The Practice
We are wired to avoid the things we dislike and gravitate towards the things we like. This is a learned mechanism that allows us to navigate our environment and seek out safety while avoiding danger.
Unfortunately, we’ve become way too good at accruing comforts and dodging discomforts. It can actually be healthy to acknowledge and even welcome all that the moment holds, particularly as we launch into a new school year. Try to pause and welcome each thing you notice as it arises, whether it is excitement, anxiousness, the buzzing of your thoughts, a fluttering sensation in your belly, or the steadiness of your breath.
By simply noticing our experiences without trying to hold on to them or push them away, we can cultivate a sense of equanimity that will help us accept joys, challenges, and everything in between.
The Language
For younger students: Let’s try something called a Welcome Practice. You know how when you see someone you greet them by saying, “Hello!”? We can do the same thing with our own experience by welcoming everything we are noticing right now. To practice this, let’s find a comfortable position where we can really tune in to what’s happening in our bodies and minds. Whatever you notice, you can welcome it. You can even think, “Hello breath” or “Hello sounds of laughter on Big Blue.” If it is a thought or feeling you can welcome that too. Maybe you are excited for lunch, or tired, or sad, or happy. It’s okay to feel any of those feelings and you can say, “Hello” and keep noticing because your experience is always changing. We’ll practice that for one minute and then we can take some shares if anyone wants to describe what they welcomed.
For older students: A welcoming practice is a great way to work on acceptance. We are often pushing away thoughts, feelings, and sensations that we don’t like and trying to hold on to the ones we like. However, this process can feel a little bit like trying to clear all the sand off the beach. Our experience is always changing and if we practice welcoming, we can learn to make space for whatever is coming up without feeling the need to control it. It can be very freeing to not constantly wrestle with your feelings and thoughts. So to practice welcoming it’s ideal to find a comfortable position where we can really tune in to what’s happening in our bodies and minds. Start by welcoming whatever sensations you notice to help ground you in the moment. “Hello breath”...” Hello sounds”... Are you feeling any tension anywhere? If you notice that, you can welcome it and let it be. If thoughts or feelings are coming up about things that happened earlier today or things that are happening later, that is totally fine. Welcome them and see what else you notice. If you are bored by this practice, welcome the boredom! Does that change your experience at all? What else comes up when you practice welcoming? We’ll keep going for another minute or two and then take some shares.
Follow-up for older students: It may sound silly or strange to “welcome” uncomfortable feelings like worry or sadness. But those feelings tend to show up no matter what when you’re living a full life. When we say “hello” and make room for them, instead of getting upset that we’re upset, it helps us stay in the moment and move through the uncomfortable feelings more easily.
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