You are so
I
would like to talk about a particular practice that can
help you to have a healthier relationship with your emotions
and that's called emotional expansion.
And it's designed to really help improve your
relationship with your emotions and help you to build
confidence in your ability to be with them
as their eyes as they come and go.
So part of the process is really staying in tune to yourself
and learning more deeply about
yourself and connecting with
yourself as that container as that place
of presence for the experience of life to express
through you.
So we're gonna be taking a
moment to connect with this aspect of us the
sky that is steady and unchanging.
So I want you to take a moment to put your notes down and
get comfortable.
And I'm going to lead you through an exercise that will give
you a brief experience of what it's like to practice
emotional expansion.
all right, so
I'd like to have you start by just settling
in to where you are and taking
a moment to notice your body plant your
feet.
And to just become aware of what you can notice right
in front of you.
Feel comfortable at this point go ahead and close your eyes.
And I'd like you to bring to mine a situation when
you've experienced strong emotions.
And just zoom in on the part
of the body where you're feeling this feeling most
intensely.
Serve this feeling closely as if you're curious scientist.
That's never seen anything like this before.
So just observe it within your body let your thoughts come
and go like passing cars.
And keep your attention on the feeling.
notice where it starts and stops
and learn as much about it as you can really
approach it.
with curiosity
Where does it start and where is it stop?
Is it on the surface of your body or deep within
you?
or both
Where is it most intense?
Where is it the weakest?
And if you drift into your thoughts.
As soon as you really realize that just come back
and focus on the sensations of the emotion
within your body.
Is it moving or still light or
heavy?
Just the difference.
Components of it within the experience
that you're aware of.
There might be layers or deaths to
the emotion.
take a moment to just reflect on when
this
ocean
surfaces for you most intensely
Maybe it's around certain people.
Maybe it's certain places.
Maybe it's when you're by yourself.
and as you continue observing this
feeling
breathe into it.
imagine your breath flowing into and around this
feeling
breathing into and around it.
And as you're breathing into it.
See if you could open up a little bit around this feeling making
space for it.
Banding around it. However, you
make sense of that.
You breathing into it.
And opening up around the emotion.
within your body and
your see if you can just allow this feeling to be there. You don't
have to like it or want it.
Just allow it and let it be.
Perfect breathe into it.
Expand around it.
And allow it to be as it is.
You might notice an urge to fight with it or
push it away.
So just acknowledge that that urge is there.
without
acting and continue to observe the emotion.
If it changes by itself, that's okay.
And if it doesn't change, that's okay, too.
Changing or getting rid of it is not the goal.
Your aim is simply just to allow it and let
it be.
The feeling that you're experiencing.
Tells you some valuable information.
Tells you that you're a normal human being with a heart
and that you care and that there are
things in life that matter to you.
And this is what humans feel when there's
a gap between what we want and what
we've got.
And the bigger the Gap the bigger the feeling.
So if you're comfortable now go ahead and take one of your hands and
places on this part of the body.
And imagine that this is a Healing Hand the hand
of a loving friend.
parent or partner
and feel the warmth flowing from your hand
into your body.
Not to get rid of it.
But to make a little more room for it.
To soften up and loosen up around it.
fall back down
once again
practice breathing into it and expanding around it.
And for the last several minutes, we
focused your attention on this specific feeling.
And now it's time to expand your awareness to the
rest of your body. So notice your arms
and legs your head and neck.
And notice that you're in control of your arms and
legs regardless of what you're feeling.
And now expand your awareness to the
room around you and see what you can notice.
And when you're ready.
Go ahead and bring yourself back to the room and open
your eyes.
so this was a very brief introduction to
the process of emotional expansion
and I want to very briefly review the steps that
we walked through through this process.
So that you can be aware of the key points.
using this technique
So the first step is observing and really
noticing and being curious because
curiosity Fosters a sense of openness notice
where it is in your body where
it's most intense. What is characteristics
are
The second step is breathing. The breath is such
a powerful tool to help us and be with
our experience of emotions. So use the breath
to be aware of that feeling and breathe into
it starting to open up and soften it.
Three is expanding. So see if
you could open up and creating more space around this
emotion.
Or is allowing it. So even though you don't like
it seeing if you can just let it be there.
and
you don't have to like it just breathe and
expand and be aware without
the struggle.
The next part of the exercise is normalizing that emotions are
part of our experience and that they can tell
us and teach us a lot of things about who we are and what's
important to us.
And that's certain things in our life matter more
than others.
And self-compassion is always a really
helpful part of any healing process.
And that's really being kind and caring towards
yourself. So that was the act of placing a hand on
your body.
And allowing yourself to feel the
warmth and support.
Which oftentimes lets you settle in and
open up around intense emotions?
And then the last step is expanding your awareness. So
noticing the feeling noticing your breath
noticing your body and then starting to
expand that awareness to the room that
you're in and life around you and noticing
that you have the opportunity to make
room for these feelings and continuing to
move towards what's important to you. And
what makes life meaningful for you.
so I would encourage you to
practice this act of emotional expansion
and noticing when you want
to struggle with your emotions or suppress
or distract versus opening up
and just allowing your experience of
emotion to move through you.