Working With Your Emotional States In Breathwork And In Life
During your breathwork sessions, you are encouraged to harness whatever occurs in your surroundings and use it to deepen your journey instead of blaming it for ‘disrupting’ your experience. For instance, if someone walks in on you and interrupts your breathwork session, rather than reacting with frustration, work with that emotion inwardly and employ it as a tool to further enrich your inner exploration.
The Outside World Does Not Cause Your Emotional States
In our everyday lives, we often tend to attribute our internal emotional states to external events, but this connection is rarely as straightforward as it seems. Consider it from a logical perspective: the same external event can provoke entirely different responses in two individuals. If external circumstances were solely responsible for our emotional states, we would all react identically to the same situations.
Here’s an example: imagine you’re stuck in traffic, and someone abruptly cuts in front of you. One person might become angry, while another remains unfazed, even though the exact same scenario unfolds. The disparity lies in the narratives they’ve constructed around the event. The person who feels angry has crafted a story, interpreting the situation as a personal affront, a sign of disrespect. This story, in turn, fuels their emotional reaction. In contrast, the other individual has formed a different narrative: “It’s not a big deal; I’ve just been set back a few car lengths in traffic.” Consequently, they don’t experience irritation because they have created a different meaning and story around what happened.
Use Strong Emotions To Connect With Yourself & Inquire Within
Whenever you experience strong emotions, it presents a valuable opportunity to establish a deeper connection with yourself and unearth the underlying narratives that shape your life. Consider a scenario in which you find yourself in an emotionally charged conversation with your spouse, son, or father. Rather than letting your emotions take over and projecting them onto the person or situation, take a moment to look inside and inquire into the story you are creating around what is happening. This is an amazing opportunity for personal growth.
Every time a strong emotion surges within you, use it to inquire within. Instead of laying blame on the other person, approach them as if they were your Buddha, your teacher, for they provide you with a chance to really learn about yourself. You’ll be amazed at their response when you choose to respond with gratitude rather than reactivity. By saying, “Thank you for this opportunity to do my inner work,” you’ll often find that their emotional intensity subsides. This is a beautiful way to use your emotional states, instead of allowing them to use you.
Harness Emotional States for Personal Growth with FREE Month of Online Breathwork
We offer 2-hour live Neurodynamic online breathwork sessions several times throughout the week so that people can take a deep dive into their inner healing with a consistent practice. If you would like to join one of our transformational sessions, and partake in faster, deeper breathing to learn from strong emotions, release old stories, and step into your fullest potential, we invite you to register for free! After your first breathwork session, you will receive an email with access to a whole month of free facilitated breathwork. Click here to find out more about our online breathwork process.
*For information on how to deal with residual emotions after a breathwork session, click here.
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