Good morning,
My name is Celia Roberts and welcome to Biome,
The Biomedical Institute of Yoga and Meditation.
Today we're going to do a meditation to reduce back pain and we're going to focus on compassion meditation to do this which is scientifically proven to be excellent at reducing pain,
Particularly in the back.
So I want you to bring all of your attention into your lower back,
Your mid back or your upper back.
Wherever you're experiencing this pain,
Bring your attention to this point.
See if you can move right into that experience and use your breath,
Bringing the breath to that area of the body.
As you breathe to this region,
See if you can pinpoint the actual centre or the eye of the pain,
The source of the pain.
See if the pain changes at all,
Does it shift,
Move?
As you place your attention at its source,
Really trying to source the very centre of this sensation.
Stay with the sensation fully and then begin the compassion aspect of the meditation.
So on your in-breath,
You're breathing the sensation,
The observation of sensation and on the out-breath an acceptance and a sense of compassion and self-care to that area of the body.
On the in-breath,
Aware of the sensation and on the out-breath,
A sense of compassion and care flooding that region of the body.
On the in-breath,
Observing sensation,
The source of the discomfort and on the out-breath using compassion,
Nurture,
Care to this region of the body.
And see if you can flood your whole body with a sense of self-care and compassion,
Kindness and love directed towards the self.
If this is difficult for you,
Just observe the fears,
Blocks and resistances and know that this is very normal and well studied.
And see if you can keep overcoming those just to be a little gentler on oneself.
Use the out-breath to flood the body with kindness,
Compassion,
Self-care,
A sense of acceptance and attention.
And observing the whole body now and using this compassion meditation to somewhat change the cells in the body all the way down to the DNA.
So we have the ability to lengthen telomeres,
Which are the caps on the end of the DNA which protect from cellular ageing.
And we have the ability to change our genome,
Our inherited genetic traits through meditation,
Mindfulness and compassion.
Just eight hours in one day will have major epigenetic changes.
So as you come to this compassion meditation,
Now really flood your whole body with compassion,
Take a compassionate posture,
See if you can smile gently to yourself,
Which will assist in improving your vagal tone.
Let the eyes become a little softer.
The out-breath are longer than the in-breath.
And see if you can embody compassion.
And wish yourself well.
May I be happy.
May I be healthy.
May I be filled with deep compassion.
May I be at peace.
And then see if you can offer this to a loved one.
May they be happy.
May they be healthy.
May they be filled with compassion.
May they be at peace.
Come back to the belly breath,
Soften your awareness in the belly.
Soften the belly.
And use the out-breath to keep softening to this region.
A soft belly will increase vagal tone and oxytocin,
Leading to heightened states of trust in many and increased parasympathetic nervous system activity.
In this way,
Others trust us more as well.
And return to that discomfort or pain in the back and just see if there's been a shift or a change.
Sourcing right into the center of the pain.
And just really ask yourself,
Is this really there?
How does it shift,
Move?
Can you stay with the sensations and not label it as terrible or unliked or unwanted to stay with the sensation?
Really stay there mindfully,
Noting all sensations without labeling it as bad or unwanted.
Send your lightest wave of compassion to that region.
And observing this state change upon completion of your practice,
The change in body,
Mind,
Breath and heart.
So when you're ready,
Slowly and gently come out of the meditation in any way you wish.
And I thank you for your presence.
Have a wonderful,
Wonderful day.
