Radical Acceptance Meditations

Radical acceptance of pain

This mindfulness exercise is designed to relax our resistance to unpleasant sensations.

Get into a relaxed state. Gently scan through your body. Where is the area of strong discomfort or pain that calls your attention? Bring a receptive attention directly to the unpleasant sensations in that part of your body. Notice what happens as you begin to be present with this pain. Is there an attempt, however subtle, to push the pain away? To cut it off, block it off, pull away? Is there fear?

Experience your awareness as the soft space that surrounds the pain and allow the unpleasant sensations to float in this awareness. Resting in this openness, now bring a more precise attention to the changing sensations in the area of pain. What is the experience actually like? Do you feel burning, aching, twisting, throbbing, tearing, stabbing?

Investigate with a nonreactive, soft attention.

Discovering your deepest longing

This exercise is about bringing your desires into the light of awareness. Our desires hold a lot of fear for many of us.

Get relaxed and comfortable. When you feel settled, ask yourself, ‘What does my heart long for?’ Your initial answer might be that you want to be healthy, to lose weight, to make more money, to find a partner. Ask again and listen deeply, accepting whatever spontaneously arises.

Continue in this way for several minutes, asking yourself the question, pausing and paying attention in an accepting and nonreactive way. Perhaps your answer will begin to deepen and simplify. Be patient and relaxed—with time, as you listen to your heart, your deepest longing will emerge.

Being with fear

This mindfulness exercise, which isn’t suitable if you have suffered trauma, can be practiced anytime you feel fear. Using your breath, you allow yourself to touch its sensations, exhaling, and letting go into openness. It helps to cultivate an open and engaged presence.

To start, get into a relaxed state. Now bring to mind a situation that evokes fear. Ask yourself: ‘What is the worst part of this situation? What am I really afraid of?’

While your inquiry may give rise to a story, if you stay alert to the sensations that arise in your body, the story becomes a gateway to accessing your feelings more fully. Pay particular attention to your throat, chest and stomach area, discover how fear expresses itself in you.

From http://www.artofwellbeing.com/2017/11/08/acceptance/