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A New Persprctive on Emotions

Season #3

Managing strong emotions, whether positive or negative, is a common challenge. Often as human beings, we tend to act out unskillfully and later regret it. Meditation-based exercises enable one to gain control of their emotions and thus avoid future regrets. In Today's episode, Shayn shares a simple meditation exercise to help us control our overwhelming feelings/emotions. At the end of the meditation, one should answer a few questions to determine if the meditation exercise was effective in controlling emotion.

Tune in!

 

During this episode, you will learn about;

[00:01] Episode introduction

[00:04] This week's topic: a new perspective on emotions

[02:34] A meditation exercise to deal with our emotions

[03:41] #1 Take a comfortable seat in a quiet and safe place

[03:51] #2 Set timer for three, five, or seven minutes or more

[03:59] #3 Close your eyes

[04:03] #4 Choose an emotion to work with as the object of your meditation

[04:21] #5 Notice the feeling in your body and move toward it

[04:25] #6 Explore all the details and qualities you will notice about the emotion

[04:34] #7 Anytime you notice you are telling a story about the emotion, return to the physical sensation of the emotion

[04:52] #8 Notice how the emotion physically moves and changes

[05:10] #9 Stay with the motion as your object of meditation until the time is up

[05:23] 12 questions to answer after the meditation exercise

 

[08:34] Repeat the meditation exercise on another day but choose a positive emotion

[08:47] Watch and witness with the same intensity and curiosity you did in the first exercise and review the questions again

[08:57] Notice if there is any difference

[09:14] Each time you realize you are experiencing a strong emotion, pause 5 to 15 breathes to explore whether the emotion is in your body

[09:27] Move towards the emotion with awareness

12 Questions to Answer After the Meditation Exercise

  • Describe your experience with mediation in general
  • Which emotion did you choose and why?
  • Observing the emotion, was it easy to pin down or hard to find?
  • Describe in your own words the emotion
  • Was it challenging to be present with the emotion vs. the story behind it?
  • Could you separate the emotion from the object or the story?
  • Have you ever felt one way about a situation and then later felt differently?
  • As you watch the emotion, how does it change?
  • Did the emotion eventually disappear or become impossible to find?
  • How do you think this awareness of emotions could benefit you outside this meditation?
  • What do you think the difference is between saying I am sad and I am feeling sadness?
  • How would your life change if you could remember this difference all the time?

Notable Quotes

  • "We often choose to work with negative emotions because they are the ones we want to change." [08:25]
  • "Who and what we really are is the awareness that witnesses those thoughts and emotions." [10:08]

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