Welcome.
So this practice is for anyone living with pain or discomfort in their body.
Now we're not going to try to make the pain go away.
We're going to learn to be with it.
A little differently.
With more support.
Or ease.
Just a little bit more room to breathe So find a position that works for your body right now.
Sitting.
Lying down.
Or what is most comfortable for you.
You can adjust at any point.
Taking care of yourself is part of this.
So let's start by just arriving here to this practice.
So first I'd like to invite you to let your eyes open softly and take in the space around you.
Not looking for anything particular.
Just letting your gaze move slowly around the room.
Notice light.
Color.
Shapes.
Whatever is here.
Notice what's near you and what's further away.
And let your eyes settle somewhere that feels easy.
Neutral spot.
Something simple.
Something that asks nothing of you in this moment.
And notice any sounds around you.
Near.
Far inside or out.
You don't have to do anything with them.
Just let them be a part of the environment you're in And now feel the surface beneath you.
The weight of your body being supported and held.
Maybe it's the floor.
The chair.
Of the bed.
Whatever is holding you.
You don't have to hold yourself up.
You can let that go even slightly.
And let whatever is beneath you do all the work.
Knowing that you are somewhere.
You are here.
That is enough right now.
That is enough.
And now gently let your eyes close if that feels okay.
Or keep them soft and lowered,
Whatever feels right.
You're welcome to take a breath at whatever pace is natural.
Not changing it.
Just feeling it.
And now without going looking for it.
See if you can just acknowledge whatever pain or discomfort is present for you right now.
It's probably already making itself known.
You don't need to push toward it or away from it.
Just yes,
I feel that.
Welcome to use your breath to support you and your noticing.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
So we're not going to fight with it today.
Going to try to think our way out of it.
Just going to be with it a little bit differently.
So I'd like for you to start with something that might feel a little different.
Instead of going directly into where it hurts.
We'll start at the edges.
The outer boundary of your body.
Skin.
The surface of you.
Where you meet the world.
Can you feel the air on your skin right now?
Maybe on your hands.
Or your face.
For your arms.
Somewhere else.
Just noticing the simple sensation of temperature.
Contact.
Between your skin.
The air around you.
Notice what that feels like.
On evaluating.
Or analyzing but just sensing.
Temperature.
Maybe the slight movement of air.
Simple fact of your skin being there.
Present and alive.
And if you'd like,
You're welcome to notice where your body makes contact with whatever is beneath you.
The edges of your body that are being touched and held.
Maybe it's the back of your hands.
The soles of your feet if they're on the floor.
And see if you can stay here for a moment.
At the edges.
You don't have to go anywhere else.
If it feels available,
Only if it feels available.
Let's see if you can let your awareness travel just slightly inward from the edges.
All the way to where the pain is.
Just a little further in.
Maybe to the arms or the legs.
Somewhere that isn't demanding your attention right now.
And if going inward feels like too much today,
That's completely fine.
Stay here at the edges.
The edges are real.
The edges are enough.
Breathing in.
And breathing it out.
I'd like to invite you to look for somewhere else in your body that feels neutral right now.
Not comfortable necessarily or pleasant.
Just not particularly painful.
Maybe it's your hands.
Reach your face to the top of your head Maybe it's just the breath moving in and out.
Or maybe it's something very small.
Finger.
An ear low.
Somewhere that's simply okay.
When you find it.
Even something very small.
Allow your attention to rest there.
See if you can just sense and do it.
What does neutral actually feel like?
There a temperature.
Of softness.
A simple presence.
Maybe something else.
Breathing into and through that if you'd like.
Let yourself stay here for a moment.
Neutral it's not nothing neutral is actually your nervous system getting a small rest from the alarm of pain.
So let it have that.
Enjoy that.
It's okay.
And now,
When you're ready,
We're going to move gently back and forth.
Between where it's harder.
And where there's a little bit more ease.
This is called penulation and it's one of the most supportive things we can do for a nervous system that's been holding a lot.
So start by briefly bringing your attention back to the area of discomfort.
Just acknowledge it.
You don't have to stay long,
But notice its quality.
There it is.
What it feels like.
Use your breath to support you if you need.
Now gently move your attention very slowly back to the neutral place.
Back to the edges.
The skin,
The contact,
The air.
Somewhere that doesn't hurt as much.
And let yourself rest there now.
Breathing into and through supports.
Letting your nervous system register that,
Yeah.
This is okay.
I can be with this.
Breathing in.
We'll do one more round here.
So very gently,
Very slowly if you'd like.
You're welcome to stay here in neutrality,
If that feels best for you.
If you'd like.
Moving back to the discomfort just briefly,
Just noticing,
Just checking in.
Has anything changed?
Has the quality shifted at all?
Now maybe it has,
Maybe it hasn't.
Either is okay.
Again,
Allow your breath to support you and your noticing.
That's what it's here for.
And now very slowly moving back to ease again.
Back to neutral.
Or the edges.
Or the support beneath you.
Something else that is helpful.
Whatever feels most accessible right now.
Let yourself land there.
Let your nervous system have the experience of awe.
This is okay.
Be with this.
So let's take a moment to continue resting in support.
Just resting.
Just letting your nervous system have some ease.
To where it doesn't have to hold so much.
Notice if anything has shifted.
Small softening somewhere.
Or a quality that's just a little different.
From when we started.
You don't have to find anything dramatic.
Small things matter.
Continuing to breathe.
Feel where you are.
Letting yourself be held.
So where you don't have to hold so much.
Taking one more nice intentional breath as we start to move towards the close of this practice.
And we'll come back the same way we arrived.
And let your eyes open slowly if they were closed.
And let your gaze move around the room again.
Also noticing any sound.
Or any other tactile sensations.
And allow yourself to have some movement if you'd like,
Maybe a stretch.
Or a twist or a sway.
Your body wants that right now.
And just notice,
If anything,
In this moment.
Feels a little different than when you started.
Just notice.
Without needing it to mean anything.
Finally landing by just feeling the support beneath you one more time.
Still here.
Still holding you.
And pain may still be present.
But you've just spent the last 20-something minutes not fighting it.
And that matters more than it might feel like right now.
So you're welcome to come back to this practice whenever you need it.
You also know how to do this now on your own.
Wishing you a beautiful rest of your day or evening,
Wherever you are.
May you find ease,
Comfort.
In your journey.
