The aim of yoga and meditation is not to stop our thinking but to instead notice this relationship to our thoughts. To bring conscious awareness to the patterns in which we live our daily lives. In our practice we may come to encounter various emotions and sensations in the many forms of anger, fear, frustration, joy, happiness, eagerness, anxious, calm or sleepy. There is truly no shortage to the vast array of experiences waiting for us in our practice - and sometimes it can be scary.

So let me start with this - You are so brave for choosing this practice. Sitting with what is uncomfortable within us is not easy! In my personal experience, There are times in which the mere thought of sitting with myself and facing my fear and pain can trigger a resistance that feels like a life or death decision.

The wise teacher Mooji once shared "When resistance comes - you are on to something". In this way, when we commit to a practice of meditation and mindfulness, we begin to meditate not because we want to but because we must. The veil has been lifted, we have seen the light only to find that this innate resistance to pain is pointing us to a danger that is simply not there.

It is only when we come face to face with our deepest fears and pains that we realize it has no power over us. It is only when we truly listen to our fear and pain that we deepen our understanding of ourselves and in turn - heal.

So we sit. Allowing the mind to move, distracted like a newborn puppy. We call it back and ask it once again to be still .. one second .. two seconds .. and it runs off .. and we call it back .. and so on. It is with our gentle steady breath that we anchor our practice into this body, into these emotions and into the present moment. Always coming back to the breath and its beautiful inherent wisdom.

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor. ~Thích Nhất Hạnh

Enjoy this meditation, recorded to help you find the breath, relax the body & free the mind.

with love,
Connor