The Pain Is A Village, A Chronic Pain Meditation

For people living with pain, sometimes it feels like it takes over the entire body. This meditation is a guided voyage, with sound healing, that imagines you are connected with the entire earth, your body draped across the lands and oceans, and that the pain itself might be as small as a single village. This meditation uses guided imagery and sound healing, to work with perspective in your body, and loosen the tension that often comes with pain.

Transcript

Welcome. This meditation can be helpful if you're working with pain, Either acute or chronic. Please try this meditation in whatever position is most comfortable. Sitting, Standing, Or lying down. When you find your most comfortable moment, Close your eyes. Check again that this position works. Add blankets, Pillows, Any props that could help support you right now. Let us begin. Wiggle your fingers and toes. And from here on, Attempt to remain in the position you've started in, But if you need to move, Please do. Imagine your body as it is right now, Draped across the entire earth. You're lying across the planet, And this is the most comfortable position imaginable. Your hands, Legs, Hair, Different body parts dip in and out of the seas, And the temperature is perfect. Your head is cradled at the Arctic ice cap. Your feet propped up in Antarctica. The ice is not at all cold, And there's a warmth from the sun covering your entire body. A pleasant breeze comes off the oceans, And it tickles your skin. Your heart is nestled in the Himalayas, And the mountains prickle into your back. Deserts keep your lower back warm, Like a giant heating pad. Your arms stretch across Asia and into Europe, One leg across Africa, And your other leg is lazing in the Pacific Ocean, Enjoying a little float. Take some time to orient to your new planetary body. If you'd like to kick your feet up onto the moon, Enjoy the comfort. The rocky surface is inviting, The dust surprisingly soft. Take a few deep breaths in this position, Breathing deep into your belly. Notice your connection to the living earth. The oxygen that fills your lungs come from the trees exhaling. When you exhale carbon dioxide, You are breathing that into the trees. Did you know that you were feeding the trees? Take a few more deep breaths into your belly. With each one, Inhale, And hold it the top for one beat, And then exhale. Once more, Deep breath in, Hold it, And exhale, Maybe even with a sigh. Now take a moment to locate the pain you experience, Whether it's present right now, Or you can feel into the place where you notice it tends to show up. Please do not get distracted by the story of the pain. Your energetic brain may want to think about why it hurts, Or how it started, Or all the treatments you've tried. If you get distracted by thoughts like these, Take a breath and remind yourself that your body is at this moment supported by the entire planet earth. How big does the pain feel right now? You might notice that the pain itself is much smaller than the story of the pain. If you could locate the pain, Where would it show up on the planet? Does it feel as big as Australia? Does it cover an ocean? Does it stretch across your entire body and then drift out into space? Breathe into it, And breathe again. Notice if you can experience one place where the pain isn't. Maybe it's your toes, The tips of your fingers, Your earlobes, Or maybe you notice the tingling on your skin from that warm breeze coming off the Caribbean. Maybe you feel calm and without pain only on the tip of your nose or your eyelids. Whatever your pain-free place is, Show it some gratitude. Notice the relief of that space. Even if it's just the tip of your nose, That's the only place that doesn't feel pain. Your nose right now could be the size of France. Take a few deep breaths. Imagine the sensations of your body across this planet Earth. The warmth of sand, A bit of cool glacier, A wisp of clouds that kiss your skin. Take a few more deep breaths, And relax into this position. Investigate again the space where you feel pain. Notice its shape, Its borders. Can you make it smaller? You notice it's not the size of a country or of a body of water, But perhaps just a village. Maybe it's only a few small houses on a dusty street. Notice how small it gets as you zoom out from the village to whatever country it's in. Zoom out again, Even further, Noticing your body draped again across the entire planet, Your head quite literally in the clouds. Your body sinks into Earth like it's a sweet, Cozy bed. From this perspective, You can't even see that village. It's barely there. Take a few more deep breaths with a pause at the top, And sigh out. Good. Notice as you breathe, The planet drifts away. Keep breathing. We're floating in space without any pain. Keep breathing. Long, Deep, Steady breaths. My voice will drift away for some minutes. If you get distracted, Perhaps come back to the breath, Or maybe locate that one place in the body that feels no pain. Begin to come back. Notice you're back again in your own space, Wherever you started this meditation. Move your fingers and toes. Get oriented to returning to regular consciousness. Take a few more deep, Beautiful breaths. If you'd like to rest here, Continue with this meditation, Please do so. Whenever you are ready, You can open your eyes.