A couple of years ago my mother passed away and a separation also led to me being apart from my son for what seemed like unbearable periods of time. I have practiced Vipassana and Anapana for quite a while but even so I could not work with the pain I experienced and had no equanimity.
As a surfer I began to remember the pain associated with being held down by a large wave, the feeling of needing to breath but not being able to. I felt relief in my body that I could breath freely, without restiriction. From there I began to see that, though I was living in my van, I had shelter from the harsh weather. I began to recall that I had food that day and was not starving.
This practice of gratitude eventually brought me back to my breath, which brought me back to observing bodily sensations. It may be this practice of gratitude that saved my life.
On Oct 2, 2018 Paul Hunter wrote :
A couple of years ago my mother passed away and a separation also led to me being apart from my son for what seemed like unbearable periods of time. I have practiced Vipassana and Anapana for quite a while but even so I could not work with the pain I experienced and had no equanimity.
As a surfer I began to remember the pain associated with being held down by a large wave, the feeling of needing to breath but not being able to. I felt relief in my body that I could breath freely, without restiriction. From there I began to see that, though I was living in my van, I had shelter from the harsh weather. I began to recall that I had food that day and was not starving.
This practice of gratitude eventually brought me back to my breath, which brought me back to observing bodily sensations. It may be this practice of gratitude that saved my life.