This anger management Practice draws on the dual wisdom of Aikido and scientific research, "The gift of forgiveness" will help you explore how to change long term anger into a wider range of life affirming emotions. It is a simple yet profound Practice following the Seishindo principles of Absorption, Utilization, and Balance.
- Absorb your upset feelings as you inhale, and feel what is there for you. - Utilize your upsetness to help generate forgiveness. - Remain emotionally balanced as you feel a wider range of your emotions.
This Practice will lead you to go beyond feeling angry or resentful and limiting what you are capable of feeling and appreciating. This Practice invites you to use the built up energy of anger or resentment, as the catalyst for generating forgiveness. The more you are able to feel anger or resentment while not fully giving into it and losing yourself, the more you will be able to enter onto a path of forgiveness.
As always, the key here is to take your time, speak slowly, breathe deeply, and pause between sentences. Keep each sentence short and concise. This is important. Long sentences lead to sloppy thinking and getting lost. You are to speak each sentence out loud if you are in a space that allows for this. It can often be helpful to repeat this process for several rounds in one sitting, letting your words change as you go along.
You might want to read through this Practice at least once, before actually beginning.
Choices: In general, you can: Choose between using and working with the concept of "anger" or "resentment" for each statement that you read below. Or, alternate between using "anger" for one statement, and "resentment" for the next statement. Or, use both terms at the same time, "My anger and resentment..." It is totally up to you.
If your sense of anger or resentment is strong, you might likely have to do this Practice a number of times before you are able to fully agree with what you are saying. This is often an important part of the process. If necessary, please do give yourself the opportunity to speak the words while still feeling a bit out of alignment with what you are saying. This is part of opening up to the gift of forgiveness.
"Today, I am feeling into my relationship with ... ... . "(Name a person or situation that is troublesome) Pause, Breathe. Deeply, and Feel the Movement in your body as you sit quietly
"Today, I am feeling into my anger (resentment) in this regard. " Pause, Breathe. Deeply, and Feel the Movement in your body as you sit quietly.
"Today, in feeling my anger (resentment), I realize that I am missing out on the opportunity to experience the blessing of serenity. Pause, Breathe. Deeply, and Look around at your surroundings as you sit quietly
Today, I realize that beyond my anger(resentment), I would also like to feel a sense of deep inner calm. " Pause, Breathe. Deeply, and Listen to your surroundings as you sit quietly
"Today, I realize that I can help improve my overall emotional response to life, by giving myself the gift of forgiveness." Pause, Breathe. Deeply, and Feel the Movement in your body as you sit quietly
"Today, I realize that I would like to exchange my anger (resentment) for a sense of peace and calm." Pause, Breathe. Deeply, and Look around at your surroundings as you sit quietly
"Today, I realize that feeling a sense of forgiveness, leads to feeling calm, and at peace with myself. Pause, Breathe. Deeply, and Listen to your surroundings as you sit quietly
Today, I realize that I can breathe in anger (resentment), and breathe out forgiveness and compassion." Pause, Breathe. Deeply In AND Out, and Feel the Movement in your body as you sit quietly
"Today, I know that I can face my anger (resentment) again tomorrow, with a sense of serenity." Pause, Breathe. Deeply, and Feel the Movement in your body as you sit quietly
"Today, I can rest in the grace of the world and be free. " Pause, Breathe. Deeply, and Feel the Movement in your body as you sit quietly
* * * I hope this Practice will help you to fulfill the longing of your spirit. That you achieve peaceful victory over your anger as you travel ever closer to living the life your heart longs for.~ Charlie Badenhop
Good evening WA. When I first started reading this post...I got down to the following lines and thought.....hmmm.....takes one back to the days of long hair... and rolling smoke...:)
(Absorb your upset feelings as you inhale, and feel what is there for you. - Utilize your upsetness to help generate forgiveness. - Remain emotionally balanced as you feel a wider range of your emotions.)
We forgave and loved everybody....then again.....we were kinda like space cadets, from another planet...
Weather any better out there today?
__________________
"LOVE" devoid of self-gratification, is in essence, the will, to the greatest good...of another.
Mmmm, stopped raining for the day, got some nice weak sunshine, and still don't have all the leaves rakes. They just keep a comin'. Rains to follow...Rolling smoke, eh?
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Baby.
__________________
"Never argue with an idiot... They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience..."
Thanks for the link, Wren. I believe that when we close the door to the 'eastern' philosophies, we deny ourselves the opportunity to expand and enrich our 'western' spiritual thought processes. (Wow...heavy, huh?)
And, Phil and Wren....Hmmm...Lemesee.....one evening in the Fall of 1970.........a hippie college buddy and me placing a leafy substance in the bowl of a waterpipe...sitting with a bottle of wine in my rented house in a spare bedroom covered in glowing blacklight posters (even the ceiling)...listening to "Inagadadavita" (including the 17 minute drum solo)...........in our conversation, we stumbled across the Meaning of Existance......Sorry I can't share it with you now, because neither of us could remember what it was the very next day........
(Couple more years of sobriety, and it just might come back to me!)
LOL, yes Dan. Inagadadavida's drum session sounded so much better thirty-eight years ago (yeah, 1968!). I listen to it now, and start getting restless by about eight minutes. Did you know that Inagadadavida isn't a real word? Because Eastern sounding music was becoming popular for us about then, when the lead singer spit out those words, and they sounded so eastern, the record head decided to keep it for it's eastern tang. Supposedly, he was loaded when he sang it and it was supposed to be " In the Garden of Eden". Who knows, it sounds good, LOL.
Yeah, I enjoy studying eastern philosophy, it deals so much in inner work with our HP, on what western thought would deem abstract. I correspond with Charlie Badenhop, and he told me that much of Shieshindo is based loosely on the twelve steps, he has great admiration for AA. Wish I could afford his classes. Have a nice dry weekend? Got the oars ready here. lv, Wren
__________________
"Never argue with an idiot... They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience..."