There are times when your body speaks to you through discomfort,
A place that hurts,
That feels tight,
Tender,
Painful,
Or difficult to ignore.
And sometimes,
When something hurts,
Our instinct is to do something about it.
To stretch it,
Work on it,
Massage it,
Push through it,
And try to make it go away.
For these next few minutes,
I'd love to invite you to try something different.
You don't have to fix the discomfort.
You don't have to make it go away.
You don't even have to figure out why it's there.
This is your invitation to simply be with it.
Bring your awareness to a place in your body that is uncomfortable right now.
You don't need to choose the most painful place,
Just somewhere you can gently bring your attention and notice it without changing it.
Notice what happens when you simply allow yourself to be aware of this place.
No need to push into it.
Or move away from it.
Just making a little space around it.
And now,
Let's take a deep breath together.
And out.
One more time,
Breathing in,
Being aware of this place in your body.
And out.
You may close your eyes,
Lower your gaze,
Or keep them open if that's most comfortable for you.
And now,
If it feels right.
Imagine that this place in your body is a part of you.
Not something separate from you,
But a part of you that has been trying to get your attention.
And imagine that this part can speak to you.
You don't need to make it say anything,
Just give it some space to be heard.
What does this part need you to know?
You do not need an answer.
Just stay.
Stay with this part of you.
You might imagine that this part of your body is somehow a younger part of you.
A younger part of you that is hurting.
A younger part of you that doesn't benefit or need you to make the pain disappear.
This part of you just needs someone to notice,
Someone to stay,
Someone to listen.
Can you feel and hear this part of you?
What they're longing for,
What they need from you.
What they want you to know.
And from this place of listening.
And with the intention of meeting this part of yourself without trying to change anything.
What does your body instinctually want to do?
You don't need to make a decision or make a movement happen.
Simply wait for whatever impulse comes through,
Even if it takes a while.
For instance,
Maybe you feel an impulse to gently rub this part of yourself or to just place your hand on this part of your body.
Maybe the movement that naturally comes through doesn't even directly interact with the place of discomfort in your body.
But you might feel an overwhelming impulse or desire to hug yourself or to lay down.
Anything is possible here because we're using our imagination and it doesn't have to make perfect or even a little bit of logical sense.
It's also okay if your body just wants to be still.
Whatever comes,
Let it come naturally.
Let your body respond rather than react.
Let it listen rather than push.
And let it move without needing to accomplish anything.
As I continue to guide you with my words,
Keep letting this movement unfold.
In exactly the way and pace that it wants to.
You could be doing the same movements over and over again.
Or your movements can be flowing or changing into something else.
There is no right or wrong.
Keep moving as I continue to speak.
Notice if there's any part of you still fighting the discomfort,
Still trying to secretly make it go away.
Sometimes we think relief means that the pain has to go away,
But maybe there are other kinds of relief.
The relief of being heard.
The relief of not having to push,
The relief of not having to fight your own body.
Stay with this part of yourself for the next minute.
For the next minute,
I'm going to leave a space,
A quiet space where you can just stay and be with this part of yourself.
And when the minute is over,
I will gently guide us to find a closing.
Whatever you're doing,
However you are moving right now.
Gradually slow down and make your movements smaller.
Eventually coming to some ending pose that feels satisfying or good enough to you right now.
There is no right or wrong.
Continue to follow your instincts and know that everything is unfolding perfectly in this moment.
As you're here,
Let's take a breath all together.
And out.
See if any words or mantras may like to come up for you around this experience.
You may offer this part of yourself something very simple.
I'm here.
I hear you.
I see you.
And I won't push you any harder.
I'll listen to you.
And move at your pace.
And be kinder to you.
I'll be more gentle.
Whatever words come up for you.
Let them settle however they settle.
There's nothing else you need to do.
And now gently open your eyes.
Look around your physical space.
Make intentional physical contact with your body.
Coming back into the room.
In the here and now.
Maybe the discomfort is still there.
Maybe it has changed.
Whatever happened is okay.
There's no particular experience you're supposed to have.
And before we end this meditation,
Ask yourself,
What is one thing my body has been asking for that I can listen to today?
Whatever answer unfolds.
Try to follow that.
Because sometimes your body doesn't need you to work harder.
Sometimes it needs you to listen.
For you to give it space.
And so many times,
Just being willing to stay with what hurts can change the experience of being in pain.
You are so brave for exploring your body.
In this deeper,
More honest way.
For being willing to see yourself.
In a different way.
For being with yourself without trying to change or fix anything.
Thank you so much for being here and for taking this time for yourself.
