Hello,
Paschal Indy here.
Here's a short compassion practice designed to help us befriend our difficulties.
Sometimes we fight feeling a certain way and we end up in conflict with ourselves.
This practice is about accepting our sometimes difficult reality and letting go of any unnecessary struggling.
So first finding a comfortable sitting,
Standing or lying position.
Closing the eyes or leaving the eyes open with a soft gaze and taking a few nice long deep breaths.
Exhaling fully on the out breath and then allowing the breath to find its own natural rhythm.
So we've recognized that we're struggling with a feeling.
Perhaps we could name it.
Is it sadness,
Frustration,
Fear?
Allowing ourselves to feel this difficult emotion and breathing in acceptance.
It's okay to feel this.
Breathing out,
Letting go,
Letting go of resisting the feeling.
Feeling the feeling without fighting it as we breathe in acceptance and breathe out any resistance.
Letting go of thoughts when they arise and simply feeling what we feel in the body.
Breathing in acceptance,
Breathing out,
Letting go of struggle.
Breathing in acceptance and breathing out,
Letting go.
Not pushing away any feelings but acknowledging that it's okay to feel this.
It's human to feel things.
That's normal and that fighting the feeling will only make things worse and that it will shift and change in its own time.
Breathing in acceptance,
Breathing out,
Letting go of struggle.
Let's continue in our own time for a few more minutes.
Simply present to whatever we feel right now.
If the feeling changes,
So be it.
If the feeling stays the same,
So be it.
And if we choose,
We can open up the practice to include others who might also be stuck with some difficult feelings.
Breathing in and wishing that they too might accept the way they feel.
Breathing out,
Wishing that they too could let go of resistance.
Breathing in,
Accepting for them and breathing out,
Letting go of struggling for them.
And if this feels too much or triggers more difficult emotions,
Simply let go of practicing for anybody else and return to practicing for yourself.
Breathing in acceptance,
Breathing out,
Letting go.
And if you wish,
You can continue perhaps breathing in acceptance and breathing out,
Letting go of resistance whenever difficulties arise for yourself or for others.
Thanks for taking the time to reconnect.
