This is an urge surfing meditation to help with cravings and impulse control and to create your foundation of inner confidence by intentionally experiencing the craving.
Surfing is a very simple technique that is used to help with creating the foundation of acceptance and presence.
Nothing lasts forever.
This too shall pass.
It is well documented that the mind can generally only hold one central idea at a time and only for a short period of time.
Thoughts and ideas are waves moving toward the beach.
Eventually they crash and disappear.
This is good news for cravings.
It means they have a shelf life.
And if we can just hold out for a little bit,
They'll be pushed out of our awareness by the next thought,
Idea or feeling.
So how do we urge surf?
You grab your mental surfboard,
Any position that brings you comfort and start by a short bout of abdominal breathing.
So you're savoring the in breath and a long relaxing out breath.
Five or six times.
And when you're done,
You can resume normal breathing with your belly.
And at any time if you wish you can close your eyes or leave them open.
Check in with your body and do a quick body scan.
Do you notice any areas of tension that you can tighten and release?
Stretch?
What is the temperature of the room feel like on your skin?
What kind of thoughts are you having?
And as you sit there,
Watch any thoughts and feelings that enter your mind.
Accept them without judgment.
Try not to become attached to them.
If you get dragged away by your thoughts or images or urges,
Simply come back to your breath.
So let's assume at this moment you're craving something that you know you probably shouldn't do.
It doesn't matter if it's smoking,
Emotional eating,
Checking Facebook,
An addictive video game.
Try to really examine the craving you have for this.
Notice how your body feels,
Any sensations,
How your mind is pushing you to get up,
Get this or do this thing.
And now it's time to serve this craving.
Stay with the urge with the full knowledge that it will eventually crash against the shore disappear.
This may take two minutes,
10 minutes,
20 minutes,
But it will eventually end.
Stay with the rhythm of the urge as it pulsates inside you.
Once getting stronger,
You're riding it like a wave or a roller coaster.
The momentum may feel like there is no end that it will keep arising,
But just like a roller coaster or a wave,
It eventually hits a peak and falls.
See if you can pinpoint the moment that it hits its peak and then starts to fall and becomes weaker until it eventually disappears like a wave from the shore.
You'll find that the more that you practice this technique,
The shorter the urges will last.
We don't try to get rid of the urge.
We simply stay with it as it pulses in and out again until it dissipates.
You may choose to use a mantra.
This too shall pass.
This is making me stronger.
Practice makes progress.
Whatever personal words bring you comfort.
And as we said in the beginning,
Nothing lasts forever.
This urge craving trigger will pass.
Whatever urge you're feeling at this particular moment.
And anytime you want to practice your surfing skills,
It's like weight lifting,
Mental,
Emotional,
Building embodied strength.
You can begin with a round of abdominal breathing and practice urge surfing as you build your inner skills and confidence.
