If you're in pain,
I'm sure you're well aware of how debilitating it can be in your life and how it can actually color your whole perspective on life.
And because of how much pain impacts other aspects of our life,
We can be weighed down by emotions caused by living with pain.
Although pain can be the source of so much wisdom if we know how to live with it,
But to cope with it in our life we must learn to relate to it in a meaningful and healthy way.
In a way you're developing your capacity to be really comfortable with being uncomfortable,
Which might need a little courage at first,
But this gradually transforms our relationship with pain and allows us to find much more rest and peace within ourselves even when we're in pain.
Developing a healthy relationship with pain and all its hardships is important because a lot of the time whether we like it or not it is there with us and so if we can transform this relationship we can feel so much better.
You can gradually develop a healthy relationship with your pain and emotions arising by allowing it all to be there in your system and stop fighting with it all,
Wanting it to be another way.
And you can allow the energy of its space to move through and transform,
Which means it loses its threat over you and doesn't overpower you as much.
This process all happens within the space of your body.
The analogy of steam can be helpful.
Steam is a movement of energy created by heat,
Naturally needing to move and find its way out of a pot.
Now if the lid is on that energy is held down,
It builds up in power and it will result in an explosion of sorts.
If you take the lid off and give that energy the space it needs,
It moves out and evaporates away.
No pressure builds up,
There's no explosion.
It's much more peaceful.
It works very similarly within ourselves.
If you can allow yourself to be present with the sensations of the pain or emotions moving through and give it space to take its natural unfolding course,
The energy of it liberates and we can encourage a greater sense of calm and peace within.
This isn't always easy to begin with,
But if you can stay with it,
Holding your space with a sense of compassion and open-heartedness,
You can gradually start to feel a steadiness with the practice.
Let's give that a try in this meditation.
As we move into the meditation,
Take a moment to find yourself somewhere comfortable to be.
Wherever your body feels awake,
Supported enough and relaxed.
Gradually allowing yourself to arrive and settle into your body and into the present moment and into the meditation.
During the meditation I'll give you some guidance and then leave a space of silence for you to really drop into your own experience and feel what is happening for you in the moment.
Once you're comfortable,
Relax your body as much as you can and bring your awareness to the feelings and sensations of the breath within your body.
Notice the sensations of the air coming in and out of your nostrils and your throat.
Notice the feelings and sensations of your ribs,
Lungs and abdomen expanding and contracting as you breathe.
Really bringing your awareness down into the quality of the body.
Moving your awareness gently to your out-breath.
Extending the out-breath out a bit if you want.
Really follow the whole length of the out-breath down.
Feeling your body relax deeper and deeper with each out-breath.
Take your awareness down to the ground of your being.
Notice the weight of your legs or your body resting on the ground.
Notice the sensations of where your body comes into contact with that ground.
Notice the feeling of the ground or the chair pushing up from below you and supporting the whole weight of your body.
And as much as you can really allow yourself to trust that ground and allow your whole body deeply relax into it.
Just let go.
As you relax there bring your awareness gently up into the trunk of your body and be curious of any feelings and sensations within your trunk.
Seeing if you can have a sense of bare awareness.
Just noticing and allowing.
There's no need to get caught in any stories or stop anything or pretend it's not there.
Allow your awareness to expand out to the rest of your body.
To your arms,
Up to your neck and your head.
Until you become aware of feelings and sensations within your whole body.
If you can't seem to feel your whole body you can keep gently feeling around different parts of your body to notice what's there.
If you feel yourself trying too hard or you're distracted,
Notice any tension or holding anywhere in your body.
With the quality of the out-breath let it soften and relax.
And gently bring your awareness back to your breath and back into your body.
Relaxing deeply into the ground again.
And you can let your awareness expand out further from your body into the space around you.
And as you breathe you could have the sense that your whole body is breathing.
This breathing process allows a softening of your sense of form.
Allowing your awareness to expand out and become more open and spacious.
Continuously,
Gently letting go,
Relaxing and letting your awareness become more spacious and open.
As we've been deepening into the meditation we've had an awareness of something.
An awareness of the breath.
An awareness of the body.
And now we're starting to open to a sense of really being spacious awareness itself.
Allowing everything space to be as it is.
Quiet,
Present,
Spacious awareness.
While resting in the spacious awareness,
If you notice any emotions arising,
See if you can let go of the story of it and just notice the raw feelings and sensations of it in your body.
Giving it space to be there and move through.
And as you breathe out,
Really relax your body.
Give it space to move and notice what you feel.
So you're taking the lid off the pot and letting the steam move out and evaporate away as it needs to.
If you feel pain in your body,
See if you can let go of the stories interconnected with it and just notice the bare sensations of it in your body.
Giving it space to be there.
Take a deep breath in and a long,
Slow breath out.
Deeply relax your body.
Give it space to move and notice what you feel.
There's no need to judge the pain or the emotions.
They're just processes of energy moving through.
At the same time,
It's not helpful to ignore them or push them down.
They all need space to move and be liberated.
You might notice a subtle sense of freedom in it,
Like an inner peace that comes with that allowing.
Maybe you note a pleasant and safe feeling of resting there in your body.
If you notice anything pleasurable within your being right now,
Give it space to expand out as much as it wants to,
Bringing some sense of peace and joy,
Even though experiences are arising and moving through.
Developing this type of meditation allows this strength to gradually grow and expand.
It allows you to move into your normal daily life and it can become a true resource for you in a life of pain,
As it has for me.
Over time,
You'll find that you naturally respond to pain and emotions in a different way and you can feel present and grounded,
Even though the pain is there in your body.
And allowing the energy of the pain or emotions to liberate means it doesn't get stuck or pushed down and build up over time.
It gives the power back to you and slowly but surely bringing you a greater sense of inner peace.
If you're someone who lives with pain and you found this talk and meditation helpful,
You can have a look at my course Finding Peace While Living in Pain,
Where I guide you gradually through the journey that really helped me to live peacefully amongst my pain.
Hopefully it can give you a new perspective and understanding and somehow make a difference for you too.
