Emotions

It's not our emotions that cause us to suffer, it's our opinions of them.

The moment I sat down for my morning meditation on Monday, I was hit with an intense wave of anxiety. Emotionally, I felt very agitated. Physically, I felt a tightness in my chest. It lasted for almost all of my 20 minute dive. Was it the most comfortable meditation? No. Was it a productive meditation? Yes.

Why was it productive? Well, I showed up for it. If our meditation practice is all about taking it as it comes and not having any kind of goal, then the only way we can judge our meditations is by attendance. Once we've gotten to the chair, whatever else happens in the following 20 minutes is ok.

Another reason it was good was because I got some old stress out. It's so important to remember that sometimes stress leaving the body can feel the same way it did going in, physically and emotionally. Vedic Meditation isn't simply about relaxation. We're doing nervous system work. And stress release can sometimes be a confrontational experience, meaning it has to be faced and felt before it's released.

This is where the Vedic of effortlessness, indifference, and neutrality can really benefit us. Rather than judge our emotions, what if we simply didn't have an opinion about them? We get into trouble when we think things like

"I'm sad and that makes me weak."

"I'm angry and that's bad."

"I'm anxious and that's not ok."

What if you allowed yourself to be where you're at, feel whatever it is that you're feeling, and not have an opinion about it? One of the healthiest benefits I've earned from many years of meditating is becoming more capable of accepting however and whatever I'm feeling. Just as with thoughts, noise, and anything else that comes our way in those 20 minutes of meditation, we're ok with any emotions or physical discomfort that show up.

We won't be perfect at accepting our emotions overnight, but our practice is paramount to developing emotional acceptance and allowance. The more we practice being okay with whatever it is that we're feeling, the more we have direct evidence that it doesn't have power over us. And that it always passes.

Whatever you're feeling, it's okay. See what happens if you don't have an opinion about it. Good things are happening.