Om Namaste.
Thank you so much for selecting this meditation.
Today we will be making room for pain or discomfort.
It's common to tighten around discomfort.
The body becomes tense when we are struggling.
We try to rid ourselves of the unpleasantness.
We tighten around the pain.
But what if I told you instead of tightening,
You can make room for the pain instead.
By welcoming it in and meeting it with a caring presence,
You have the power to retrain the mind,
Building a non-reactive awareness.
Rather than being controlled by every situation,
You can notice it,
Allow it to be present,
And move forward.
For this practice,
Find a comfortable upright seated position.
Give yourself a few minutes to settle.
Lengthen the crown of the head towards the sky.
Ground down with your sit bones.
Relax your hands gently wherever they may rest for you.
Begin to take notice of the breath,
Allowing the mind and body to relax with each exhale.
Without ignoring the unpleasantness that might be seated with you today,
Invite in calm.
Draw awareness to the painful emotion you are experiencing.
Don't fall into the story.
Simply recognize how the mind and body feel right now.
Bring in some self-inquiry and ask if it is sadness,
Fear,
Frustration,
Or disappointment.
Just notice holding everything in your awareness.
Notice without any judgment.
Bring in a gentle witnessing presence,
A curiosity to your experience,
To how you are feeling.
Begin making space for the emotion by offering a few phrases of compassion.
Remember your intention to care for the pain rather than push it away.
You might like to offer these phrases to the pain or difficulty you're experiencing.
You are welcome here.
There is space for you.
May I welcome you with compassion.
You are welcome here.
There is space for you.
May I welcome you with compassion.
Continue to offer the phrases to yourself for a few more minutes,
Reconnecting with your intention to tend to the experience with an open and caring heart.
When you're ready,
Return to the breath for a minute or two.
With each exhale,
Soften the body.
Let the shoulders drop down.
Allow the jaw to relax and soften the muscles of the abdomen.
Relax your heart and notice how it feels good to do so.
If you feel any pain or tension,
Acknowledge it.
Welcome it.
Create space for it with compassion.
Take a few deep calming breaths and relax.
As this wave of relaxation moves over the body,
Allow the breath to continue to be calm and even and steady.
Again,
Welcoming in the pain,
Creating space,
Offering compassion.
Let this compassion fill your whole heart.
Let this compassion move through the body.
Blanketing your forehead,
Your eyes,
Your cheeks,
Your nose,
Your ears,
And your mouth.
Traveling down your shoulders and your chest,
Your arms,
The torso,
The back of the body.
Flowing down to your sit bones and hips,
The upper legs and the lower legs.
All the way down to your feet and to the very tip of each toe.
Let this compassion heal the body.
Let this compassion envelop your entire being.
Relaxing the entire body.
Each and every part of your body held in your awareness,
Allowing you to be completely present in this very moment.
Being present with yourself and present with life.
Pain is just an experience we can be aware of.
Can you send this experience compassion?
Send it love?
Can you be okay with this pain?
Understand that you are not your pain.
Letting your pain be held in compassion.
Offering these phrases.
You are welcome here.
There is space for you.
May I welcome you with compassion.
Allow yourself to slowly come back to the present moment in your own time.
Breathing in fresh air and bringing back all with you that you have learned today for a better tomorrow.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes,
Come back into the room and take one final deep breath in and long slow breath out.
Om shanti shanti shanti.
