A Deeper Dive into Friendly Mind | Awareness That Heals Chapter 2 Meditation #2

Foreign guided meditation is for so many people, the best way to truly gain benefit in your response to personal challenges. As you invest in bringing your own experience to the guided meditations, you'll give yourself the best chance to change long standing patterns from suffering toward a state of well being, peace and healing. It's important to put yourself in a comfortable body position in a private space where you're not disturbed. Turn off your phone and be ready to really be alert. So settle just listening to sounds around you and hear whatever's there, including possibly silence, appreciating that for a few moments, you can just be your ears and disconnect as much as possible from your mind. Just be content with being a listener and you may even enjoy just the presence of being quiet, being receptive through your ears. And while you're listening, let yourself also feel whether your body is in a comfortable state or whether you have sensations that are uncomfortable for you. You may even be able to be aware of thoughts, whatever's in your mind right now. See if you can just echo thoughts and let them go. And wherever your attention goes, start by asking the question, what is my most challenging emotion during this time period or now? And let it be the very most difficult feelings that you're addressing, or that you've had, or that you think will be coming. See if you can crisply identify, ah, this is terror, this is pain, this is exhaustion. And see if you can let yourself identify it gently. And as you're doing it, stay in your body by breathing into the sensation to allow it to be its full self or its full essence in its natural form. And ask yourself the question, what is the name of this feeling that you're facing? And see if you can clearly notice what your normal reaction is to this feeling. What kind of thoughts happen? If it's fear, what kind of fear thoughts do you have? If it's anxiety, what kind of anxious thoughts do you have? If it's depression, what kind of gloomy thoughts do you have? You may notice that it might be more than one feeling, and if that's the case, just briefly and gently identify this feeling too. It may be fear and anxiety, it may be sadness and irritation. But stay with what's most challenging to you and pause and let yourself feel it as much as possible. By feeling what's difficult, it becomes more clear and feel the part of you that wants to care for yourself. Or see if you can find the place inside of you that wants to care for yourself even if you can't at all, which is very, very Likely you will not be able to care for yourself. But that doesn't mean you don't want to ask yourself for friendly mind to be there as a source of guidance and wisdom. Using your words to say, friendly mind, mind that is wise, please show up and tell me the kind of thoughts that will be helpful for me right now. It may be empathic thoughts that are saying, I can see that you're in hell and I am with you. You are not alone. It may suggest you be more gentle or that you lie down, or that you take a slow walk, but whatever it is, recognize that you're having a dialogue that is being led by your friendly mind. And if you can't get there, keep asking for friendly mind to appear. Because you want to create a place that no matter what you're feeling, that you have this capacity to develop this caring for yourself and this source of wisdom that's only interested in your well being. Can you let in that you have the capacity to ask yourself the question, what guidance can you give me? Friendly mind. So do that now. Allow yourself to coexist in the feeling that's so challenging. And I still know I want to care for myself. And what are the thoughts that uniquely will guide me in this situation? And recognize this is the very most difficult time. As you're looking at the feelings that usually will bury you, you're looking at feelings that you usually bury everyone, but you're adding to your capacity, the creation of a friendly source of wisdom. So see if you can plant a seed right now to develop friendly mind and friendly mind. Speak to me now and see what it's saying to you as you're listening to it. Recognize that friendly mind focuses on what is actually possible. If you can't walk because you've had spinal surgery, you're not focusing on wanting to walk. You're focusing on how can I get a scooter? Or how can I be resilient? So you're focusing on the possible. Sometimes it might be simple actions, like maybe it's a time for communication or a doctor's visit, or maybe you need to try some medication. Maybe it's a time for exercise. Or if you're in a situation where you know it's impermanent, but it feels permanent, your friendly mind will say, this is impermanent. I'm telling you, even though you can't feel it, this is impermanent. Remember all the times that you've had difficult feelings where it felt like it was permanent, but it was impermanent. Friendly mind is Only interested in your well being. Feel how much you would like to have this ally be inside you at this time of your greatest needs. Remember you cannot solve and change this feeling by trying to have another tidal wave of great feeling come in. You have to go to this different level of yourself that is wise, that is capable of guidance and we all have it. You have it. But you must ask if you want to receive friendly mind. Friendly mind requires an invitation from you. So ask it to come and plant a seed to remind yourself that when this feeling comes, I want to remember to ask for friendly mind appear. Giving yourself endless suggestions now and reminding yourself you want to do it throughout the day. This requires preparation because if you can do it when you're not in the depth of the feeling, you're going to be able to do much better when you're in the depth of the feeling. So give that suggestion to yourself and keep coming back to the present. Ah. This feeling is still here. We need to recognize the wisdom of going to this other level. Friendly mind, will you remind you you're not doing this on purpose? You're not trying to hurt yourself. You know this would be difficult for anyone that will at least allow you to see that you deserve mercy even though you can't feel it for yourself right now. See if you can summon up the courage to tolerate the feeling as much as possible and keep letting friendly mind know. I'm asking that you join me right now when I most need you. Allow yourself to recognize this is universal. We all have feelings like this by the nature of being human and being mortal and that this is not just bad luck that we all have to face these times. But you are one of the fortunate ones that has a chance to develop this capacity to think in a different direction that is supportive of you and not demand that you're feeling change. See if your friendly mind can say things like I'm proud and trusting in you even when I can't feel any different at all. I see that this is my most courageous time. This is where I am most heroic. By being able to find this ability. I see that I don't want to create a chain reaction of suffering and I want to change the momentum. Friendly mind, help me see. I want the thoughts that arise at this great time of difficulty as being a source of healing. And then I can use these challenging feelings to deepen my wisdom and deepen your ability to guide me. Friendly mind, I want to make you my very best friend and thank yourself for doing this very most difficult guidance at a time when you feel the exact opposite. So even though you might not be able to feel the thank you, let yourself see if your friendly mind can thank you for the effort. At this time, when most of us fall asleep and are a victim to these challenging feelings.