Hello and welcome.
Today we are going to explore acceptance and how to sit with difficult emotions.
It's often a challenge to make peace with the variety of negative emotions that we can experience but this practice will help you ground yourself and let go of the anxious turmoil within.
So settle yourself into a comfortable position somewhere peaceful and quiet,
Sitting tall and upright if that feels right and we're going to begin moving with ease and patience.
We can do this by finding that posture that feels right for your body today.
There's no right or wrong way to do this and once you've settled in gently close your eyes.
Let's take a couple of deep relaxing breaths here.
You can breathe in deeply through the nose and breathe out slowly and gently through the mouth and again breathing in deeply and breathing out slowly and gently.
One last time taking the longest breath you've taken today filling your body with fresh air and releasing the air out slowly and gently with steady control maybe even having an audible ah.
Not rushing anywhere,
Taking your time,
Being patient and gentle with yourself as you begin to relax your body.
Now allowing the breath to be soft and natural,
Noticing your body and how it feels as you breathe,
Noticing the expansion and contraction as you inhale and exhale,
Keeping your breath steady and gentle.
Start to notice the mind,
Notice what you're feeling,
Notice your emotions and examine them as if you were the observer.
So if there are any negative emotions whether that be fear or worry,
Anger,
Frustration,
Nervousness or just sadness,
Acknowledge these emotions that are troubling you.
You can say welcome,
Nervousness,
I see you,
Have a seat,
Hello fear,
I hear you,
I'm here to listen,
Welcome anger,
You're valid and I see you,
Oh sadness,
There you are,
You're not alone,
I'm here with you.
It's important to begin to accept your emotions exactly as they are.
If we don't attend or acknowledge our emotions no matter how stressful or turbulent they are,
They're going to continue to trouble our sense of inner peace because we are pushing them away from us.
So if you're feeling anxious,
You're feeling like you're pushing them away instead of welcoming them in and sitting with them.
Every emotion exists for a reason and it's our job to take a step back,
Observe and listen to what they have to say.
So try your best to notice your emotions with compassion and without any judgment and notice your emotions without clinging to them,
Without trying to get rid of them.
These emotions are part of your experience.
Allow them to simply be here and by acknowledging these emotions,
You're taking the first step to acceptance.
You're allowing your emotions the space they need to express themselves.
You're giving them air to breathe and you're allowing healing to occur.
So let's take a moment to sit with these feelings,
Allowing you to see them and feel them without judgment and just accepting them for who they are.
Can you notice how different these emotions seem when you observe them as opposed to participating in them?
Emotions are an essential part of who you are,
But they do not define you.
And what we must realize is that there are no good or bad emotions.
There's just emotions and it's often our own reactions and judgments that we have about our emotions that make them seem unpleasant or frightening,
But we can develop a new relationship with our emotions,
Especially the ones that seem unpleasant by acknowledging them in a loving and accepting way.
We have control over how we allow our emotions to impact us.
So this you may say is anxiety,
Not I am an anxious person or I'm anxious.
I'm experiencing I'm experiencing anxiety and I'm going to sit with it and ask what it's trying to tell me.
You also may observe sadness,
But this does not make you a sad person.
These emotions exist,
Yet they do not have the power to define you.
You see,
Emotions don't exist to control your life.
They're here as guides to help you towards understanding and achieving peace.
So allow them to pass through you.
After you sit with them and see them,
You may notice that they start to fade because they've been witnessed.
Observe the ebbs and flows of your emotions,
Just as you would at the steady rhythm of your breath and allow yourself to be okay with that.
Now,
If it feels right,
You can repeat after me.
I'm okay with that.
I'm okay with the emotions I feel.
I accept the emotions I feel.
And once you begin letting go of these emotions,
See how your reactions do not need to be responded to.
When you feel an overwhelming emotion rise to the surface,
Take a deep breath.
Recognize the emotion as a visitor passing through.
Remain in objector observer mode.
Realize that there's no need for judgment,
Just observation.
And then watch the fleeting nature of the emotion.
Notice it comes and goes as you remain peaceful and centered.
Now bring your mind to a situation in which you've reacted to a different or difficult emotion.
Imagine if you were not to react to your emotions and if you had remained calm and centered.
If your response was peaceful and serene,
Imagine taking deep breaths and allowing the emotion to take its course,
Knowing that this difficult situation is not going to be the same as the one you were in.
Knowing that this difficult emotion would pass through you and onward.
And when you settle into a calm and open and accepting attitude that's no longer fighting against the emotions,
Your experience will become less of a struggle.
Allow yourself to experience all feelings with compassion and kindness.
Focus on giving the most beautiful gift that you would give to a loved one who were to experience these difficult emotions.
And breathe,
Remembering that no emotion lasts forever.
Breathe into these emotions and open yourself up to allowing your feelings to serve as your teacher.
And as this practice continues,
Take your time returning to your body and your mind,
Noticing any feelings that are still lingering,
Noticing any sounds around you.
Begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
Thank you for joining me in this guided meditation and as always,
If you have any questions,
Comments,
Or feelings,
I would love to hear from you.
And as always,
I'm going to be sending you a lot of love.
