Introduction to Mindfulness - Dean Amory

Stop trying to force pleasant feelings, they are freer to emerge on
their own; stop trying to resist unpleasant feelings, they can drift away
by themselves.
Reacting to own unhappiness as if to a threat, triggers the brain's
avoidance system. A fleeting "unpleasant" memory fuels a chain
reaction. The practice is to catch the unpleasantness BEFORE it
triggers aversion, which is also registered as unpleasant, and so on...
Fight/flight arises whether trying to escape from a tiger or from own
feelings (symbolic threat), it narrows our focus.
Challenge of each moment of the practice is to hold it longer than
feels comfortable. Welcome unpleasant sensations or feelings - ask
"what is this?" to keep the mind from leaping in with "I hate this-I
can't do this" (Stef: you don't have to like it, just do it"). Use the body
and the breath during the day to ground us in awareness, e.g. become
mindful of posture or any movement (doesn't take more time than
usual, we're doing it anyway). Notice that THINKING about
discomfort or how long it will last creates suffering...
Breathing WITH: pay attention to music AND in the background on
the breath. This practice trains us to steady the mind through difficult
situations.
Awareness of feelings: locate part of the body (e.g. abdomen) that
reacts to stress. Tune in to it regularly, every day. Then, just be with
the sensations, or, move into a breathing space...
Challenge: can we be with our unwanted emotions without making
them worse? Alternative: suffer & struggle versus recognize & accept
those
emotions ("the enemy") so they do not trigger a downward spiral -
may run counter to self-preservation instincts. Not easy, but do-able.
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