Feel the Feelings
Questions
- In what ways do we hold onto things?
- What is the right attitude for dropping?
Audio
Key Points
- We hold onto things in two ways: with the mind and the body. We have to communicate with the body that it’s okay to let go.
- Once we start to feel our feelings, communication starts. Otherwise, we are still in our heads.
- There are two kinds of knowing: from the mind and feelings. We must learn to feel our feelings fully, not just know them in the mind.
- Drop the thinking, judging, and over-caring mind, and rest in the simple awareness of the body and feelings.
- Dropping happens with a light, carefree attitude.
Exercises
- Practice dropping into the body and letting be with a carefree attitude.
- The more we drop into the body, sensations and feelings of all sorts will arise. Just be with them in a non-judgmental and kind way. As we allow emotions to come up in the body and feel them in this way, we create a more healthy relationship between the mind and body.
- Off the cushion, begin to gently recognize the presence and activity of obsessive thinking and stories. It can be helpful to keep a journal of what you see and experience for later reference.
- Enhancements to this body-centered practice, if done with this carefree attitude, can be beneficial. Mindful yoga, qi-gong, and other somatic therapies go well with this practice. Dancing is also a great way to get out of the head and inhabit the body.
Daily Contemplations
- Feeling with the mind, being in the body
- Connect to the body through feelings
- Not too heavy but light
- Not too serious but carefree