Emotional Digestion

Tantra Illuminated with Dr. Christopher Wallace is a journey through the depths of the human experience, as viewed through the lens of the tradition called nondual Shaiva Tantra. This multi-format podcast delves into the fascinating world of classical tantra and its intersections with philosophy,

neuroscience, psychology, human development

and the broader world of spirituality.

Today's episode is a meditation. We've gotten a lot of requests for this one, and indeed the practice of emotional digestion is really crucial to prevent emotional overwhelm in everyday life due to things sort of piling up in your energetic system. It's a vital tool for living in the modern world, and I recommend you do this practice at least a couple times a week. Speaking of effective practices, if you haven't already, please check out our Tantra 112 meditation app. It's gotten rave reviews, well over a hundred on the app store, and people have said it's extraordinarily powerful, even life transforming. And we're adding new meditations to that app every month. Check it out at tantral112.app

This practice can be done in a comfortable chair, an easy chair, or it can be done in a restorative pose. For example, Viparita Karani, if you know that pose. It's as simple as lying on the floor with your legs propped up and supported. Your legs could, for example, be on a couch with your back on the floor, with a pillow under your hips, or any restorative pose. You can do this practice every day or as needed. Placing one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly, arrive fully in your body. and feel whatever is there to be felt. You don't need to think about what caused these emotions, if anything caused them. Sometimes emotions just arise and we blame them on something or someone. Or sometimes we're convinced they have a specific cause. Either way, you don't need to think about it. Let go the thoughts, let go the stories and narratives, and simply be with whatever you feel. You don't need to label these feelings or emotions. If labels arise of their own accord, that's fine. But please don't make any effort to identify these feelings. Just feel whatever you feel as fully as possible. You can even affirm, I'm willing to feel whatever needs to be felt. Sometimes the emotions are subtle. and sometimes they are intense. Please don't shy away from the intensity, if it is so. Let yourself feel the grief, the sadness, the rage if it's possible for you let sounds emanate from your throat from your chest from your mouth Some of us don't feel fully until we vocalize. Please don't feel you need to necessarily, but be open to the possibility of vocalizing. And if strange sounds emerge, that's fine. And if the feelings are more subtle, see if you can go into them a little more deeply. Find where this feeling lives in your body. It may be that it's not sadness or anger but joy that needs to be felt. Many of us don't let ourselves feel happiness fully if we imagine we don't deserve it. Many unfinished emotions live in your body. Invite them. And there may be a mysterious dance of intertwining unidentifiable feelings There may be a kind of unnameable poignancy Sometimes tears flow even when you