“You have to arrive where you are before you can leave.”
Week Four:
This week we begin to explore Mindfulness of Emotions. A healthy relationship with our emotions first starts with our ability to recognize what we are feeling.
This week we also introduce the concept of self-compassion. The ability to treat ourselves kindly, as part of a greater connected humankind, can be a supportive way to turn toward our emotions in a kind and gentle way.
Week #4 - November 1, 2021
Week Four Guided Meditations
Mindfulness of Emotion through RAIN (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture) meditation by Tara Brach (20 minutes)
“Don’t turn away.
Keep your gaze on the bandaged place.
That’s where the light enters you”
This Week’s Home Practice
Daily Sit:
Continue your daily formal meditation practice adding into your awareness your emotional state. Gently label the emotion and sense it in your body. If the emotion is strong, begin the practice of Soften, Soothe, Allow.
You may also use a formal mindfulness meditation to help you practice with difficult emotions. Two guided meditations have been provided this week.
Informal Activity:
When you are in a moment of stress, struggle or overwhelm, begin to practice the Self Compassion Break we introduced in class. Acknowledge the pain (perhaps giving yourself a soothing touch), note this is a function of being human - that we all, at some point, share this pain, and then see if you can respond to yourself with kindness. “What do I need right now?”
Similar to our journal of Pleasant Events, this week we will raise our mindfulness of Unpleasant Events, noticing what happened and where you felt it in your body. Feel free to journal or use this worksheet if it’s helpful.
Supplemental Resources
Poetry: The Guest House by Rumi
Poetry: Allow by Danna Faulds
Resource: The Feeling Wheel by Junto Institute
Reading: Practicing RAIN by Tara Brach