Hello, and welcome back to practicing human, the podcast where every day we're getting

a little better at life.

I'm your host, Corey Muscara, and in today's episode we're going to talk about how to make

sure your meditation practice isn't a form of bypassing.

Or to come on that in a moment, first let's settle in together with the sound of the

bells.

Okay, so in our text message community the other day, I was talking about how meditation

practice, if we're not careful, can actually become a form of avoidance.

We can use it to force our attention away from the parts of us that are most painful, but

actually need the most care and love.

And you know, this can often happen with very simple meditation practices like just focusing

on the breath.

We may be going through something difficult or painful, and when we practice, we try

to almost push those things away so that we can absorb ourselves in the one-pointed

experience of breathing.

Which if you've ever done that, you may notice that it can actually come with a temporary

experience of relief.

Even a potentially longer term experience of relief if the concentration remains strong.

However, we're not addressing the root of the problem.

And even though it can sometimes come with relief, it can also, and often does, reinforce

the sense of tension in us that is pushing away those experiences that they're not felt.

But how do we reconcile this in a meditation practice where the instructions do seem

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