Exploring difficult feelings and experiences may be the key to loosening their grip. By gently acknowledging our inner world, we can change the shame of this practice from Patricia Megaman, Maryland.
Being familiar with difficult emotions means being interested in and interested in the experience, as you might do when visiting a new city. Slowly, rather than wanting to know all of it at once, discover new “territories” at a time. When you are embarrassed, you can sit with unpleasant feelings and you will eventually pass. Over time, you develop resilience, self-knowledge, and trust in yourself. It is the best antidote to self-judgment that is stimulated by shame.
Thoughts and emotions are bigger and more scary when left unexplored and kept in the shadows.
Whether you are experiencing embarrassment now or filling in the shame you have avoided, are you happy to make it a little better? Remember, thoughts and feelings are big and scary when left unexplored and kept in the shadows.
12 Minute Meditation: Turn shame into self-trust
Keep in a comfortable meditation posture and close your eyes if you feel comfortable. Start by sitting on your body and paying attention. Attend the base of your body as you will come into contact with the surface you are resting. Your chin softens, your shoulder blades slide down your back, reaching over your lap and thighs. Pay attention to the sensation of breathing at a belly level. Inhale and breathe, attending the abdomen ascending and descending. Perhaps, whenever possible, let your breath in and out of your body and naturally let it in and out. And now it gently recalls the experiences and memories of your shame. Maybe it was something you did or someone else said to you or to you. Whatever it is, be gentle and as gentle as possible towards this memory, experience, or situation, check what thoughts exist, what emotions, and what body sensations are. Start exploring what’s going on here and what’s going on right now, without having to change or modify anything. If there are as specific thoughts as possible, experience them as sensations of the mind and leave them. If there are feelings, naming or label them so that they let them know themselves. “Shame is here,” or tell yourself fear, anxiety, or guilt, and stay with these for a while. And now we focus on the relevant sensations within our body. We will investigate these with friendly interest and, whether they are unwanted or intense, we will be interested in them and if possible at this moment, we will truly become acquainted with them. If the sensation is particularly intense or strong, “This is a difficult moment. I can be with this, it is already here.” If it helps, inhale the sensation, breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe in, and stay in these sensations as long as these sensations grab your attention. If this feels too difficult or overwhelming, it is always chosen to focus on your abdominal breath or open your eyes and let go of this practice. Otherwise, I will continue with this attention on my body sensation…and now I will return to the feeling of breathing in my abdomen, and with each breath I will return to the rise and fall of my abdomen, breathing and breathing. And when you are ready, focus your attention on your whole body, your attention to all sensations, and if this is available, rest here with a more spacious consciousness. Then, gently, ask yourself now, with this shameful experience behind it: can you leave this as is? (In the end, it’s already here.) Can I let it go? (That’s already happening.) Do you need to address? Do I need to take action? If so, what? Can you change your attitude and bring a different perspective to this experience? And if they are closed and let go of this practice, they gently open their eyes.
