The moment it gets difficult, the moment you want to back away, that is the moment to your practice starts.
One of my teachers says this about yoga, and it’s also true of so many other disciplines.
This is especially true with emotions. Some emotions can feel too big to experience. We learn early that they are “negative” or bad.
So we put up armoring within ourselves, protections against our own experience.
The problem is that everything is fueled by emotions. Inevitably we will get stuck in our work — coming up with ideas, creative problem solving, etc.
I’ve learned that, for me, certain emotions arise as distractions. They are designed to keep me from experiencing the emotion beneath, which I’ve suppressed or depressed for years.
Overwhelm. Confusion. Anxiety.
When I feel these arise, I know that this is where the practice starts.
But how do we get to what lies beneath?
Meditation teacher Tara Brach offers one question that can cut through all the noise and distraction and get to the heart of what is keeping us stuck.
This question is profound. But it is not for the faint of heart.
What are you unwilling to feel?
This is where the practice starts.
Love it? Hate it? What do you think? Don't hold back...