Awakening your Buddha smile with the help of difficulties

Hi thanks for your lovely response, helpful advice. I have in the past found mindfulness and meditation very helpful with depression. It's interesting how sometimes it can work and other times it might disturb and another tool, like journal writing or dancing, can be more beneficial. Maybe it is the type of meditation too as you say. Depression is hard to accept, or the anger that often causes it, so the element of being kind to someone else can feel like you are forcing yourself out of depression rather than truly accepting, truly accepting pain and anger, frustration. I will no doubt come back to your meditations. Love to your soul too.

Hi Katrina, are you aware that it is a series of kindness meditations? This is the most challenging one! I would certainly not recommend this one without practicing the ones before first. You can find the first one at https://www.ekhartyoga.com/classes/3292/awakening-your-buddha-smile-introduction. If it does not do you good, then acknowledge this and stick with what does. You are absolutely right that it should not feel as a pressure to change. The essence of kindness is its accepting nature. Mindfulness and kindness meditations have proven to be helpful for people who suffer from depression. But of course, not everybody is the same. My advice to you would be to find someone in your neighborhood that offers this kind of help so it can be more personalized to your needs. Very often certified psychologists have a training in mindfulness also. If you would like to try the kindness meditation that I am offering here, please do the introduction first. If that works OK for you, you can go to the next one. Etc. If it does not work for you, just let it be. This is the order: 1. Awakening your Buddha smile - Introduction 2. Awakening your Buddha smile with the help of suffering 3. Awakening your Buddha smile with the help of the body 4. Awakening your Buddha smile with the help of an animal 5. Awakening your Buddha smile with the help of thoughts and feelings 6. Awakening your Buddha smile with the help of difficulties 7. Awakening your Buddha smile with the help of all living beings 8. Awakening your Buddha smile in 5 minutes wherever you are Thank you for being so open and straight forward. My heart goes out to you

Hi Katrina, You seem to have a lot of tools in your toolbox (dancing, journal writing, yoga). I agree that most techniques are about building or strengthening neural pathways. Depression can be like a well-traveled road -- suddenly there is understanding that someone is forcing something, or not telling a whole truth, or another not-ok thing, and bam! it's 0 to 90 on Highway Rage, Interstate Sadness, or Meaninglessness Boulevard. I can relate. Glad you're trying different types of help, being vocal, and allowing flexibility for yourself.

Thank you Georgia, it brings a smile to my face