EMOTIONAL DISCIPLINE: Core Practices

BREATHING your FEELING

Follow a feeling through its cycle.

SANCTUARY
1. Find a time and place where you can be undisturbed while you turn your attention inward.
ANCHORING
1. Call to mind the situation that stimulated the current feeling.
2. (This could be a remote past event, or a more recent one.)
3. Be present in the event as if it were happening right now.
  (Where are you? What are the surroundings? What do you see?
  What do you hear? Who are you with? What is happening?
  Who is doing what? What do you do? What is said?) BE THERE!
4. Repeat, if necessary, with one or more other events until you can:
LOCATING
1. Notice where the feeling is inside your body.
2. Be attentive to whatever is happening there.
  (Don't do anything. Don't try to change anything. Don’t think anything.)
3. Just observe the feeling, and breathe:
BREATHING
1. Simply allow your breath to connect with the feeling.
2. Feel what happens as the inhale and exhale flow through.
  (Don't do anything. Don't try to change anything. Don’t think anything.)
RELEASING
1. Let go of any thought; return to the feeling.
2. Thinking will take you away from feeling.
3. If you lose the feeling, return to imagined events, recover the feeling.
RIDING
1. Stay with the feeling in your body as it ebbs and flows.
2. Let it come naturally to its own fullness, and pass when it is ready.
3. Allow your body to do whatever is natural to the flow of the feeling.
  (Do this in whatever way you are comfortable, is natural to you.
  Drop your judgments about the right way, how you should(n't) do this.)
4. Stay with it until the feeling passes.
REFLECTING
1. What do you learn about yourself and this particular feeling?
2. What do you choose to do with what you've learned? Journal Entry?

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