Making Room For Pain Or Discomfort

The intention of this practice is to support you in making space for unplesant human emotions, like grief, fear, guilt, sadness, pain, discomfort and shame. Quite often, we create additional struggle by our resistance to feel uncomfortable emotions, by our attempts to avoid and push these away. Instead, perhaps try this different approach of making space for all emotions with increased awareness, acceptance and compassion.

Transcript

Hello and welcome.

Today's exercise is all about creating space,

Creating room for pain or discomfort.

Quite often a lot of our pain or feelings of discomfort can come from a place of resistance.

It's common to tighten around your discomfort.

You tense the body when you are struggling,

Trying to rid yourself of the unpleasantness.

Instead of tightening,

Perhaps we can make room for the pain,

Coming from a place of acceptance,

Welcoming it in and meeting it with a caring presence.

You have the power to retrain the mind.

This helps you build a non-reactive awareness.

Rather than being controlled by every challenging situation,

You can notice it,

Allow it to be present and move forward.

For this practice,

Find a comfortable position.

You may explore doing this exercise sitting down or laying down.

Give yourself a few minutes to settle.

Once you feel settled,

Breathe deeply,

Allowing the mind and body to relax with each exhale.

Let's take a deep breath in,

Long breath out.

Without ignoring the unpleasantness,

Invite in calmness.

Pay attention to the painful emotion you are experiencing.

Don't fall into the story.

Recognize how the mind and body feel right now.

Ask if it is sadness,

Fear,

Frustration,

Or disappointment.

Just notice the general tone and experience you are feeling.

Simply notice without judgment.

Begin making space for the emotion by offering a few phrases of compassion.

Remember your intention to care for the pain rather than push it away.

Offering these phrases to the pain or difficulty.

Repeat after me,

You are welcome here.

There is space for you.

May I welcome you with compassion.

Continue to offer the phrases for five minutes or so,

Reconnecting with your intention to tend to the experience with an open and caring heart.

You are welcome here.

There is space for you.

May I welcome you with compassion.

When you are ready to wrap up,

Return to the breath for a minute or two.

Taking deep breath in,

Long breath out.

Doing this a few more times with each exhale softening the body.

Allowing your shoulders to drop down.

Letting the jaw relax and softening the muscles in the abdomen.

Pain and discomfort are a part of life.

My hope is that this practice can support you in making space to deal with all of the emotions all of the human emotions that we experience.

Thanks so much for listening.

You