Today’s question: How do I deal with strong emotions during practice? Should I try to ignore them or make them go away? If so, how?
This is a great question. Usually, when we think of meditators, we imagine impossibly calm people who are unperturbed by anything. I don’t know about you, but this does not describe me. In fact, the more I meditate, the more I laugh, cry, rage, doubt, and rejoice. What I’ve learned is that rather than turning feelings off, meditation helps you relax, expand, and accommodate the entire range of your experience. In the end, this is far more vital, courageous, and practical than trying to narrow your world into a pre-approved subset of acceptable feelings. Which, PS, is never gonna happen, so we might as well learn to meet what terrifies and enrages (and delights and tickles) us by relaxing and opening to it rather than trying to shut it down. This is what meditation teaches you to do.
I’ve enjoyed answering your questions on these little videos. What’s your question?! Shoot me an email. I’ll try to answer it.
Susan,
I just love your statement – “lose the story”. I am writing a post about it.
Thanks
I’m so glad. I got it from Pema Chodron. Where can I find your post, once it’s written?
My story is many-storied. Oops, sorry!
Riding tidal waves of feeling and occasionally crashing on rocks, I’ve found it’s really helpful to practice with others as well as solo–just returned from group sitting and, in this very porous state, was acutely aware of the fragility and preciousness of everyone around me. Am not sure why this is so powerful and comforting right now.
I share your wonder, Carol.
Susan,
I ended up sending it out in my “Man’s Toolbox” – my newsletter for my blog. Here is the URL: http://eepurl.com/dnmzH.
Enjoyed it, thanks for URL!