A New Persprctive on Emotions
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] Love the show? Subscribe, Rate, Review, Like, and Share! Let's Connect! Connect with Shayn De Mur on; Website: https://www.zenbitespodcast.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/shayndemur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shayndemur/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZenBites Email: Shayn@shayndemur.com
