Shedding the Weight: Mind, Body and Spirit – Day 3 – Begin with Emotional Balance

We have embarked on our journey to lightness and learned about the process of transforming heaviness to lightness. Today we will begin with our emotions. To shed the weight, we must balance the heavy emotions with the lighter emotions. Emotions are meant to flow freely, to rise and fall without being held. Today we are learning about restoring emotional balance by finding calm through meditation.

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Begin with Emotional Balance

For our meditations we are given a centering thought and mantra. The mantra are Sanskrit syllables carefully chosen to work with and empower the teaching of the day.

Today’s Centering Thought is: As my emotions flow freely, my life is lightened.
Today’s Mantra: Om Shanti Om (I radiate peace.)

Center yourself to begin a quite solitude of mind and spirit with the thought “As my emotions flow freely, my life is lightened.” Then begin to meditate by repeating the mantra: Om Shanti Om. This mantra has a calming effect on emotional turmoil and helps to release stuck emotions. Each time your mind wanders come back by repeating this mantra and hold the meaning behind it – I radiate peace. Simply meditate for 20 minutes.

At the end of the meditation you have the opportunity to reflect with journal activities.

Today’s Journal Activities:

1. Reflect on a negative situation in the past that you didn’t handle as well as you would have liked to. Write down how you could respond differently next time.
2. Describe a moment yesterday or today where you felt a sense of flow and ease. That is what a life in balance feels like.
3. Write about an area of your life – such as your relationships, job, or health – where you would like to experience more flow and balance. Go on to describe how that would change your experience of that area of life.
4. Reflect further on your experience today.

We can restore emotional balance and equanimity by returning our attention to the still awareness in the background of our minds. Instead of allowing emotions to control you, be the awareness behind emotions for peace within yourself.

Often times negative emotions get us stuck – causing depression or anxiety. Even when we are not having negative thoughts it lingers causing us to procrastinate or be lazy. Let go of those emotions that become obstacles and sitting in the presence with inner peace and calm helps emotions move freely. Peace helps it move along.

Think about emotions you have that are hard to express and how they get you stuck. This discomfort leads us to seek comfort elsewhere – often food or vegging in front of the TV. When we act from a feeling of lack, we remain out of balance and stuck in our old unfulfilling habits. In meditation, we reach the calm, centered place inside that doesn’t hold on or get stuck to toxic habits and old memories, so shedding emotional baggage happens naturally.

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony.” ― Thomas Merton

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