Meditation to Cope with Emotional Pain

[00:00:15] you this morning a practice called Tonglen. Tonglen is a Buddhist practice. It's a mindfulness practice. This is something that's meant to be done at any time, right? So you don't necessarily have to be doing this when you're in meditation practice, when you're somewhere comfortable in have to be doing this when you're in meditation practice, when you're somewhere comfortable in a seat, carving out the time. This is the time where you're practicing this mind-body exercise so that you can then use it when you're at work. So you can then use it when you're with family that's triggering you. So again, we're practicing now, but then hopefully it's going to be something [00:00:51] that you're going to be able to bring into your day and your week and your month ahead. We're going to settle in. We're going to settle in. We're going to take our hands together, rub them. This is the initiation of our sitting practice. Rub, rub, rub. You can do this eyes open if you'd like. or if the eyes just wanted to close and they've already closed go ahead follow [00:01:20] your intuition trust yourself begin to slow that rubbing down and then stop your intuition trust yourself begin to slow that rubbing down and then stop pause gently pull your hands apart and place your attention in between your palms notice what you feel soften your belly soften your breath and then take palms notice what you feel soften your belly soften your breath and then take your hands. I'm going to bring them down towards your thighs, the palms facing upwards. Gently relax your shoulders, round of head lifting. Go ahead and close the eyes. We'll take three breaths now. Place your attention at the tip of your nose. Nice big inhale and as you exhale, release the [00:02:23] now. Place your attention at the tip of your nose. Nice big inhale and as you exhale, release the full weight of your body down into your pelvis, into your seat. And again, inhale, relax your low belly, let your pelvis receive your breath. Exhale fully, softly, soften. And once more, so you can slow the rhythm of your breath down. Inhale a little bit at a time, expand from the so you can slow the rhythm of your breath down. Inhale a little bit at a time, expand from the inside fill up and exhale all the way out release the weight of your being down imagine roots growing from your pelvis your legs anchoring you down into the ground mother earth source I'm going to start by simply paying attention to the physical body. [00:03:28] I'm going to start by simply paying attention to the physical body. Before we get into this Tonglen practice, it's important that we are in an open state and a receptive state. I invite you to notice with absolute non-judgment, with acceptance. I invite you to notice with absolute non-judgment, with acceptance. just notice how you are feeling how you are arriving in this very moment allow yourself to be just notice how you are feeling how you are arriving in this very moment allow yourself to be give yourself that permission and this in itself can be an i am statement give myself permission follow the rhythm of your breath with your attention pay attention to the full cycle of