Hi Dr Adele Stewart here.
This meditation is a self-compassion break for pain.
It can be used as a short formal meditation but it's also really useful to bring into daily life in an informal way even when you're walking down the street.
So a lot of us have got a tendency to be very self-critical about the fact that we're in pain and how we're dealing with it.
Like we're failing life in some way.
It can be really useful to think about how we would treat a friend who is in the same situation when we're feeling really okay in ourselves.
And if we can bring that same compassion to this one,
This human that's feeling pain right now,
It can be very helpful.
Compassion wishes for the pain to ease and go away but it doesn't depend on the outcome.
We can still have compassion even if the pain doesn't change.
Research shows that supportive touch towards ourselves is a very helpful way of expressing self-compassion.
And self-compassion can be more difficult than it might initially sound.
If you notice it's really tough to bring compassion to yourself you might even be able to bring a little self-compassion to that very experience.
So right now just taking any comfortable position that you like.
Notice if there's any obvious tension that you can release with some subtle movements.
And perhaps taking about three slow deep breaths if that's helpful.
Now placing your attention on an area that's in pain right now.
If it feels too much you can pause and have a look around to orient yourself or go back to taking some breaths or feeling the soles of your feet on the floor.
Seeing if you can feel the pain or discomfort without overwhelming yourself.
Starting off by simply acknowledging the pain.
Finding your own words.
Something like,
Ah this is a moment of pain,
This really hurts.
Having a soft and gentle tone to your voice.
And perhaps saying it several times internally.
Just allowing the truth of this statement to sink in.
Perhaps it's just,
Ouch.
You might like to make a statement like,
This is a this is what it feels like to experience this particular pain.
And it can be very helpful to have a sense of the common humanity involved with pain here.
Noticing if it might be helpful to say something to yourself like,
Feeling this kind of pain is a normal human experience,
It's not wrong for me to feel this way.
Perhaps in your mind's eye you might even like to see all the people in the world who might be feeling the exact same pain as you are right now.
Maybe it might be helpful to feel that you're all in a circle or that you're at the front and everyone else is backing you up right now.
And now seeing if you can bring in some real,
Real self kindness here.
Perhaps experimenting with putting a hand over your heart,
Perhaps two hands over your heart.
Or if this doesn't feel so right,
You might put your hand really gently,
Tenderly over the area that's in pain.
Or perhaps another part of your body might have one hand on each shoulder with the arms crossed giving yourself a hug.
Or a hand on your cheek,
Perhaps even your hands just gently holding each other.
Continuing to give yourself some kind statements with a really,
Really gentle internal voice.
Internal voice.
Perhaps,
May my pain ease,
May my suffering ease.
Inviting self kindness with the feel of your hand on your body and the gentle tone to your voice.
It is about what we say and it's also how we say it.
Staying with this practice a little bit longer if you like.
Now releasing the words and the images.
Just coming back to feeling the breath and the body.
Noticing the effect of the meditation.
Opening your eyes,
Moving the body,
Moving the body and going about your day.
