Meditation 6,
Exploring Difficulty.
In this practice we'll be exploring a new way to approach difficult things that come up from time to time.
So now coming to sit,
Taking a few moments to become settled,
Aware of the whole body sitting here and aware of your breathing.
And while you're sitting if you notice your attention keeps being pulled away to painful thoughts or emotions,
You might explore something different from what we've been practicing up until now.
Up until now,
Whenever the mind has been distracted by thoughts or feelings,
The instruction has been to acknowledge where the mind had been drawn to and then gently but firmly to escort the mind back to the breath or the body or whatever you had intended to be focusing on.
So now there's a new possibility instead of bringing the mind back from a thought or feeling,
Allowing the thought or feeling to remain in the mind,
Then shifting the attention into the body,
Becoming aware of any physical sensations in the body that come along with the thought or emotion.
These sensations may be very obvious or quite subtle,
But seeing if you can discern whatever sensations are arising when a difficulty is in your mind,
Then when you've identified such sensations,
Deliberately moving the focus of attention to the part of the body where these sensations are strongest.
Just imagining you could breathe into this region on the in-breath and breathe out from it on the out-breath,
Just as you practiced in the body scan,
Not to change the sensations but to explore them,
To see them clearly.
Yet recognizing that exploring difficulty can be difficult,
And if you feel it is too much,
Finding an anchor or place of safety you can return to.
If there are no difficulties or concerns coming up for you right now,
And you want to explore this new approach,
Then if you choose,
You might deliberately bring to mind a difficulty that is going on in your life at the moment,
Something you don't mind staying with for a short while.
It doesn't have to be very important or critical,
But something you are aware of,
Something unpleasant,
Something unresolved,
Perhaps a misunderstanding or an argument,
A situation where you feel angry or regretful over something that has happened,
Or a worry about something that might happen.
And if nothing comes to mind,
You could choose something from the past,
Either recent or a long time ago,
That once caused unpleasantness for you,
But only choosing something that you feel able to manage right now.
So if you choose to do this,
Bringing such a difficulty to mind now.
When it's come,
Allowing it to remain,
To rest on the workbench of the mind,
Seeing it vividly,
And then letting your attention drop into the body,
Tuning into any physical sensations that the difficulty is bringing with it.
Breathing if you're able to move up close to whatever feelings are arising in your body,
Tuning into these physical sensations,
Intentionally directing your focus of attention to the region of the body where the sensations are strongest,
Breathing into that part of the body on the in-breath and breathing out from it on the out-breath,
Exploring the sensations,
Cradling them in awareness as you watch their intensity change and flux from moment to moment.
Realising how you're reacting to whatever comes up for you and holding these reactions as well in spacious and compassionate awareness.
Not trying to change the sensations,
But exploring them with friendly curiosity,
Physical sensations coming and going in the body.
It may be helpful to say to yourself silently,
It's okay to feel this,
Whatever it is,
It's okay to allow myself to be open to it.
Breathing these sensations your full attention,
Breathing with them,
Letting them be,
Remembering that you don't have to like such feelings in the body.
It's okay and natural not to want them around.
It may be helpful to repeat phrases such as,
It's okay not to like this.
Whatever it is,
Let's see if I can be open to it just as it is.
On each out-breath softening and opening to the sensations wherever they are in the body and seeing if it's possible to stay with the awareness of these bodily sensations and your relationship to them,
Breathing with them,
Letting them be,
Allowing them to be just as they are.
If you notice that the sensations fade,
Then choosing whether to come back to the breath or maybe going around again,
Bringing the same difficulty to mind or a new one.
When it's arrived in the mind,
Allowing it to remain here,
Shifting attention to see where it's affecting the body.
And now coming back to focus on the breath,
To the sensations of the breath moving in and out of your body or to some other anchor or place of safety.
Wherever you feel it most vividly,
Breath by breath,
Moment by moment.
Thank you for listening.
