Offering Practice

Rather than ignoring, or running away from unpleasant feelings, thoughts, situations, and rather than grasping onto pleasant feelings, thoughts, and situations, we can simply offer them. Whatever we are feeling – sadness, loneliness, anger, fear, grief – we can offer it. When we are feeling happiness, comfort, bliss, we can offer these also, knowing that these feelings also do not last and when they leave us we usually suffer. So, we can offer them.

We can make this into a practice, using the breath as our vehicle for support and letting go. Breathing in, we can feel supported by life, by our body, by the oxygen filled air. Our bodies need oxygen to function properly and survive, so when we breathe, our body is receiving what it needs and is supported by the oxygen in the air right here in our life. We don’t even have to try to do it, it just happens, we can just allow it. We can also feel supported emotionally, spiritually as we breathe in. We may not know why we are here or how we got here, but we are here – right here in this life, where our lives are supported by innumerable conditions. Then, feeling supported, we can acknowledge how we feel, no matter what we are feeling. We can acknowledge it, touching it lightly – ah, yes, this is sadness or fear or anger or happiness, or whatever. Then as we breathe out, we can release whatever we are feeling, allowing it to go out with the breath back into the air. We can offer it back to life – here is my sadness, here is my anger, here is my happiness, I release it, I let it go, I offer it.

~j

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