Recently, when needing to make a challenging phone call, I noticed strong sensations bubbling up in this body. The tendency when strong sensations arise is to run from them or try to override them with frenetic activity. This time, I chose to use Recording and Listening to assist with these strong sensations.

I began looking closely at the sensations. I recorded whatever I noticed, as I noticed it. I would ask, “Where are the sensations located in this body? What are the sensations like?” I looked closely within and described the sensations in more and more detail. I became fascinated with how they moved and with finding the words that most closely described the sensations.

As I did this, the body began to calm down. I asked the Mentor for guidance and support in working with these sensations. The Mentor reassured me that these sensations were not a sign that something dangerous was about to happen. My favorite was when the Mentor, in a solid, reassuring tone, encouraged: “Be and Breathe. Be and Breathe.”

Recording everything I noticed about the sensations, being with the sensations, breathing with the sensations, and asking for and receiving the Mentor's guidance and support totally transformed this experience.

Listening to this recording several times helped me stop and be with similar sensations next time they arose (which I recorded) and again, totally transformed the experience.

Gassho

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