Insight into Emotions

Meditation helps you to see that emotions are physical sensations that can be controlled by the mind.



And meditation helps you deal with emotions not by fighting them but by giving you insight into their real nature.

Investigating Emotions

You can gain insight into your emotions by closely observing them. Feelings like anger, anxiety, guilt and fear are temporary and are labeled by our minds as opposite emotions. But they are actually similar to each other.



For example identical butterflies in the stomach, identical sweating in the palms and identical dryness in the mouth are produced when we experience excitement or fear.

Preparing for Emotions

Now, due to increased sensitivity in everyday life, you will become aware of these emotions well in advance (even before they have taken control). This aids in avoiding emotions and helps you to relax physically. In this manner you can switch off unwanted emotions when they start to arise.

Cause of Emotions

Your increased sensitivity will help you to recognize the cause for the rise of your emotions.



For example, fear occurs due to the guilt of your thought, that you need to be punished and anger occurs in defense to protect your personal self, possessions or professional pride. Normally you will not feel its presence, but with meditation you will be able to see it.

Working with Emotions

You can work on your emotions by either deliberately recalling the emotions or when they happen to arise during meditation itself.

You can deliberately recall unpleasant incident that occurred recently. Once the event arises in your memory after focusing it, you will often feel that it no longer upsets you. It shows your tranquility and you can avoid “upset” when similar things happen.

Secondly, you may feel upset again after the memory comes to you. That is totally okay. It will help you to reason the cause of the upset. Look at where it comes from and recognize your own over-reactions. After your meditation is over, you can return to the subject. For a clearer vision you can look at the emotion again, next time you meditate.