Holding Opposing Emotions

Hi, it's Dora here. So at times when things happen in the world, there's our own personal experience, our perception, and then there's also the collective experience taking place. Say we're having a wonderful day, things are going really well, and then we see something devastating in the news. Something interesting happens, where we feel grateful to be at a certain distance from the outrage but also experience a sense of regret for feeling grateful because it's not happening to us. We're relieved we live in a certain part of the world, yet feel a sense of hopelessness for other parts of the world. In times like these, the contradictory nature of our emotions are meant to be felt, rather than trying to make sense of them, experiencing them as they are, in their entirety, and then letting go of the storylines that come with them. And the thing is the human experience isn't meant to be lived in absolutes, where we should and can only feel and experience one thing at a time. Especially something like emotions. Instead of trying to distract ourselves, fight against, or judge how we're feeling, it's about creating space and holding all of our emotions without identifying with our stories and opinions about them. In turn, we increase our capacity to experience the full range of emotions and allowing us to let them go more freely. So this means it's okay to feel angry yet hopeful, confused yet trusting, grieving and grateful. Holding these paradoxical experiences and honoring the dualistic nature of life, we start to see that one can't really exist without the other. We know anger because we know joy. We know the depths of sadness because we also know the lightness of happiness. By embracing both and nurturing the totality of our experience we create greater emotional resiliency and that internal struggle of choosing which one to tend to eases. Essentially, when we tend to one, we tend to them all. So let's give this a try. Just inviting the body to a place of stillness. Settling in and getting comfortable. Lying down or sitting upright, whatever feels best for you. The eyes can be open or closed. And taking a few deep breaths here. Breathing in through the nose, allowing the breath to flow into the body. And on the exhale, imagining the breath washing away any tension and any tightness. Again, breathing in, filling and expanding the body. And breathing out, letting everything go. And just continuing to breathe in this way for a few more breaths. Now, if you'd like, gently laying one hand on your heart and the other on your belly. Holding yourself here with kindness and compassion. And repeating these affirmations after me, or just allowing these words to wash over you, and continuing to take some nice, gentle, deep breaths. So repeating after me, I can be angry yet hopeful, and it's okay to be both. I allow myself to be both. I can...