Meditation For Beginners - Lesson 6

06:16

Meditation For Beginners - Lesson 6

Type

talks

Activity

Meditation

Suitable for

Beginners

Meditation is often presented as a way to feel peaceful, but sometimes sitting quietly makes us more aware of anxiety, anger, sadness, grief, or restlessness. That does not necessarily mean meditation is making you feel worse. It may simply mean you are finally noticing what was already there. In lesson six of this beginner meditation course, I explain how to approach difficult emotions without suppressing them, becoming completely overwhelmed by them, or demanding that they disappear. You will learn how to name an emotion, locate it in the body, remain connected to a stable anchor, and move gently between discomfort and safety. The goal is not to become emotionless. The goal is to experience an emotion without automatically believing every thought attached to it or acting from it immediately. Beginner practice: Name what is present, find the emotion in the body, and remain with it for one breath at a time while staying connected to your feet, hands, or surroundings. *Please note: This practice is for educational and supportive purposes and does not replace professional mental health care.*

Rain Sensation Investigation Impermanence Awareness Meditation Emotional Awareness Anchoring Non Reactivity Beginner Emotional Regulation

Meet your Teacher

Kingston, ON, Canada

Meet your Teacher

Kingston, ON, Canada

Transcript

Hey guys, Jason here. Welcome back. So for this lesson, I kind of want to talk about how meditation is often advertised as something that will make you calm. And yeah, It does. It can make you become much more calmer. But meditation also makes you aware. And that's something that most people miss. You know, Sometimes what we become aware of is not always peaceful, Right? You may sit down and you may notice anxiety, Anger, Sadness, Restlessness, Grief, Frustration, Whatever it is, Right? And people sometimes think this means meditation is making them worse. Well, Usually meditation is not creating the emotion. It's removing some of the noise that was actually covering it. So, You know, This lesson is about how to remain present with difficult emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them. So, Begin by sitting in a comfortable position. You know, Really feel your feet on the floor and really feel the chair or whatever it is supporting you. And then, Well, Take a few natural breaths. And I don't mean like a forced breath, Just natural, Just how you normally breathe. And then, If a difficult emotion is present, Don't begin by diving directly into the middle of it, If you know what I mean. Start with something a little more stable, Right? Like the feet, The hands, The breath, Even the sounds in the room. What it does is it gives you an anchor, Right? And then you acknowledge what is present. So you might quietly say, Anxiety is here. Or anger is here. And then really notice the wording of what I'm using, Right? We're not saying, I am anxiety. What we're saying is that anxiety is present. The emotion is real, But it's not the whole of who you are. So next notice where the emotion appears in your body, Right? So anxiety might feel like a pressure in the chest or maybe a movement in the stomach or heat in the face, Tightness in the throat, Restlessness in the arms and legs maybe, Right? And if it's anger, Uh, You know, It might feel hot, Sharp, Contracted. And if you're sad, You know, It might feel heavy. And so rather than immediately following the story that's connected to the emotion, Actually explore the physical experience, Right? What does it actually feel like? I mean, Where does it begin? Where does it end? Does it remain still, Or does it move? You know, It's not about getting rid of the emotion. That is super important and a lot of people just disregard it. The moment you demand that anxiety disappears, You basically create another layer of struggle. So now there's anxiety, Plus there's anger, And then about the anxiety, Plus the fear that the anxiety will never leave. So instead, See whether you can allow the emotion to exist for the moment, Right? This doesn't mean that you have to like it. You don't even have to approve of it. You're simply no longer fighting the fact that it's here. Make sense? You can quietly say, This is what this moment feels like, And then return to your anchor. Feel one breath, Feel your feet, Listen to a sound, Touch your thumb and finger together even. And if the emotion feels manageable, Return and then observe it again. So move back and forth between the difficult sensation and the stable anchor. You know, You don't need to stare at the emotion until you become completely overwhelmed. You know, Meditation itself is not a test of how much pain that you can actually tolerate. So you're learning to approach experience gradually. And if the emotion becomes too intense, Well, Then just simply open your eyes, Right? Look around the room, Name a few things you can see, Feel the floor beneath you, And it kind of reminds yourself of where you are. And you can end the meditation, You know, If it's actually necessary. So, There's no spiritual prize for forcing yourself through something that your nervous system can't handle in that moment. Right? You may also place a hand, I guess, Gently over your chest or your stomach. It's a really good anchor. It doesn't show that you're weak or childish or something like that. Actual physical contact can remind the nervous system that you're here, Right? And that you're not abandoning yourself, Right? Try saying something like, You know, This is difficult. That simple, Simple, Simple sentence is often more helpful than pretending that everything is always just fine. And then even for more, You can add, You know, I can stay for one more breath. You know, Not forever, Just one more breath. And after that breath, Remain for another, If you can. You know, Emotions are movements, Right? Even powerful emotions change from moment to moment, Right? They rise, They shift, They weaken, And then they may rise again. Meditation begins to show us that we can experience an emotion without immediately acting it out, Right? Anger can be felt without sending the message, And anxiety can be felt without believing every single prediction. Sadness can be felt without deciding that life will always, Always feel this way. So for this practice, I mean, Just spend, You know, A few minutes with the breath in the body. And then if a difficult emotion arises, Name it gently, And then find the body and stay connected to your anchor. And guys, Remember, The goal is not to become, I guess, Emotionless. The goal is to stop being completely controlled by every emotion that passes through you. Okay? Good work today, Thanks for listening, And Namaste.