Creating Emotional Flow

Mindfulness Talk

I love flow.

I kayak to hear the flow of the river.  I’m one of those people who opens the windows to hear the flow of a nighttime rain.  I love the feeling of breath flowing deep during a hard hike.  And I very much look forward to Friday afternoons when I go to a local coffee shop to write this blog, letting the flow of writing take over.     

Perhaps the reason why flow seems so magical is because of it’s deep connection to emotion. Many cultures speak of a physical energy in the body that, when opened, allows our emotions to flow.  Maybe you’ve heard it as chi or the acupuncture meridians or prana and the chakras. In these types of flow, you use the physical body to get your vital energy to flow, which allows your emotions to flow. And this isn’t the only path! In her book The Language of Emotions, Karla McLaren describes emotional health as flow, and provides mental exercises for getting the emotions flowing. And of course, words (through talking, prayer, writing) are also a path to emotional flow.

If you want to try out the meditation path to emotional flow, try this one out!

Meditation

Finding Present Meditation:

Find some flowing water or use w.youtube.com/watch?v=-hMMbSzvxBU

As you listen to the flowing water, begin to imagine your emotions flowing just like this. Don’t focus on any specific emotion or emotional issue, just breathe and imagine your emotions flowing. Feel that flow in your body.

When you are ready, open your eyes and end here.  Or, begin the mindfulness meditation.

Mindfulness Meditation:

Begin to focus on the flowing emotions

the dissipating heat as steam.  Become aware of the steam swirling and moving as it releases from you.  Don’t be surprised the swirling steam begins to make a picture of something - of a memory or thought or feeling.  Just acknowledge it, and notice it for a bit, and then let it evaporate away.

Put your thoughts back on the swirling steam that is releasing from you.  If another picture emerges, just notice it and let it float away.  

Eventually your imagined steam will come to an end, and you’ll just have your warm and softened body.  Just feel the warmth and the softness for a bit.

Now begin to imagine drinking a cool, refreshing drink.  Let that cool drink slowly travel from your throat to your head, spreading to any areas that need refreshing.  Let that coolness slowly travel down to your heart, cooling anything that needs refreshing.  Let it spread slowly to your stomach, cooling and refreshing.  Then to your pelvis and hips, cooling and refreshing.  Let it slowly spread through any parts that need refreshing.

Closing Routine:

When you are ready, rub fingers together and take three cleansing breaths. Or use any closing routine that works for you.