly effective 🙏

That was great. I could visualize it without a struggle. His cam voice was great, almost reminded me of a movie narrated by Edward Norton. My cravings were reduced by the time it was over

Will try and listen to this meditation before meals.

I have been instinctively using mindfulness breathing to overcome cravings.
I like the idea of surfing the waves,it's very helpful,thanks.

This meditation was well-paced and well-timed. I will try to use it to help me to steer clear of foods I'm trying to avoid. Thank you.

Awesome! Seems very helpful and I will continue to use it.

Easier than I thought to clear my mind from thinking about drinking