Is Discomfort Really The Problem?
In this talk, we explore what it means to meet discomfort not as an enemy, but as something we can turn towards with quiet courage. Because beneath the resistance, there is a strange and steady warmth waiting to be discovered. This is an invitation to sit with the cold and find something deeper than comfort. Christopher finishes with a short micro-meditation you can practise on the go throughout your daily life.
Transcript
Most of the time it's not discomfort.
That causes this problem.
That hurts us.
It's our resistance to it.
Not accepting it.
Not allowing it in.
That's us telling the mind,
That it's a problem.
And it's really not.
Our resistance.
To what is.
Is the cause of our problems.
About a decade ago,
There was something called the Beast from the East.
It was.
.
.
Really,
Really cold period in Europe.
So much so that.
There were icicles several feet.
Hanging from houses.
We were told not to slam doors because it was so dangerous.
The papers were full of really interesting images of bicycles frozen against railings.
And they were trapped in sheets of ice.
It was bitterly cold.
And I decided to experiment with this.
I went out of the house for a walk.
And I've got a bald head,
As you can see.
And I went without a hat,
Scarf or anything.
And I passed a man,
And he said,
Shouldn't you be wearing a hat?
He was amazed that.
.
.
I was there.
Without any protection on my head.
And I said,
No,
I want to feel this.
I want to feel the sting of this cold.
He just looked at me as if I was crazy and walked off.
And here's something I noticed with discomfort.
Things like cold,
Tension,
Not getting what we want in life.
It's not the cold.
The tension.
That really bothers us.
It's our fighting with it.
Our resistance to it.
Our hunching up the shoulders.
And making a great big drama.
I found that if I drop the shoulders,
Let the cold in.
It's just sensation.
It's not a problem at all.
It's a problem I'm creating,
Or at least adding to.
When we let the cold in,
The tension,
Whatever it is.
We become free from it.
So ask yourself,
Next time.
You have an issue like tension or cold.
Which is worse?
The thing itself,
The cold or the tension Or.
.
.
Is my reaction to it.
More of a problem.
Allow it.
Feel it mindfully.
Let it be part of your experience.
And then see what changes.
You may well be surprised.
I will do a little micro meditation now.
On this.
So allow your eyes to gently close.
And relax from the top of your head.
All the way down to the soles of your feet.
And see if you can pick up anything in the body now that you'd rather not have.
Maybe you're cold now,
Or maybe you're too hot.
Or maybe there's tension or an ache.
Maybe it's a thought you don't want.
Something you're pushing away.
Just allow whatever is to be.
See if you can soften around it.
See if you can welcome it.
It's training you to bear with the greater difficulties that come in life when they do.
We train with these small annoyances.
We can become very strong mentally.
Able to bear with great difficulty.
Okay,
So.
.
.
Open your eyes when you're ready.
And try this every time you find yourself fighting,
Resisting what is.
Just try letting it in and see if anything changes.
Good luck.
