Mojo Magic tip: Become friends with your emotions
I am reading an amazing book at the moment Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan.
Chade is a Google engineer who created a personal development program for the giant search company in order to positively impact the lives of their workers.
The huge focus is on using meditation as a tool develop your mindfulness muscles. I LOVE it and it has been such a validation for me that my journey through meditation has been right and has powerfully affected my life.
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/h-k-d/3585820414/
Meditation brings about acute awareness of yourself and how you are separate from your ego and emotions. But, it also teaches you how to befriend them.
I am a huge believer in befriending your emotions, especially those demons. Never try to run from them or bury them. Don’t judge them, just accept them, welcome them and then give them permission to leave freely.
Remember This too shall pass.
Everything does: good and bad. Struggles only appear when we hold tightly to things because we feel that is who we are. Who you are constantly changes so allow yourself that freedom.
I believe when you learn how to do this, you have the power to change any emotional condition or circumstance in your life.
I want to share a poem Chade shared in the book by The Persian Sufi poet, Rumi.
Guest House
This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival.A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty it of its furniture,still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
What a powerful way to look at your emotions and hence change your life.
Tell me how do you befriend your emotions? What have been your experiences and how has it helped to empower and change your life?
Comments
Kathy
Hi Caz – so true about befriending your emotions. Funny, I also read a post on Tiny Buddha today about not beating yourself up over your negative thoughts and the line ‘I’m not having a bad day, my mind is’. So I guess the lesson is to treat thoughts and emotions as separate from who we are – just like clouds, sometimes big and grey, that float into our lives and then float out again or like guests that we should welcome becuase they won’t always be with us. I absolutely love Rumi and this poem is fantastic…kathy
Caz Makepeace
I love how you used the cloud analogy. Chade mentioned this in his book. He said thoughts and emotions are like clouds-some beautiful, some dark-while our core being is like the sky.
Love that.
I also love the “I’m not having a bad day, my mind is.”