Welcome everyone.
My name is Jay Andrews and it's wonderful to be here with you.
This practice is to work with physical pain.
And throughout the practice,
We will come to focus our awareness on a certain point of discomfort in the body.
And we will use this point of discomfort more as a messenger than as something to be avoided.
So whenever you're ready,
Find yourself a comfortable position for the practice.
If you're seated,
The knees can be a little bit lower than the hips.
The spine can be upright and attentive,
But the mood of the body will remain calm.
And you could also lay down for this practice,
Well supported by some props.
If you're seated upright and need some support,
By all means,
Lean on a wall or something to help support the back.
If it's comfortable for you to close the eyes,
You can go ahead and close the eyes now.
If you'd like to leave the eyes open,
Simply place them on a point in front of you.
Use this point to hold the gaze rather than as a point to stare at.
And we'll begin this practice by placing the awareness,
The sense of attention and focus on the breath.
Perhaps a few exhales slip out the lips.
And those exhales can help massage us into the present moment.
These first few breaths can also help to release surface tension,
Whether that be physical,
Mental,
Emotional,
Or any other kind of surface tension that you're sensing.
And then when you're ready,
Allow the breath to settle in its natural rhythms,
In and out of the nose.
And there's no need to manipulate or control breath here,
But simply watch the body breathe itself.
And allow that breath to usher you into the now.
As you continue to focus on the breath,
Notice if the physical body has picked up any tension.
And if it has,
Again,
Work to release this surface tension.
You can utilize the exhales to assist with this.
And when you're ready,
Remaining soft in both mind and body,
Allow your awareness to draw down to a point in the body which may be feeling discomfort or pain.
And we're not focusing on this point to analyze or judge.
Let's leave the opinions off to the side and simply become aware of and witness this sensation in the body.
Notice its characteristics.
Notice if this discomfort moves or changes in any way.
Feel this in your body,
Leaving judgment and analysis off to the side.
Just give yourself permission to be in the experience of sensation.
And much like our emotions,
Physical discomfort in the body can be viewed as a messenger,
As a sensation trying to tell us something.
With that in mind,
Let's begin to explore this sensation as if it was a messenger.
You can begin by describing this sensation's characteristics.
If this discomfort,
If this sensation had a color,
What color would it be?
And if this sensation had a form,
If it could take a certain shape,
What would its form look like?
And would this form have any sound?
Would this sensation of discomfort have a smell?
And what would it feel like if you could take the form of this sensation and touch it with your hands?
I'd like you now to imagine that this form that represents the discomfort within your physical body was sitting in a chair six feet in front of you,
As if you were going to have a face-to-face conversation with this bodily discomfort.
And begin to ask this form these questions.
Why are you here?
And what do you want me to know?
Allow that form of discomfort to answer.
Stay open and non-judgmental.
And now,
Asking the form of the pain,
What action are you asking me to take?
And again,
Remain open and allow the form of the discomfort to answer.
And now,
Asking the form of the pain,
What action are you asking me to take?
And now,
Posing the question to that form of pain,
Are there any specific changes that I need to make to reduce your presence within my body?
And now,
Asking the form of the pain,
What do you want me to do?
Begin to release any visualization and allow your awareness to turn back in towards that spot of discomfort or pain that you're currently working with.
And as your awareness settles in this area of the body,
Notice if the discomfort has changed or altered in any way.
Notice if your perception or the way you think about this discomfort has changed in any way.
And without increasing or exaggerating the breath,
Begin to energetically send your breath to that point of discomfort in the body.
Imagine that your inhales penetrate the discomfort and break it apart,
And your exhales help release and disintegrate this discomfort in your body.
Allow those inhales to help you soften into whatever is here,
Whatever you're feeling.
And if you'd like to continue this practice of breathing and releasing that discomfort,
Then by all means continue on as long as you would like.
And whenever you've finished up,
Perhaps grab a pen and a paper and record down the answers that were given to you from this point of discomfort.
Thank you so much for joining me.
Peace,
Peace,
Peace.
