Hello my friend and welcome.
Thank you for joining me today as we explore deeper.
The Parable of the Two Wolves although this tale has come under fire for its origin.
I believe there are many lessons this story can teach us when we dive beneath the surface when we uncover the bias.
And seek out the positive lessons that can benefit us and how we rewire our thoughts.
Please take a moment to settle into your space.
Finding a place where you will not be disturbed.
Where you feel safe to unplug from your day.
To recharge and feel better.
A place where there's nothing more for you to do.
This is your time.
And you deserve the gift of your total awareness for this brief exploration.
Afterwards,
You can return to your day.
With a whole new perception.
And perhaps more motivation to move mindfully.
Through the rest of your day.
So with your eyes open.
.
.
Let's take a moment to explore the space around us.
Noticing your surrounding area without judgment.
Simply notice the colors and textures and the feel of the support beneath your body.
Observe the scent of the air.
What do you smell in this moment?
No need to label anything as good or bad we are just noticing.
Feel the weight of your clothes on your body.
And perhaps the kiss of a breeze on your skin.
Are there any tastes lingering on your tongue?
Now let's explore our breath.
Is it moving in and out of your nose or mouth?
There's no right answer here.
Simple awareness.
Nothing to change.
Nothing to fix.
Simply explore,
Can you find the bottom of your breath in this moment?
Sometimes through the stress of our day,
We may discover that the breath gets stuck in the upper ribs.
Where do you feel the sensation?
Of the bottom of your breath right now.
Is it possible to ask your belly to soften?
To become less rigid and more pliable.
Yielding to the incoming breath.
Perhaps you can feel as if the breath fills up your belly like a balloon.
And then the breath empties out of your belly completely.
Noticing the rise and fall of your breath within your belly.
Like waves lapping at the beach.
Just an endless flow of filling up.
Emptying out.
And maybe it feels natural to gently squeeze out.
Just a little more air with each exhalation.
Breathing out the tension we have been carrying.
By exhaling just a little bit longer than we inhale.
No struggle or strain.
Just explore a soft and gentle lengthening of your exhale.
If that feels comfortable for you.
Now invite your breath to simply find its own rhythm and pace trusting your body to continue a slow and steady pace.
Most of us have heard the story about the two wolves.
The loving grandfather is telling his grandson.
About the inner battle.
Between two wolves.
Inside each of us.
He says that one is dark and evil.
Representing anger.
Greed.
Envy arrogance.
Resentment Lies.
And ego.
The other,
He says,
Is light and good.
Representing peace.
Love.
Joy Hope.
Serenity.
Humility empathy.
Generosity,
Compassion and kindness.
When the grandson asks which wolf wins.
The elder replied,
The one you feed.
And that is what we are going to work on today Recognizing that the thoughts,
Words,
And actions we choose to focus on and nurture determine which part of our nature takes control.
We all have the potential within us to act good or evil.
But there is so much more to this story.
Nurturing both the light and dark wolves.
Rather than favoring one.
Allows them to cooperate.
We can harness their unique necessary strengths.
True inner strength comes from balancing.
Rather than suppressing emotions like fear and anger.
To achieve harmony.
Anger can actually be a force for good.
A natural motivating energy.
That signals injustice.
It helps us to stand up to boundary violations.
And acknowledge our unmet needs.
Yogis believe that we are supposed to feel all emotions.
To ride the highs and lows of life without getting stuck in either extreme.
So we don't have to act perfect all the time.
Attempting to suppress our anger,
Our anxiety,
Attempting to hide our resentment and envy.
Instead of seeing anger as a purely destructive force,
We can view it as a way to channel our attention.
Into boundary setting.
Creative Problem Solving and even constructive change.
Suppression always fails.
When we try to starve the so-called dark wool,
It usually backfires.
There's actually a rebound effect.
Where the suppressed emotions grow stronger.
Like an internal storm building quietly below the surface.
Then one small event triggers an uncontrollable release The storm rages and thunders angrily for all to see.
We lose control.
We react out of emotion.
Instead of responding from our wisdom.
So the trick is to acknowledge the dark wolf.
Be willing to sit with it.
Be willing to learn from it.
Why is this emotion rising up right now?
What is the story we are telling ourselves beneath the surface?
By exploring the emotion,
We take its power away.
We no longer allow it to steer the ship of our mind.
We maintain control through our slow and steady breaths.
Instead of wandering off into the story we are telling ourselves,
We can stay present in the moment.
And get really curious.
Is there possibly another way to look at this situation?
Is there a thought that would feel better?
Emotional acceptance isn't about removing what we call the negative emotions.
It is simply a way to manage our emotions.
In a more productive way.
Allowing curiosity to rise instead of judgment about ourselves.
Reaching for a thought that feels better.
Exploring other possibilities.
So how can we feed mindfully?
We feed the wolf of our choice by giving it our undivided attention.
All of our focus and curiosity.
Shining the spotlight of our awareness onto it.
Noticing how the body feels when we explore that thought and reconnecting the mind-body communication.
That we sometimes lose.
So let's try this together.
So that you can experience firsthand what I am saying.
Call to mind something that made you angry recently?
Start with something small.
A minor frustration.
An inconvenience.
Remember all of the details about that situation.
Where were you?
Who was there with you?
What happened that made you so angry?
Drop into that moment as if it was happening right now.
Observing all of the tiny details.
Great,
Now tune into your body and notice what has changed.
And what is happening in your breath.
How do your shoulders feel?
Your neck and throat your belly and hips.
What is the level of tension you feel within your body right now?
Do you feel that your control is slipping?
Remember no judgment.
Simple awareness.
Now let's explore this situation as if you were watching it on a movie screen.
You are now in the audience.
Watching this situation unfold up on the screen.
No longer attached to the emotions of it.
From this vantage point,
Ask yourself,
What was the story beneath the anger?
What did I tell myself that situation meant?
Ask the anger,
What part of me are you trying to protect?
And really listen with your whole mind and heart.
Allow anger to be fully heard.
Once you uncover the belief beneath the emotion,
We can question its validity.
Is that really true?
Dr.
Dan Siegel says we have to name it to tame it.
In this process can reduce the intensity of the emotional experience.
And assist us in managing our reactions more effectively.
Then,
The next step is to choose a different belief.
A different possibility of what that situation could have meant.
Choosing a thought that feels better to you.
When we do this,
We are choosing to no longer give the negative thought the energy you are giving it.
And instead focus on feeding the thought that feels better.
What thought feels better to you right now?
Now that you have challenged the old belief,
Check back in with your body.
How does it feel now?
What has shifted in the breath.
How do your shoulders feel?
Your neck and throat.
Notice sensations in your belly.
And explore what is the level of tension you feel within your body right now.
Have you been able to right the ship?
Stepping back into control.
What if it is possible for there not to be such a divide?
Between what we view as good or evil.
No longer seeing things as black or white.
But instead pieces of a whole.
What if what we have been calling the dark wolf and the perceived negative emotions.
Are simply the protective part of our nervous system.
Not bad.
No need to avoid feeling them.
They are simply information for us to explore.
The dark wolf could possibly be seen as our protector.
Shielding us from pain.
And our vulnerability.
Once it has been heard.
Once the burden is gone.
The dark wolf naturally drops its extreme behavior.
And transforms into its healthy,
Inherently strong self.
It becomes the light wolf.
Our compassionate side.
The emotional manager.
That holds healthy boundaries.
Always attempting to help us feel good.
To feel accepted and liked by others.
We may discover our passion for life returns.
We may feel the old wounds healed.
And as if the burdens have been lifted.
We may feel whole again.
No longer judging parts of us as bad.
Beyond these parts of us.
Underneath the dark and light wool.
Is the essence of who we really are.
Our eternal self that is pure positive energy.
Undamaged.
Unbroken.
Our core self.
You the one leading and harmonizing all parts of you.
No need to choose between light and dark.
They are simply a part of the whole.
Enjoy riding the waves of emotions playing in the highs.
And getting curious about the lows both give us different and valuable lessons.
Thank you for joining me today to explore the beautiful and unique parts of you.
I wish you well,
My friend.
