Begin where you find yourself,
Just as you are,
In this particular space,
At this exact time,
In this unique body,
Settling in.
Noticing your volume and mass,
The weight of gravity settling you down,
Making you solid.
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Today we're going to explore the experience of pain and find gratitude,
When possible,
Even for the origins.
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Settling in,
Taking note of the space in which you find yourself.
Cold,
Hot,
Just right,
Quiet or busy.
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Your mind,
Racing,
Slow like molasses,
Confused,
Eager.
You don't even have to put words on these things,
You can just observe the state.
The state of your body.
Coming into it.
Where is it full?
How is it light?
You probably have some stiffness or discomforts.
Where do you find those?
Come to the question with curiousness and as little judgment as you can muster.
How's your breath?
Slow or fast?
Labored or easy?
Somewhere in between.
Just taking stock with a generous awareness.
Seeing if you can't,
Slow your breath.
A deeper inhale.
A longer exhale.
Just a little deeper and slower each time.
Notice that just as the space you are in is never silent,
Maybe just quiet,
So too your mind is never silent.
And that you can give it permission to quiet down just a little.
Don't push.
Just let the thoughts start shaking out of your head.
Coming to greater stillness and greater quiet.
As we talk about pain today,
And the pain that is unique to yourself and the body that you hold alone,
We're going to breathe through that pain.
So always touch back to your breath if it becomes uncomfortable.
If you start to tighten,
Or you have a spiking,
Return to your breath and do what you can to make it more gentle.
Find a place of pain that is unique to your experience.
Where does your body experience chronic or acute pain today?
Don't stare at the pain.
Don't dig into it.
Just notice it.
Everybody has pain.
It's an inescapable part of existence.
And again,
Throughout this meditation and beyond it,
When the pain becomes less than bearable,
Come to your breath.
You can't always control and manage pain,
But you can regulate your breathing.
So focus on that peace that is within your control,
Breathing in deeper and out slower.
Deeper and slower.
With a curious mind and a generous awareness,
Take stock of the pain you hold and explore its origin.
Perhaps a sports injury?
A car accident?
Cancer?
The simple wear and tear of life?
And the success of aging?
Again,
If at any point in our time together the pain becomes too intense,
Return to your breathing.
What got you to this place?
What glorious life have you lived that led you into this pain?
If it's a sports injury,
Perhaps it was a wonderful career of joyous activity.
If an accident,
Days and months,
Years,
Maybe decades of accident-free experience preceded it.
If the pain originates in a disease,
All the many years your body performed so admirably with health.
If it's bone or muscle issues that are just the result of aging,
Not just the result.
Aging is a gift that not everyone receives.
All the many years your body functioned with barely perceptible difficulty.
In almost every case,
Pain results from a life well lived and the unavoidable vagaries of experience.
If you notice the pain in your body and it becomes too much,
Again,
Return to a deeper inhale and a longer exhale that is in your control.
Breathing through the pain.
And at the same time,
Acknowledging that the pain you surely feel is a result of strength and consistency.
And a certain amount of good fortune that preceded the pain.
Your body got you here.
Sure,
It's not a fun place to be,
But the journey was well worth it.
A life of activity and joy and successful functioning of muscles and bones and cells and neurons.
Since your life was mostly well lived,
It begat a bit of pain.
Maybe a lot.
In a strange and paradoxical way,
You're lucky to know this pain.
And as we continue to get to know this pain by breathing.
In,
Deeply,
Out,
Slowly.
Continue breathing with the acceptance that pain is almost a reward,
A marker of all of experience that you have lived.
Continuing to breathe.
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