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Emotional Healing Meditation
Hello, and welcome to Spiritually Inspired Guided Meditation Classes. In this meditation we will focus on emotional healing through deepening emotional awareness, and understanding our emotional triggers.
My name is Sara Rae, and I will be guiding through this meditation class today, which will officially begin and end at the sound of the bell. Find a comfortable position sitting up straight, someplace where you won’t be disturbed or distracted. Keep your mind and heart open to your experience. And we’ll begin.
Emotional Triggers
Release any muscle tension, thought or emotion you’re currently hanging onto. Gently close your eyes, and begin taking slow, deep breaths through your nose. Completely empty the lungs of all air, and fill them up completely with fresh clean air. Return to this deep belly breath cycle all throughout this class, especially once emotions start to creep up into the mind.
We can’t always control how or when our emotions are triggered. However, we can control our response to our emotions, including how long we chose to hang onto them. We will always have natural reactions to our emotional triggers, so it’s up to us to recognize them in the moment so we can safely work through them.
Strong emotions get triggered because there is something left unresolved deep in our hearts. They are signals, bringing our awareness to whatever area of our lives needs healing the most.
Continue to deep breath slowly through your nose as these truths sink into your mind. Focus your awareness on your breath, rather than your thoughts or emotions.
When an emotion begins to bubble up inside, pause for a moment and consider the last few moments before it began. What was going on? Who said what? What happened around me? And what does this situation remind me of? Understanding where our emotions are coming from helps us realize that we are in control of ourselves, no matter how chaotic things may seem right now.
Whatever your trigger is, forgive yourself and anyone else involved. Give yourself all the loving attention you need. Hold space for yourself to safely explore the source of your triggers and the emotions they cause.
Breathe deeply and slowly as forgiveness washes over you.
Breath Meditation
Believing we cannot manage our own emotions makes us victims, and victims are powerless. We can take back our power by learning to work with our emotions, rather than against them.
Most of us have one particular emotion that tends to get triggered easily and often. Whatever that may be for you, you’re probably already aware of it. This feeling represents our interpretation of life, which becomes a byproduct of our thoughts and actions. If you have a strong emotion towards something, it’s a signal to go deeper and to figure out what’s really going on beyond the emotion.
Refocus your awareness on your breath once more. Relax the muscles in your body, your face, your hands, and anywhere else that seems tight. Remember that your emotions are only going to stay in your body for as long as you allow them to stay. You are in control, and you can let go.
What we don’t want to do is scold ourselves for feeling our feelings. Resist the urge to tell yourself to “stop feeling this way,” as this will likely result in repressed emotions. Locking away our feelings doesn’t do anyone any favors in the long run. Become aware of when an emotion has turned into a reaction, and when it is controlling us rather than being controlled by us.
Whether it be rage, sorrow, or anything else in between, emotions are only temporary. They signal an opportunity for growth and healing. They are not signals to act immediately or impulsively. Managing emotions is about discovering why we’re feeling that emotion. Why did this situation or this person or these words trigger this emotion inside of me?
Circle back to your breath as you let go of any emotion that has overstayed its welcome. With each inhale, lovingly thank the emotion for the opportunity to heal. With each exhale, let it flow from your body and back to the Universe.
Emotional Awareness
At the moment our emotions are triggered, it’s easy to recognize. But if we are sitting quietly during meditation and this one nagging emotions keeps showing it, it can be more difficult and scary to figure out where it came from. This emotion is challenging us to bravely peel back inner layers and examine what lies beneath. The alternative is living as a victim to our emotions, which provides no growth, healing, or opportunity.
Breathe in fully and slowly. Open yourself up, clear away your judgements, and allow whatever you’re feeling to freely rise to the surface. Welcome it lovingly, no matter what it is.
It is much more painful to repress emotions than to express them because there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Keeping emotions inside often causes physical reactions in our bodies, as well as destroys our mental health.
Believe that you have the power to let go of your emotions. Understand that they do not control you, and you are not a slave to them. Make the choice to be in control of your inner world.
Keep breathing. Quiet your thoughts, focus your awareness on the physical sensations of your breath and body.
What emotion are you feeling most strongly right now? Whatever it is, don’t run away with it, and don’t lock it away, either. Sit with it, even if it’s uncomfortable. We’re going to count backwards slowly from 10, and then take a big fresh breath to release the emotion.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Big inhale, and big exhale. Sigh out loud if it feels good. The emotion is probably still present, but now we have created space to safely explore the WHY behind the emotion. Visualize the emotion leaving your body as you breathe, until you’re able to see clearly why the emotion arrived in the first place.
Without knowing the WHY behind our triggers, we cannot effectively manage our emotional and mental health. Emotional management is a skill that takes time and practice to develop. With continued dedication you will find it easier to relieve unnecessary stress and pain for yourself. Repeat this mediation as many times as you need to get the hang of it.
Go about your day with a heightened sense of awareness towards your thoughts and feelings. Consider where your thoughts are coming from, question their validity if they are harmful or self deprecating. Feel your emotions fully as they come up, and lovingly let them go after you’ve explored their source.
Thank you for joining me in this meditation class today. Feel free to journal about your experience, as this can be an excellent way to work through your emotional triggers. I hope the rest of your day is filled with love, light, and joy. Namaste.
