I start with the "here," the same way you do--here I am with ... the things in the room, the rise and fall of my breath, the sensations in my body ... but in order to be here in the "now" I have to slip between emotions and thoughts. Emotions relate to stories which are not here now. But the sensations of emotion, as you described, are fair game because they bring me back to the now: How does my body feel now?
Once I am able to slip into the space between emotions and thoughts, I do actually feel a sense of relief and deep relaxation. It may not be dopamine but it is very rewarding. From this place, entirely new worlds of healing sensation--even deep understanding--may arise from within. Afterwards I often feel rebalanced to the point that I can much better resolve any problematic situations challenging me.
I start with the "here," the same way you do--here I am with ... the things in the room, the rise and fall of my breath, the sensations in my body ... but in order to be here in the "now" I have to slip between emotions and thoughts. Emotions relate to stories which are not here now. But the sensations of emotion, as you described, are fair game because they bring me back to the now: How does my body feel now?
Once I am able to slip into the space between emotions and thoughts, I do actually feel a sense of relief and deep relaxation. It may not be dopamine but it is very rewarding. From this place, entirely new worlds of healing sensation--even deep understanding--may arise from within. Afterwards I often feel rebalanced to the point that I can much better resolve any problematic situations challenging me.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Kathleen!
I love that you put a breathing exercise at the end of this!
(Wish I would have thought of that.)
I took the time to do the breathing exercise with your words, btw.
And it totally helped.
:)
I'm glad! Thanks for starting the conversation.