Emotions are important. They give us essential and necessary feedback regarding our relationship and interaction with the appearances and circumstances that make up our life. We benefit from experiencing them, listening to them, and expressing them. Our practice is to not become enslaved to them - chase, avoid, deny them, or identify by them. In our practice, we note that they arise and dissipate, and that their nature is empty - practicing restraint without reacting as we observe these energies move within us. Our on-the-cushion practice of noting these moving energies but not being consumed or driven by them lets us express them naturally and skillfully in ways that are beneficial to daily life rather than dissatisfying and destructive. In this way, we're not ruled by our passions and they become valuable gifts and tools.