I have been talking about emotions and embracing them often in my work, so I wanted to pass it on.
We all have emotions. What are they? They are part of our physiological reactions to stimuli outside and inside of us. They are more related to sensory input and the Autonomic Nervous System. Just like a finger is a part of the hand, emotions are part of our mind/body system.
The issue comes when we start to place judgement on them. Anger, resentment, guilt, fear are "bad" and joy, gratitude, contentment are "good." When we start doing this, we instill a belief system about those sensations and then our behavior acts it all out. If I'm feeling sad and I've decided this is not okay, I start to avoid sensations that are involved with being sad. Maybe stuffing it, maybe getting upset at something else so I don't have to feel it or hurting someone else. Maybe I start to drink or use drugs to feel something different. It's like a self-punishment system for feeling this way despite it being a normal response to many situations.
When I feel happy and see this as "good," I will start to do anything I can to keep this state. Eat more, buy more, be around people to help me feel good, doing more and more of whatever it was that made me feel this way. This can also lead to substance abuse issues, unhealthy relationships, and overdoing.
In recognizing or becoming aware of these labels of "good and bad" or of avoiding or over indulging, we can start to move past the beliefs and work on sitting with the sensations of emotions. This can allow us learning from them. Emotions are something to embrace as they are some of our best internal teachers and highly available to us. Try it. Sit in a comfortable seat, feet on the floor, spine fairly straight. Inhale and exhale for a bit, observing the breath. Maybe notice the temperature difference between in in breath and the out breath through the nostrils. Maybe aware of parts of the body that move with the breath. No judgment, just noticing.
From there, think of a time that you felt angry recently. Allow the memory to come back into detail and notice the sensations in the body and the breath. Staying here for a few minutes. Noticing, remembering and feeling. Then come back to the breath. Notice the breath for another minute. Next, think of a time where you felt content or peaceful. Maybe a time when you were in nature or with a person you enjoy. Allow yourself to remember this, feeling it and notice it. Staying here for a few minutes. Then gently coming back to the breath again. Feeling and noticing the breath.
Some emotions feel better in the body and some feel more uncomfortable. They are not "good or bad." They don't have intention of causing harm, in fact their intentions are to keep us safe. If we can keep that intention in mind and move towards them as new friends...being curious, asking questions, and giving them our attentions they can move us towards healing and a more peaceful place of being.
For a guided instruction to this practice, go to:
Samya Yoga Healing - Observing Emotions
We all have emotions. What are they? They are part of our physiological reactions to stimuli outside and inside of us. They are more related to sensory input and the Autonomic Nervous System. Just like a finger is a part of the hand, emotions are part of our mind/body system.
The issue comes when we start to place judgement on them. Anger, resentment, guilt, fear are "bad" and joy, gratitude, contentment are "good." When we start doing this, we instill a belief system about those sensations and then our behavior acts it all out. If I'm feeling sad and I've decided this is not okay, I start to avoid sensations that are involved with being sad. Maybe stuffing it, maybe getting upset at something else so I don't have to feel it or hurting someone else. Maybe I start to drink or use drugs to feel something different. It's like a self-punishment system for feeling this way despite it being a normal response to many situations.
When I feel happy and see this as "good," I will start to do anything I can to keep this state. Eat more, buy more, be around people to help me feel good, doing more and more of whatever it was that made me feel this way. This can also lead to substance abuse issues, unhealthy relationships, and overdoing.
In recognizing or becoming aware of these labels of "good and bad" or of avoiding or over indulging, we can start to move past the beliefs and work on sitting with the sensations of emotions. This can allow us learning from them. Emotions are something to embrace as they are some of our best internal teachers and highly available to us. Try it. Sit in a comfortable seat, feet on the floor, spine fairly straight. Inhale and exhale for a bit, observing the breath. Maybe notice the temperature difference between in in breath and the out breath through the nostrils. Maybe aware of parts of the body that move with the breath. No judgment, just noticing.
From there, think of a time that you felt angry recently. Allow the memory to come back into detail and notice the sensations in the body and the breath. Staying here for a few minutes. Noticing, remembering and feeling. Then come back to the breath. Notice the breath for another minute. Next, think of a time where you felt content or peaceful. Maybe a time when you were in nature or with a person you enjoy. Allow yourself to remember this, feeling it and notice it. Staying here for a few minutes. Then gently coming back to the breath again. Feeling and noticing the breath.
Some emotions feel better in the body and some feel more uncomfortable. They are not "good or bad." They don't have intention of causing harm, in fact their intentions are to keep us safe. If we can keep that intention in mind and move towards them as new friends...being curious, asking questions, and giving them our attentions they can move us towards healing and a more peaceful place of being.
For a guided instruction to this practice, go to:
Samya Yoga Healing - Observing Emotions
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