Hello and thank you so much for joining me for this mind the pain mindfulness meditation aimed at reducing the stress,
Pain,
And anxiety caused by endometriosis.
When you're ready,
I invite you to close your eyes or keep an unfocused gaze in front of you,
Whichever you prefer,
Sitting up straight or lying down,
Your head,
Shoulders,
Belly,
And full body slowly relaxing.
Today we'll be doing a PMR meditation,
Which sadly doesn't stand for Pimp My Ride,
Although you can probably catch replays of it on MTV somewhere right now.
If you can believe it,
We'll be doing something even better,
Which is a progressive muscle relaxation meditation,
One of the most evidence-based mindfulness techniques for pain relief and deep relaxation,
Based on decades of research and success.
It can be challenging,
So just be gentle with yourself.
The goal is to tense the muscles,
Not to strain them.
So if you feel any discomfort,
Pain,
Or have a pulled muscle,
Don't push yourself or feel the need to tense that particular muscle group.
Just lean into the beautiful relaxation that comes with your breathing and take it at your own pace.
We'll begin by arriving in the stillness with the breath,
Slowing it down,
And our busy mind.
So when you're ready,
We're going to take three deep breaths in through your nose,
And exhale slowly through the mouth.
Do this now at your own pace.
As we arrive in this beautiful moment of calm,
Hopefully feeling nice and tranquil,
We'll begin by bringing your attention to your feet.
Notice how they feel against the surface they're resting on.
As you take a deep breath in,
Tighten the muscles in your feet,
Curling your toes,
And feeling the tension.
Just hold that for a moment,
And then slowly exhale and release,
Letting your feet completely relax.
Feel the tension melting away,
Leaving a sense of calm.
Just stay here for a second to notice any sensations or tingling.
Imagine a warm glow in these muscles.
We'll just move your focus up to your calves,
Breathe in,
And gently tense the muscles by pulling your toes up towards your knees.
Hold for a few seconds,
Then exhale and release.
Let your calves feel heavy and relaxed,
As if they are sinking into the surface below,
Witnessing the tension melt away,
Leaving softness and calm.
Now we'll bring your awareness to your thigh.
Take a deep breath in,
And gently tighten your thigh muscles,
Feeling the immense strength in your legs.
Hold the tension,
And as you exhale,
Let your thighs relax,
Allowing any pain or discomfort to dissolve.
Witnessing the beautiful glow within the relaxation of these muscles,
As the tension disappears.
We'll just shift your focus to your pelvic floor.
Because of your endometriosis,
This area might hold a lot of discomfort,
So please be careful and gentle with yourself.
As you breathe into the muscles,
If you feel comfortable doing so,
Very gently tighten the muscles in your pelvis,
Like a kegel exercise.
Hold for a moment,
Then exhale and release.
Imagining a wave of soothing energy washing over this area,
Bringing relief.
Now,
Just sit and rest in this comfort,
And lean into and notice what muscle relaxation in the pelvis feels like.
Watching the beautiful glow permeate this area of the body,
Allowing it to finally relax and settle.
Moving your attention up to your stomach and chest,
Breathe in deeply,
Feeling your abdomen and chest rise and tighten.
Gently hold,
And then exhale,
Releasing all tension.
Picture the warm golden light filling your chest,
Spreading warmth and healing energy throughout your body.
Now we'll just focus on your hands and arms.
As you gently breathe in,
Make fists with both hands,
Tightening the muscles in your hands and forearms.
Hold for a few seconds,
Then exhale and release,
Letting your hands and arms feel completely relaxed.
Imagine the tension flowing out through your fingertips,
Leaving you fully at ease.
We'll just bring your attention to your shoulders and neck.
These areas often carry a lot of stress because of life,
So we'll just inhale deeply,
Exhale deeply,
And lift your shoulders towards your ears,
Tensing the muscles.
Hold for a couple of seconds,
Deeply exhale,
And let your shoulders drop,
Feeling the weight lifting off.
And finally,
Before we finish up,
Let's just focus on your gorgeous face.
Breathe in deeply,
And scrunch your facial muscles tightly if you can,
Squeezing your eyes shut and clenching your jaw.
We'll just hold for a second,
Then exhale deeply and release,
Letting your face soften and relax.
Feel a gentle smile form on your lips as you let go of all remaining tension.
And we'll just rest here in this feeling of peace and calm for a moment longer.
And just take one last moment to sit with your body,
Hopefully feeling it completely at ease and free from tension and pain.
Recognizing the power you have to make yourself feel good,
Especially when all your endo wants to do is make you feel bad.
And before we come out of this beautiful space of relaxation and peace,
We'll slowly bring ourselves back to the room by taking one deep breath in,
And a nice slow exhale out.
And when you're ready,
We'll wiggle the fingers and toes,
Give ourselves a nice gentle stretch,
And slowly open your eyes.
Thank you again for trusting me to work with you in your pain management journey with endo.
You've taken one of the most powerful steps towards managing your endo pain and embracing the healing that exists within you.
Remember you always have the strength to find relief and peace.
It can just be so much harder to find some days,
But it's there.
Let go on warrior,
You've got this.
