Being With Frustration

Being with Frustration. This is a guided meditation from Josef Shapiro, that will allow you not just to overcome frustration, but also coexist with it when it inevitably arrises. Suitable for beginners or more experienced meditators, and enjoyable by all.

Transcript

So we'll begin with attention to the breath.

Just noticing the quality of the breath without trying to change anything.

Is it easy?

Is it smooth?

Is it labored at all?

Is there any part of your body that could relax that would make the breath easier?

And your attention as it follows the breath moves to that place a few finger widths below the navel.

And you just rest your attention there.

You're just using just enough effort,

Enough concentration to rest your attention there,

Not any more than you need.

And you notice that the breath really happens all by itself.

So today we're going to work a little bit with frustration.

So you've begun by anchoring your attention into the breath.

Knowing you can return to that anytime.

And with each breath,

You're more and more in your body.

And your attention is in your body.

And without moving all of the attention back to the mind,

But actually just adding to your attention.

So your attention is with your breath and in your body.

And that's where your anchor is.

In addition to that,

Allow your mind to move to a frustration in your life.

You're just holding a frustration that you have.

And you're not becoming frustrated because your attention is still on the breath and in the body while you're allowing the mind to think of this frustration.

And you may notice that from this place the frustration looks different.

From the perspective of the body.

What do you notice about how the frustration seems different?

Just be curious.

Does it seem as important as it did the last time you became that frustration and your attention was mostly,

If not completely,

In the mind?

And allow yourself to sense the frustration in a similar way than you would sense into your body.

A kind of relaxing into a wonder,

Letting go into a curiosity.

Oh,

How does that work?

What is that?

What is this frustration?

And you're not trying to change the frustration,

You're just getting to know it.

Like a new person.

Has points of view that you may or may not agree with.

In either way,

It doesn't really matter.

And when you start to feel the tension of the frustration,

Because by definition it has some kind of tension in it.

So allow yourself to explore that aspect of the frustration.

Feel the tension of it.

Where is that tension in your body?

Is it in your head?

Might be in your shoulders.

Could be in your hips,

Could be anywhere.

In your face.

To see if you can locate where the tension of the frustration lives in your body.

And then return attention to your breath.

And breathe into that spot.

And when you exhale,

You're letting go of that tension.

The frustration can still exist,

We're just relaxing the tension related to it.

Letting go of that tension.

And returning your attention to the breath.

And the body.

You may have noticed the frustration has changed somehow.

Or maybe not.

We're going to explore one more aspect of it.

And that is the point of view of the frustration about what should be.

Because in order to be frustrated,

There has to be a very strong opinion about how reality ought to be.

That is different than how it is.

So allow yourself with attention in the body and in the breath to sense into what is really the essence of what this frustration wants to be.

It may be really obvious,

Depends on the frustration.

Maybe multi-layered,

It may take some curiosity.

What would have to be in reality for this frustration to disappear?

What does it want so badly?

Find a kind of warm,

Curious,

Wondering about that.

What is it that it truly,

Truly wants to be?

What would satisfy its every desire?

Are you just going to receive that and be with that?

Depending on the information you get,

May have different reactions.

See if you can find an understanding,

Compassion,

Patience.

Because whatever it is that the frustration wants is probably in one way quite reasonable.

It's probably right that things would be better.

It's just also true that they're not yet how it wants things to be.

The frustration has a very difficult time holding those opposites.

But you may find with your attention in the breath and in the body,

That the fact that things are not what the frustration wants them to be,

And that there's a strong wanting them to be a certain way,

That actually both of those realities can coexist in you.

Both can be true.

Whatever message you have for your frustration,

We're going to complete in a minute or two.

Whatever else you want to say,

Words of kindness,

Understanding,

Compassion,

Even love.

This frustration is probably watching out for your best interests in some way.

So acknowledge that.

You may let it know you'll be talking again with it.

And return your attention to the breath and to the body.

Thank you.

Reviews

Terrific! Thank you

Produced quite a bit of insight about my “preferences“…

Much needed

Love ❤️ this🥰🙏🏻

Great

Thank you. I will listen again when I feel overwhelmed. 🥰

Absolutely fantastic and helpful Thank you so much for recording and sharing.

This was amazing - it worked so well and was much ‘more’ than I anticipated.

I felt comfortable hearing his voice and I liked the way he guided me in to the frustration, to see what's behind it, in a gently way. It feels like cleaning up and giving more space inside me.
Thanks a lot, I really feel better now.

Thank you! I needed this today.
Just wish the recording was a bit louder.

I found this very helpful, especially when you mentioned the feelings of frustration may be looking out for our best interest. I never thought of it this way.

I’m listening to this during the Covid-19 lockdown and I find it very helpful. I’m experiencing several emotions - fear, anxiety, depression - and there are good meditations for those emotions. It took me a while to discern frustration. This is a great way to embrace that frustration and respond rather than react. Thanks so much!

A very insightful and helpful look at frustration, thank you. Discovered how multi-faceted mine is with aspects of tension, wanting and not enough! Need to revisit and be with this frustration again (& again!!) 🙏🏻🌈🙏🏻💕

Breathing in compassion to frustration is indeed a worthy practice. Thank you!

Thank you for this complete practice. You just gave me an invaluable tool 🙏 Bless you🌼

That was useful. My frustration is that I want to be able to be productive, but I am chronically ill so my body won't let me. I need to accept the reality of sickness - I cannot do the things I'd like to do, in an extreme way. Trying to makes me more sick. Mostly I do accept this but sometimes when I can't do basic things it becomes frustrating again.

Genius! Spot on. I cried. My frustration just wants...well, what everyone wants. X

Was great thanks 🙏

Great. I will come back to this meditation.
Bookmarked.
Thank you very much.

Very helpful. Thank You.