Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris - Fear Itself | Bonus Meditation with Sharon Salzberg

Episode Date: October 2, 2020

When you’re stuck in fear and other strong emotions, intentionally feeling what’s happening with acceptance can be a game changer. To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, visit https://10percenthappier.app.link/FeelingFearPod In the Ten Percent Happier app, you'll find this same meditation in different lengths to suit your practice. Your subscription directly supports our wonderful teachers and allows them to dedicate their time to teaching the life-changing skill of mindfulness. As an added incentive, we've got a special discount for anyone new to the app.  To claim your discount, visit tenpercent.com/extra We would appreciate it if you can take a few minutes to help us out by answering a survey. The team here is always looking for ways to improve. Please go to www.tenpercent.com/survey. Thank you. About Sharon: A towering figure in the meditation world, Sharon Salzberg is a prominent teacher & New York Times best-selling author. She has played a crucial role bringing mindfulness and lovingkindness practices to the West. Sharon co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield and is the author of nine books, including Lovingkindness, Real Happiness, and the most recent Real Love. Sharon lives in New York City and teaches around the world. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Hey guys, time for the Friday bonus. On Wednesday's episode, we had that fascinating conversation with Abigail Marsh from Georgetown University about fear. And so today we're dropping a meditation about fear, about dealing with fear, in a really counterintuitive way from the great meditation teacher Sharon Salisberg. And so here we go over to Sharon. Hi, this is Sharon. In this meditation, we'll look at the difference between what is actually happening in the moment,

even if it's difficult, like a wave of fear, and what we add to it, in this practice, we look for these add-ons, and see if we can let them go. We then can develop more insight into fear itself, and our ability to transform how we are with it. Throughout the meditation, when I become silent, this is the signal to follow whatever guidance I've just offered. Sit comfortably or lie down with your eyes closed or open. Center your attention on the feeling of the breath wherever it's easiest for you.

Just the normal natural breath. Perhaps the breath is the strongest view or clearest view at the nostrils, or the chest or the abdomen. and rest. See if you can aim your attention towards this very breath. You don't have to worry about what's already gone by or about what may be coming next. The breath is happening anyway. You can relax and simply feel it. Now consciously bring to mind a difficult or troubling feeling, or a situation from the recent or distant past,

a scenario that holds some fear for you. Take a moment to recall the situation. Doing that isn't likely to feel comfortable, but stick with it. Remember that at any point you can return to following your breath or listening to sound. There's no need to stay with a challenging experience without taking regular breaks from it. What bodily sensations accompany the emotions the scenario calls up? You feel these emotions. If you can feel the emotion in your body, I can't always do that.

It gives you a concrete way to disengage from the story and observe the emotions changing nature. Bring your focus to the part of the body where those sensations are the strongest. You don't have to do anything about them, except be aware of them. Once your attention is moved to the bodily sensations, perhaps say to yourself, It's okay. Whatever it is, it's okay. I can feel this without pushing it away or getting caught up in it. If you feel overwhelmed by emotions, use the awareness of your breath to anchor your attention in your body. This helps you return to the present moment.

And when you're ready, open your eyes. Take a deep breath and relax. Thank you for your practice. Big thanks to Sharon. Really appreciate that. One last thing before we go, we would appreciate it if you would do us a solid. If you would take a few minutes to help us out by answering a survey, the team here is always looking for ways to improve. So if you want to help us out,

hook us up. Please go to 10% dot com forward slash survey 10% dot com forward slash survey. Thank you. Hey, hey, prime members. You can listen to 10% happier early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. Or you can listen early and ad-free with 1-3 plus in Apple podcasts. Before you go, do us a solid and tell us all about yourself by completing a short survey at 1-3.com slash survey. Like the short, and it's full of a lot of interesting questions.

What does happiness really mean? How do I get the most out of my time here on Earth? And what really is the best cereal? These are the questions I seek to resolve on my weekly podcast. Life is short with Justin Long. If you're looking for the answer to deep philosophical questions, like, what is the meaning of life? I can't really help you.

But I do believe that we really enrich our experience here by learning from others. And that's why in each episode, I like to talk with actors, musicians, artists, scientists, and many more types of people about how they get the most out of life. We explore how they felt during the highs. And sometimes more importantly, the lows of their careers. We discuss how they've been able to stay happy during some of the harder times, but if I'm being honest, it's mostly just fun chats between friends about the important stuff. Like, if you had a sandwich named after you, what would be on it? Follow Life is Short wherever you get your podcasts.

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