Shifting focus practice for body pain.
Hello and welcome to choosing mindfulness.
My name is Banu Joy Harrison and I will be leading you in a meditation to work with body pain.
Let's begin.
You can do this practice sitting,
Standing,
Or lying down.
Whatever is the most comfortable posture that you can find in this moment.
Begin by taking a few deep breaths to signal a shift in your focus from your normal daily activity to turning your attention inward to your body.
To begin,
Identify an area in your body that has mild to moderate pain.
When you're more skillful at this meditation,
You can choose a more chronic pain to work with.
For now,
Just focus on a mild to moderate painful sensation.
Where in your body is this pain?
Is it in your body?
Is it in arm or leg?
Or your stomach or chest?
Or does it feel like it covers more of your body?
Notice the size and shape of this pain.
Is it the size of a quarter or a dinner plate?
Is it round or thick or more like a narrow line of discomfort?
Is there a color to this sensation?
See if you can find a few adjectives,
Words to describe the sensation of this discomfort.
Is it hot or throbbing?
Heavy or churning?
Or churning,
Achy or stabbing?
Continue to track the sensation with your attention to see what happens next to it as you watch with kind curiosity.
Remember the intention is not to change your sensation,
But just to notice it as it is.
Is the uncomfortable sensation just the same or has it changed since you first started investigating it?
Is the sensation less intense but covering a larger area?
Or did the sensation consolidate into a smaller region with perhaps a more intense sensation?
If the sensation has changed,
See if you need to find a few new words to describe it.
Again,
Watch the sensations as you see what happens to them next.
Now,
I'd like you to shift your attention to a part of your body that is experiencing a neutral to comfortable sensation.
This may be challenging as we are so used to just noticing our pain that we sometimes imagine that there is no area that is actually feeling comfortable.
Perhaps you may find some comfort in your nose or ears or maybe your right foot.
As we did before,
Notice the size and shape of this neutral or comfortable area.
My experience is that the body will always provide even a small area that has more comfort than your pain.
Is the area small or large?
Is there a color or image associated with this comfort?
Again,
See if you can find a few adjectives to describe this area of comfort.
Is it soft or squishy?
Open or warm?
Light or airy?
Continue to watch with curiosity and see what happens next to this sensation.
What happens next to this sensation of comfort?
Has this neutral or comfortable sensation changed or did it stay the same?
Is the area larger now or is the sensation stronger or weaker?
If the comfort sensation has changed,
See if you need to find some new words to accurately describe the sensation.
Now,
Return your attention to the first painful area.
What is happening there now?
Is the discomfort the same or has it changed?
Do you need some new words to describe it?
Slowly shift your attention back to the neutral or comfortable area.
Again,
Investigate the sensations that you are experiencing there.
Now,
At your own speed,
Pendulate your attention slowly back and forth between the areas of comfort and discomfort,
Staying curious to how the sensations stay the same or shift.
Feel the slow rocking motion of your attention back and forth,
Back and forth between these two areas.
End this pendulation with your attention on the area of greater comfort,
Taking enjoyment and refuge in this part of your body that is doing well.
As we finish up this shifting focus practice,
Notice if your painful area feels different.
By attending to the sensations in our body rather than the story of our pain,
We gain direct access to our lower brain structures,
Which can alter how we experience pain.
Some people have reported a softening or a shifting of their pain experience.
Others say they have a greater understanding of their body or have an insight in what they can do to help their body.
Many report just a bit of relaxation.
Whatever your experience is,
Know that by shifting your attention between these two areas with kindness and curiosity,
You can induce movement and flow in your body,
Which helps it regulate and come into greater balance.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
