Coping with Disappointment: Guided Mindfulness Meditation (58)

Hi everyone and welcome back to How the Wise One Grows. In episode 57 we spoke with an Olympic Trials Marathonner that's right, anne Mazer, about the parallels between running, yoga and personal growth. Anne is absolutely incredible and she shares lots of great insight and advice in that episode, so I definitely recommend you check it out. And if you listen to that episode, there's also a code to get 15% off her clothing line, relay active. They have tons of amazing active wear. I actually just got a pair of sweatpants and shorts for myself, so give it a listen. You can get that discount code as well as lots of wonderful wisdom from Anne. But today I want us to take a mindful moment to focus on dealing with disappointment. So in episode 57, anne and I talked about how yoga and running can relate to personal growth, and one of the components of our conversation that really resonated with me was when Anne was sharing how she deals with the moments when she does meet her goals and I mean they're big ones, right, and, almost more importantly, how you deal with the moments when you don't meet your goals, especially when it's something you've worked really hard towards, and whether you are an athlete or an academic or a creative or all of the above, or everything and nothing in between. We all have moments where we deal with disappointment, where we have goals and maybe we don't meet them at the timeline in which we thought we would, or it didn't happen the way we imagined in our head. So today's practice is going to hold space for us to deal with disappointment, whether it's a small thing or a big thing. I hope that this is something you can bookmark and download and turn to again and again when disappointment arises. So settle in, find a space that feels safe and supportive for you, and we'll get started. I want you to take a moment to just let yourself land here now, notice where you are and perhaps by using your sense of sight If you're not driving and it feels safe for you, you can gently rest your eyes, or soft in your gaze, at a point in front of you And notice where your body touches the earth. Let your shoulders soft and down the back and take a big breath in and a big breath out. Two more like this Inhale, fill your chest, fill your belly with air, exhale, open your mouth, let it all out Again. Inhale, fill your chest, fill your belly with air, exhale, open your mouth, let it all go, one more big inhale And exhale. So I want you to recall a time where you recently experienced disappointment Or maybe you're listening to this right now right after there was some disappointment that arose for you in life. But I want you to take a moment to just picture this moment of disappointment As clearly as you can in your head. So picture it in your mind. What happened, what were you wearing, who were you with, what was the weather like, what were thoughts in your mind? And take a moment to bring awareness to how you are feeling, or perhaps how you were feeling in that moment. So notice any thoughts that were in the mind, notice any emotions that came up, and I want you to let yourself feel it. It's okay to feel disappointed sometimes. We don't need to shove this emotion away Or whatever other emotions might be present. So take a moment to name what's here for you. Give those emotions, those sensations, a name. Notice where do you feel it in the body And can you pause and be with these sensations. Try to resist it or run away or strive for it to pass and yearn for the next thing. Take a moment to sit with it, to feel it, to be with it, to get to know it. And if it feels really overwhelming, maybe you let the five senses help guide you through this sensation. So notice if it has a temperature, a texture, a weight, a smell, a taste. That's it. Yeah, it definitely does. Maybe bring a hand to rest on where in the body you feel this sensation, take a moment to be with it, to breathe with it, to feel it. As you sit with this emotion, remember that you're not alone in this. All humans experience disappointment sometime. With your hand on that part of the body where this sensation feels most alive right now, i want you to ask it what do you need right now? Gently wait for its reply And promise to meet that need. Maybe there's something you can do in this moment to meet that need. Maybe it's something you can step into after this meditation ends And, with your hand on that part of the body where this sensation feels most present, gently repeat a comforting phrase Perhaps it's okay to feel this way sometimes, or it's okay, i've got you. Just take a moment to nurture what's alive for you right now And return to where your body meets the earth And take a big breath in And a big breath out And you can slowly open your eyes as you return to this space. Thank you for taking time to nurture your emotions today, to take a moment to be with disappointment. It's important to hold space to feel what's present, for us to feel what's here And then we can move on beyond it and step into what's next. But we don't need to suppress these big emotions. We can feel what's here, we can meet it with compassion and that can encourage us as we continue to work towards our big goals and our dreams, so allowing ourselves to feel and meet ourselves with compassion every step of the way.