Sean Fargo leads a guided meditation that invites us to explore the feeling of frustration. After calling to mind a situation that sparked mild frustration within us, we are guided in exploring that emotion – the thoughts and the physical sensations of it – with care and curiosity.
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We can gently close the eyes or look downward to limit visual distractions. Maybe taking a deep breath or two. Feel what it's like to breathe deeply. Feeling the bottoms of our feet on the ground, pressure of our bodies on the seat.
Tuning into the natural rhythm of the inhale and exhale. Pause between the exhale and the inhale. Maybe sensing in the rise and fall of the belly.
New sensations unfolding. Can we meet them with open eyes, open awareness, open hearts? Ever changing sensations in the body as we breathe in and out. Each breath different. Each breath fresh.
Now shifting our awareness to a moment in our past in which we may have felt a little bit of annoyance or minor frustration with something or someone. A moment. It wasn't too intense, but it carried a little bit of frustration or some annoyance that was relatively short lived.
Maybe something with work or travel, something around the holidays. Something kind of minor, but still carried some frustration or annoyance. And just calling to mind what that situation was like. Where were you? What were you wearing? Remembering what was around you at the time?
How did that situation unfold? What were you expecting or hoping for? How did that situation unfold? Can you remember how that felt in that moment when you felt frustrated or annoyed? Can you feel that? Really allowing yourself to feel that anger.
Now, can you notice what this feeling is like in the body? Where is that frustration or annoyance in the body? Where are the predominant sensations? Can you be with those sensations, with curiosity and allowance?
Noticing whether we're judging this frustration or annoyance to be good or right, or that you should be feeling this way. Or, whether we're judging this emotion and frustration or annoyance to be bad or wrong, or that we shouldn't feel this way.
So just noticing any judgments and being curious about how it actually feels. This gentle awareness of how it just naturally feels in our body and in our full experience with this emotion. Offering ourselves this tender care, even in the midst of this emotion.
Offering ourselves this tender care because we're experiencing this emotion of frustration or annoyance. Not trying to feel different, not trying to push away the anger, not trying to exaggerate the anger.
Just meeting it as it is with this tender care and full allowance for it to be here, or for it to intensify or change, or maybe reveal something underneath the anger, like fear or sadness. Meeting whatever arises with this gentle awareness.
Noticing how the experience changes as we stay with it, as we allow it to do whatever it wants. Remembering it's natural to feel these emotions. It's a part of our common humanity, and there's nothing wrong with being human.
May we be with our humanity, with this embodied presence. Opening to our experience with less judgment and agenda. And may we more fully open to wonder and care and gratitude. Thank you for this moment. Thank you for these emotions. Thank you for this presence.
Noticing whatever predominant sensations there are now, around the heart or the head or the belly. What is here now? And may we bring the same quality tender awareness to more and more emotions as they arise.
With compassion, allowance and embodied presence. Maybe taking a couple of deep breaths or two, wiggling your fingers or toes, and slowly opening your eyes whenever you're ready.
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