In this practiceScott Rogers guides us to take the role of observer to difficult emotionsso that we can more easily create the space we need to let them go.
Sometimes we can see our intense emotions comingand sometimes we can’tEmotions can build upincreasing in strength slowlyIn all of these waysemotions are like stormsAs such we need to allow the storm to pass.
Let’s look to different aspects of the hurricane and see how they connect to our own thoughtsfeelingsand sensations.
The good news is that we can allow the storm to passand so do emotionsWith mindfulnesswe can practice taking the role of observer to our strong feelingsWhen we put that space between ourselves and the whirlwindswe can find stability and cultivate resilienceScott Rogers leads us in this guided practice with the metaphor of a hurricane to help us recognize the qualities and the impermanence of even our stormiest emotions.
A 12-Minute Meditation for Emotional Resilience
A Mindful Practice for Emotional Resilience
We begin this 12-minute mindfulness practice by bringing ourselves into a posture that’s upright and stableWe are aware of the fingertipsthe palmsthe points of contactas we begin this practice by coming to our senses as we breatheAt timesthings can become intense and quickly turnmuch like a hurricaneso this practice will draw upon the metaphor of a hurricane to help us understand our own true natureIt can help us understand the ways that mindfulness practice can be helpful in observing our nature moment by momentThat observation can create spaciousness around the tumultuousness that can arise during the course of our day and at times throughout our lifeThe hurricane arises when the conditions are sufficient for it to come together andin timeit dissipatesmuch like our own emotional conditionsIn this waywe can allow the storm to passThere are times when we experience agitation and frustration in the bodymuch like the stronggusty winds and heavy rains that feed into the hurricaneWe might reflect for a moment on times when we have felt that intensity in the body—that tensionthat tightnessThoughts arise from time to time that can be judgmentalpessimisticand reactivelike the outflow of high-level clouds that intensify the hurricane as they move away from itJust notice these thoughts as we breatheYou may notice these arising nowperhaps because of the circumstances of the dayor that they arise on a fairly regular basisAnd sotoothere are times we experience inner calmmuch as is found within the eye of the stormThis is a reminder that we don’t have to have the intense and agitated thoughtsfeelingsand sensations go away to find that inner calmthat inner tranquilityBy shifting to an observing statewe find freedom from the intensity of those thoughtsfeelingsand sensationsIt’s like finding our way into the eye of the storminto a place of our own safe refuge without needing anything to changeLet us settle into the bodyaware of thoughtsaware of feelings that will come and goaware of the sensations in the bodyaware of preserving and allowing the breath to anchor us a little bit more fullyto steady us a little bit more comfortably into the moments of this practiceIn doing sowe begin to develop and cultivate a resilience to steady us in the moments of our lifeBreathe in and outallowing this moment to be as it isWhen you’re ready in the next moment or twowith awarenesslift the gazeopen the eyes.
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What Clowns Can Teach Us About Building Resilience When things are at their worstmindfulness teacher Elaine Smookler suggests turning to the rules of clowning to face difficult emotions.
