This practice is a guided meditation called Urge Surfing.
Urge Surfing invites us to relate differently to the experience of cravings or urges.
Often times we experience very strong cravings,
Which may be accompanied by thoughts or urges to behave or act out in a certain way.
We're often on automatic pilot and this makes us very vulnerable to reacting to these cravings and urges,
Trying to meet our needs in a way that isn't actually useful in the long run.
With this exercise you will learn how to relate differently to these experiences.
Let's begin by settling into a comfortable position.
Either seated upright or lying down or even standing,
Whatever you prefer.
You can gently lower your gaze or close your eyes and just pause here.
Taking a deep breath in and deep breath out.
Inhale in and exhale out.
Again inhale in and exhale out.
You may be experiencing a craving or an urge right now to behave or react in a certain way.
I want you to commit to staying with this feeling just for a few moments without reacting.
Just seeing what that's like.
The worst things that these feelings and thoughts can do is make us feel like we are them or that we've become them.
So we're just going to feel the next few minutes staying with these feelings that may be somewhat uncomfortable but actually aren't threatening to us in any way.
Oftentimes it's our reaction to these feelings that are the most harmful.
It's not the feelings themselves.
So continue to inhale and exhale as we begin this practice.
And if you hear any sounds or if you have any thoughts or there are any distractions,
Simply note them and just label them as hearing.
It's a sound as thinking.
If you're having any distracting thoughts or feeling,
If you have an itch or any body pains,
Simply noting and labeling.
I want you to bring your awareness to any tensions in your body,
Perhaps in your jaw,
In your belly,
Shoulders,
Back.
Just let those relax so that the breath can easily come into the body.
Acknowledging what you're feeling right here,
Right now.
Is there any physical discomfort?
An emotion that's uncomfortable?
Any troubling thoughts?
Any things that you're telling yourself?
Acknowledging that what's happening is just happening and you're not judging it.
Next I want you to acknowledge your reaction to what's happening.
I like this experience.
I don't like this experience.
I want this to end.
Feeling what it's like to just stay here with whatever is happening without the need to control it or to get rid of it.
Without the need to react to it by engaging in a behavior that's not actually very helpful to you.
You may notice at some point in this meditation the craving or the urge is increasing or decreasing in intensity.
If it's increasing,
Try imagining it like a wave that rises and rises.
With cravings it may often feel as though it goes up and up until we fix it.
Until we react to it.
Give in or stop it.
If we think of cravings like a wave that comes over us,
Then we know that it doesn't just materialize at full strength out of nowhere.
Like a wave it begins as a small swell like a bump.
Then as it moves along it grows in size and strength until it naturally crests and crashes over into the sea.
And after that it calms back down again and again,
Down and down,
Forever crashing into and washing over you.
If you can work on accepting this as a reality with all your cravings and urges,
Then you can use your breath and your attention to ride the wave out.
What we know about cravings and all our intense emotional and physical experiences is that they often rise and if we just stay with them and if we don't react and we just let them be,
Staying calm,
Using the breath to help us ground,
Often times these experiences will eventually fade.
Our job is just to stay with them and ride the wave out,
Almost like we're surfing,
Staying right on top of this experience.
Sometimes it's helpful to use the breath as a way to stay,
Almost like the breath is our surfboard helping us to stay with this instead of being wiped out by it.
So as you do this and you use your breath as your surfboard,
You might even see if you can find some curiosity about this experience.
What does this actually feel like in my body?
What is the mind doing?
What emotions are present?
And maybe looking at what's really needed.
What is it that you're actually craving or needing right now?
So often when we experience cravings or urges to engage with a certain activity or ingest substances,
It's not actually that substance or activity that we're craving.
There's actually a deeper need beneath that craving.
For some people it may be feeling a sense of loneliness and wanting some company or feeling stress,
Anxiety or a difficult emotion and wanting some relief.
For others it may be wanting freedom from the present environment and from the emotions that are so intense in their mind.
So maybe just asking yourself this question,
What do I really want right now and what do I need?
Being kind and gentle with yourself.
Continue to inhale and exhale.
Noticing that for the past several minutes you've stayed present.
You've stayed with this experience rather than reacting to it.
Noticing that you always have this choice.
When you begin to recognize these urges and cravings no matter how strong or no matter what's happening in your body,
Whatever story your mind is telling you,
Whatever emotions may be present,
Any sense of desperation,
Anxiety or stress,
You can recognize that you have a choice.
As Viktor Frankl said,
Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response and in our response lies our growth and our freedom.
It's not an easy thing to do to stay with our cravings,
Urges and uncomfortable feelings but in the long run it is far more nourishing for you than reaching for something or saying something that may temporarily relieve your suffering but in the long run adds to it.
Taking a deep breath now and staying with this as long as you need to.
Continuing to inhale and exhale.
Inhale and exhale.
Recognizing and acknowledging that the waves will return.
They will continue to rise and fall and you can just stay with the sense of curiosity,
Awareness,
Stillness and help create that space between stimulus and your response and your freedom.
You can slowly begin to become aware of your surroundings.
Stretching your body,
Stretching your neck,
Arms,
Legs.
Continuing to inhale and exhale while you slowly open your eyes or raise your gaze from the floor.
Thank you.
