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Tortoise photo from a video by National Geographic

          After a fire swept through a forest in Brazil, a group of animal rescuers found a female tortoise who had lost most of her shell. An eclectic team made up of veterinarians, a dental surgeon, a graphic designer, and an artist came up with an innovative idea: make a prosthetic shell with a 3D printer. While the vets took care of their patient, photos were taken of a healthy tortoise shell in order to create a model. Corn-based plastic was used to print out a shell, and a local artist applied non-toxic paint to make it look more authentic. The tortoise now lives with one of the doctors and is doing remarkably well.
          It can be a little unnerving to let go of attitudes and behaviors that have become second nature to us. Like the tortoise, we may feel vulnerable and unprotected. Though our intentions may point us in the right direction, how do we actually change those daily thoughts and emotions that hinder us? How do we prevent them from triggering our old habits? Repetition is what created these patterns, and so we must practice new behaviors to reset what is familiar to us. While emotions aren't shortcomings, our emotionally-tinged thoughts can affect our perspective; such thoughts make our ideas feel solid and real even when they're not. Yet a surge of emotion can act as a signal to pay attention to the sensation that arises rather than the fictional story our mind wants to create. In that open space, we can mindfully choose a skillful response that will benefit our recovery. We won't ever be perfect, but the more we practice, the closer we'll move toward what matters.

For more information on hindrances, see this post.

Hindrances

Bass with a lure dangling from its mouth

           Though we may be aware that negative character traits provoke our compulsions and addictions, it’s not always easy to let them go. We’ve come to think of them as the soothing balm that gives us what we want, or the forceful fire that burns away what we refuse to accept. Indeed, our rage may temporarily make us feel better than feeling powerless; our denial may briefly take away the sting of the truth. We get hooked into thinking these traits bring us some form of contentment. In reality, they offer only illusion. If we want to unhook ourselves, we need to be aware of the process that gets us to this point. The first stage involves an event that triggers an uncomfortable emotion. We may experience it as a tightening in the chest, numbness, a sinking feeling in the belly, or an energetic flush. Our mind goes into overdrive, shouting at us: “Do something – anything!” Hooks are most easily set when we feel insecure, so we often follow the mind’s suggestion and react. Yet we have another option: to experience the feeling without believing our thoughts. If we focus on the how the body feels instead of the story built around the emotion (“I’m going to lose my job!” “This pain is going to last forever!”), the physical sensation soon fades. When we don’t take the bait our mind generates, we find more space to relax and enjoy life. However this practice will bring a humbling realization: letting go of our hindrances is an ongoing, lifelong endeavor.

That tight feeling has the power to hook us into self-denigration, blame, anger, jealousy and other emotions which lead to words and actions that end up poisoning us. 

~ Pema Chodron

For more information on hindrances, see this post.