Pax Posted September 9, 2009 It seems as though the more I practice my Taiji, the more fragile my emotions feel. Typically I'm a very happy person, I smile a lot and am friendly to most everyone I meet. In the last week or two (I started Taiji three weeks ago) I've noticed a tendency towards sadness, it takes very little to switch me from happy to slightly sad. Is this typical? Also - in case it's important, I've meditated for years without experiencing this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeform Posted September 9, 2009 Pax, when you start any kind of practice that is remotely spiritual, expect things to change. Change is always unnerving. Habitually sad people may start to feel happy, which gets a little 'too much', or feels foreign or uncontrollable... Happy people may start to feel sad... chilled out people might get angry... and angry people might feel chilled... emotions - the actual feelings - are not good or bad, they're just feelings... we should have a balance of all of them... if we make it a habit (an addiction) to prefer, and elicit only one set of feelings, the other feelings still happen, they just get trapped because they aren't allowed to be brought into awareness... so what can happen is you develop a backlog of unresolved, unprocessed, un-witnessed feelings... and when your body, mind and energy start to open up, these feelings bubble up into your awareness. It's quite normal, and nothing to worry about. Just take it easy on yourself. Also it's one thing having feelings come up, and a whole different ball game if you start to 'indulge' in the feelings... you know running thoughts through your head constantly and not just letting the feeling pass through. So I recommend relaxing, not being too concerned and remembering that this is just an initial phase... you'll have both good and bad feelings come up, just let them, and don't indulge. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pax Posted September 9, 2009 Thank you freeform, I had hoped this was the case, I'll relax into it and let whatever happens happen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aetherous Posted September 9, 2009 Also - in case it's important, I've meditated for years without experiencing this. Some meditation can be a little repressive. For instance, if you're feeling sadness, the best thing to do is to face that feeling head on. That way your spirit overpowers it. However, if you meditate in certain ways, the feeling goes away and you feel serene. People might assume the feeling is transformed, but really, it is just stored and hidden somewhere in the body. So this is one explanation why all of a sudden changes are occurring with the introduction of taiji, which hadn't happened with meditation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Old Man Contradiction Posted September 9, 2009 another point i've heard some teachers talk about is that sometimes the more conscious you are, the more painful unconsciousness becomes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pax Posted September 10, 2009 Some meditation can be a little repressive. For instance, if you're feeling sadness, the best thing to do is to face that feeling head on. That way your spirit overpowers it. However, if you meditate in certain ways, the feeling goes away and you feel serene. People might assume the feeling is transformed, but really, it is just stored and hidden somewhere in the body. So this is one explanation why all of a sudden changes are occurring with the introduction of taiji, which hadn't happened with meditation. Interesting points, usually my meditation leaves me feeling very calm and centered...then again I'm most times doing either mindfulness or loving kindness meditations, neither of which lend themselves to processing negative emotions. Tonight in Taiji class we finished with an awareness meditation where we contemplated the anger we were feeling for someone, trying to see their side and then letting go. It was different, drawing up a harsh emotion during meditation, freeing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Birch Posted September 10, 2009 another point i've heard some teachers talk about is that sometimes the more conscious you are, the more painful unconsciousness becomes. Hi OMC, Could you elaborate on that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
