Emotions like water

Our emotional body is like water.   

You’ve probably heard the story about our emotional life being like the contents of a cup that we hold.  If we are holding a cup of coffee and someone bumps our arm, we get splattered with coffee.  When someone “bumps” into us (emotionally), whatever is in our ‘cup’ comes spilling out.  Fear, anger, compassion, selflessness, low self-esteem, those are the contents of the cup.  The contents of the emotional body.

The practice of mindfulness helps us look into the cup and see what is there. That’s a good first step.  Taking an inventory and becoming aware.  Because the process of awareness is what begins to transition things from subconscious to conscious.  We become aware of the good, the bad and the ugly.   And that’s a helpful process.  But don’t stop there …

The emotional body has also been described as a lake or a pond, and sometimes the water is turbulent, sometimes still.  Sometimes the mud (unpleasant emotions) on the bottom is stirred up, sometimes it is settled.  Too often our mood depends on external circumstances, for example, if the outside world is stirring up the mud, things can seem bleak.  Or if we actually have a break from the chaos of life for to mud to settle … and we feel happy.  But this momentary happiness is dependent on external factors.  Because we are not specifically doing anything about mud control.  The mud is still there.  It’s just out of sight (and under “control”) for a while.

The other way to think about the emotional body is like a fish tank.  Like the lake, the water can be turbulent or still, allowing us to see down below the surface or be completely unable to discern.  Also similar to the lake in that there is mud or fish waste that is either stirred up or settled on the bottom.  Same as the cup of coffee in that if the tank gets bumped, whatever is in the water will get spilled out.  But here’s one important difference:  the filtration system.  Purifying the water. Adjusting the pH through specific, deliberate action.  The filtration system in a fish tank cleanses out the impurities, the harmful qualities, the things that prevent the water from being clear.  Removing the things that are not healthy for the fish.

Energy healing and energy-based meditation practices do this for our emotions.  And “filters” (meditations and healing modalities) come in different sizes and strengths.  As we keep working on our energy body, our meditation practices develop, and we increase our capacity to heal emotionally.  Building capacity.  Inner purification. Being able to see the good within ourselves, without it being obstructed by all the external debris.

That’s what life is all about, right? 

I invite you to experience a few different meditations from the Pranic Healing lineage on my Insight Timer page. Just download the app and search my name. The meditations are all pretty short, and are powerful experiences to tone the emotional body. Repeat every day, as needed. Namaste. https://insighttimer.com/