How do I communicate to the heart?

How do I communicate to the heart so that a stuck situation can ventilate? How do I communicate so that things that seem frozen, unworkable, and eternally aggressive begin to soften up, and some kind of compassionate exchange begins to happen?  It starts with being willing to have a compassionate relationship with the parts of ourselves that we feel are not worthy of existing on the planet. If we are willing through meditation to be mindful not only of what feels comfortable, but also of what pain feels like, if we even aspire to stay awake and open to what we’re feeling, to recognize and acknowledge it as best we can in each moment, then something begins to change.

Pema Chodron, from When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

More posts on Beyond Meds that feature Pema Chödrön’s work here.

Books by Pema Chödrön

● When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

● Unconditional Confidence: Instructions for Meeting Any Experience with Trust and Courage

●  Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears

●  The Pocket Pema Chodron

●  The Pema Chodron Audio Collection: Pure Meditation:Good Medicine:From Fear to Fearlessness (I really loved this audio!)

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