RickyFitts

Wonderful, wonderful video, a must-watch for all lovers of truth - many thanks again for sharing, puporing. ?

Perfect.

'Make it a habit to monitor your mental-emotional state through self-observation. "Am I at ease at this moment?" is a good question to ask yourself frequently. Or you can ask: "What's going on inside me at this moment?" Be at least as interested in what's going on inside you as what happens outside. If you get the inside right, the outside will follow.' - Eckhart Tolle 'The pollution on the planet is only an outward reflection of an inner psychic pollution: millions of unconscious individuals not taking responsibility for their inner space.' - Tolle

Because it's so deeply ingrained, I guess? I mean we've been living in that contracted state for eons, so it's likely to take a long time to unravel. And of course, the more you fight it, the more contracted you get.

You have to make a consistent practice of it, it isn't going to be a one-time thing and then you're done. You've presumably developed unconscious patterns of resistance during the course of your life due to past traumatic situations (you might have also inherited trauma from one or both of your parents, I think that's a definite possibility), and this is where body-oriented practices like yoga and meditation can be very beneficial in gradually releasing those patterns of tension in your body. You do need to be consistent and disciplined in your practice if you do decide to go down that route, though, because change doesn't tend to happen overnight. Things like deep tissue massage can also be very helpful, I believe.

Feel the resistance within yourself, notice how it manifests as tension and tightness in your body. Then, allow the tension to release, and allow your body to breathe; you might then feel the arising of emotions like fear, sadness, etc., but that's not a problem, those feelings just need to be felt and released.

That's something you've got to investigate for yourself I think, you've got to sit with the anxiety, feel into it, and notice the sorts of beliefs that are operating. Often these sorts of emotional issues have their roots in early childhood, so you have to access that very vulnerable part of yourself in order to get to the root of why you feel the way you do - and, honestly, that can feel very distressing and upsetting, so it does require courage and a willingness to relax into those feelings. @Judy2 has offered some excellent pointers in her post, identifying common themes and underlying emotions is a great way of getting to the root of these feelings.

@Breakingthewall Exactly, well said. Sometimes being around unconscious people is unavoidable, in which case you have to cope as best you can, but it's best to minimise the time you spend in the company of such people where possible.

Could be that there's some unresolved trauma from a past social situation that's triggered when you're around people, and that's causing you to feel threatened because you fear the same sort of thing happening again, which could lead to a repeat of the trauma and the rearising of all the associated feelings (shame, embarrassment, humiliation, etc.). It's never any fun being triggered, obviously, and I feel for you, but these sorts of situations can be very helpful if you can manage to stay present - particularly in your body, noticing where you feel tense and closed down and allowing those areas to relax and breathe.

I'd say it's whatever position allows you to feel physically comfortable, relaxed, and alert - there's no one position that's going to be optimal for everyone, I don't think, you've just got to figure out what's best for you personally. Me personally, I prefer to sit in the half-lotus, with my hips raised above the level of my knees, because I feel like that position gives me a good, stable foundation and allows my body to sit comfortably and breathe freely. As I say, though, that might not necessarily be best for you, but it could be an option for you.

I'm really into electronic music atm, not sure why.

Somatic therapy, maybe? That's concerned with feeling, I believe.

It's always struck me as odd that a time period can seem much more idyllic in retrospect than it did at the time. Examining my own nostalgic feelings, I wonder if I'm not just mourning the passing of time as much as anything. Seems, ultimately, to stem from a dissatisfaction with the present. If we felt truly contented in this moment, would we feel nostalgic?

Because the feelings of powerlessness, despair, and grief that are lurking under negative emotions like hatred and resentment just seem too hard to face - we may not even be conscious that this is the reason, but I think that's ultimately what it boils down to, or at least so I've found in my own experience. And it can take great courage and concerted effort to release the resistance out of which such negativity arises, to soften into those underlying emotions and to allow them to be felt and expressed. People often try to rationalise away such feelings, or even deny their very existence, but they aren't going to go away just because we refuse to acknowledge them. Don't take my word for it, though, pay attention to your inner state when you notice the arising of such negative feelings and investigate them for yourself. Feel the tension in your body, and allow it to release, allow your body to soften. See what other emotions arise, and just allow them to be felt.

@UnbornTao You're welcome. ?

Should just do it automatically? Although sometimes you get an error message and it doesn't embed, in which case delete the link, refresh the page, and try again.