Holding Challenging Emotions

We have all had the experience of being derailed by powerful emotions, and losing our ability to act toward what we value.  This practice will help to gently develop skillful navigation of emotional experience, by teaching the body and mind that it can hold powerful emotions safely, without taking them to be our identity.

Transcript

Drop your mind into your body.

Let the breath be completely natural.

Instead of identifying with the activity of the mind,

Allow yourself to be the awareness that knows your thoughts.

Don't try to stop thoughts,

Feelings,

Sensations,

Or perceptions.

Take the backward step into being the spacious awareness that knows,

Without judgment.

Find some peacefulness and clarity here.

Recall a difficult emotion or situation that puts you at your edge.

Feel it in your body to help to be grounded in the present moment experience of the emotion or situation.

From the depth of your being,

From your calm center,

Relax any craving or insisting that the situation be different than it is.

Tenderly,

Gently allow the situation to be as it is.

Be still with God.

If there's another person involved in the situation,

Begin to open your attention to the other and slowly sense what else you might see if you remain relaxed and open-minded.

Maybe you notice ways that the other person is having a hard time,

Ways that they're scared,

How they may have unmet needs for feeling seen or understood,

How they might feel vulnerable.

You might begin sensing and imagining different ways you might respond to this person.

Notice how you feel internally as you open your heart more to this person.

Gently look to see what would you have to feel that's difficult if you stop fighting or blaming.

Is it fear or confusion or powerlessness?

Notice with kindness the vulnerability that's there.

Bring mindfulness and compassion to what's underneath.

Bring tenderness.

Allow any emotions to be as they are.

Don't try to get rid of any emotion.

Instead,

Bring the emotion into greater and greater awareness.

To experience it directly and clearly with kindness.

If the story creeps back in,

Practice releasing the story and dropping back into the emotion itself.

Feel it in the body.

Experience the felt sense in the mind.

Stay here fully embodied and present.

You you you you Teach your body and mind that it can experience powerful emotions so that you can trust this.

Don't identify with the emotion,

Meaning don't take it to be you.

Simply embrace it as it is.

Be gentle with yourself.

You you

Reviews

This meditation confidently does just what it offers. Straight into the skills toolbox.

This morning I was able to drop my mind down into my body. Grateful for the pauses in this gentle meditation. 🌸🌺

Thank you Karen for your gentle wisdom 🙏💗

A very beautiful practise. Thank you so much.

This was powerful and amazing. While the quiet reflective times were a bit too long for my taste, this allowed me to feel my own fear and pain separate from the situation, but also to allow space for the other person’s fear and pain as well. Thank you 🙏🏻