Meditation For Managing Pain

This meditation is designed to help alleviate suffering associated to managing pain, whether it be acute or chronic, emotional or physical. Through calm and intentional inquiry, one is guided to acknowledge, welcome and allow for whatever discomfort arises, all from a perspective of neutrality and calm.

Transcript

Welcome to Meditation for Managing Pain.

Every single one of us at one point or another in life will be carrying pain around with us.

And that pain can be a physical pain,

Whether it is an acute pain caused by a recent injury,

Whether it is a chronic pain,

Which potentially may have been instigated by an injury resulting in acute pain,

But then never really fully went away and ended up being with us for longer than we would have wanted it to.

Or pain can be an emotional pain.

We may be seeking relief from physical or emotional pain.

And this meditation is designed to help alleviate the suffering associated to pain,

Even just for a short little while.

And so I invite you to get comfortable.

To take a comfortable seated position,

To even take a comfortable position lying down.

But take a moment to find a posture that is restful.

A posture that once you take it might need one or two little micro adjustments,

But after which there will only be comfort.

Once you have found your positioning,

Feel free to close the eyes.

By default,

Attention beginning to direct itself inward without manipulation,

Without trying,

When we cut off a sense by closing the eyes,

We begin to see what is within us,

Within these bodies.

And when we do,

We may notice that there is a desire to shift the body around.

A desire to readjust the positioning.

You may have thought that you wanted to do this meditation seated.

And now that you have found a seated position,

Perhaps lying down is actually the option for you.

So I'd like you to take a moment to really figure out what is the best option for you in terms of positioning for this meditation.

And please don't be afraid to adjust.

If you lie down after you have been seated,

Or if you sit down after you have been lying down and you want an extra pillow,

Or you want a blanket,

Or you want to take off a layer of clothing,

Please take the time to do this.

Whatever signals are coming to the brain from the body asking to be responded to,

Respond.

Honor those messages,

Honor those signals.

And then once again with the eyes closed,

Just settling in.

And we'll begin by inhaling through the nose to inflate the abdomen and the thoracic cavity.

Inhale through the nose to inflate the belly and the lungs.

And then exhale,

Let it go.

Let's do that again.

Inhale through the nose.

Exhale open the mouth.

One more time,

Inhale and exhale.

And from here close the mouth and begin to observe the body just beginning to breathe itself with no controlling or manipulation needed.

Start to observe the body doing what it does,

Breathing itself.

Perhaps being aware of the sensation of air passing through the nostrils on the inhalation and on the exhalation.

Perhaps becoming a bit more attuned to the quality of that sensation in the nostrils.

Maybe noticing if there is a difference in temperature on the inhalation versus on the exhalation.

We inhale to inflate the body and make space in it where perhaps there wasn't.

And on the exhalation we get to sink into that space.

And so the inhalation just allows the body to expand.

And the exhalation allows us to sink into,

To rest into the space created through the inhalation.

With every exhale the body getting heavier,

Giving the weight of the body over to the surface that it is resting on.

Perhaps becoming aware of the facial muscles beginning to relax and smooth out,

Paying particular attention to the muscles of the forehead.

If the muscles of the forehead are doing anything at all,

On the exhalation just let them relax and smooth out.

If the muscles of the eyebrows are contracted at all,

On the exhalation allow them to relax,

To smooth out.

If the muscles around the eyes are squinting or contracted or working at all,

On the exhalation allow those muscles to smooth out and relax.

Maybe even considering the possibility of allowing the eyes to relax in the sockets,

To simply settle back in the eye sockets with no straining,

No trying to see or to focus.

Just letting the eyes settle.

The body breathing itself,

Observing that process.

Perhaps noticing contraction in the facial muscles,

The cheeks,

Maybe even the lips,

Maybe the jaw.

If you know what it is like to carry tension around in the jaw through gritted teeth or through grinding the teeth at night,

Or maybe even having the tongue pressing up against the roof of the mouth,

Feel free to open up the mouth,

Stretch out the jaws wide as possible,

And then close it once again.

Perhaps becoming aware of the inner walls of the throat.

Perhaps noticing sensation in the inner walls of the throat.

Awareness moving over to the arms,

From the shoulders all the way to the fingertips,

Left arm and right.

Arms heavy,

Relaxed,

Passive.

Upper back,

Middle back,

And lower back,

Just becoming aware of them.

Over chest,

Middle chest,

Abdomen.

Just rotating attention over these areas of the body.

Not getting too caught or stuck on any sensations that may be presenting themselves in whatever areas of the body we may be scanning.

Perhaps becoming aware for a microsecond and then putting a pin in whatever comes up,

A pin that will keep it there and we can just come back to it.

But for the time being,

Just rotating that attention,

The entire upper body relaxed,

Heavy,

Legs all the way down to the tips of the toes,

Heavy and relaxed.

The whole body,

One gentle field of sensation,

Relaxed.

The body itself being fed by the breath,

The inhalation filling up the body,

The exhalation leaving the body.

Just observing,

Observing that process occur,

Letting go of whatever thoughts may be coming up,

Maybe thoughts associated to conversations or situations that have led up to this moment.

Letting go of any conversations or situations that you predict may occur after this moment.

Just letting go of past,

Letting go of future,

Just being right here.

If there were any areas of the body that presented pain as you scanned,

Be present right now to those areas.

Just let those areas present once again the discomfort that perhaps came up through that initial body scan.

Allow your body to reveal the areas in which this discomfort or these discomforts are lodged.

Let hold space for this.

There may be a tendency to not want to go there,

To not focus,

To not welcome,

But simply in the spirit of curiosity and in the spirit of healing and compassion,

Start to welcome.

Welcome these areas of the body and welcome this pain that presents itself as information,

As a messenger,

Asking to be acknowledged,

Asking to be welcomed,

Asking to be responded to.

If there are no areas of pain or discomfort in the body,

Then just stay connected to the breathing,

Perhaps that inhalation and exhalation passing in and out of the nostrils.

But if an area of pain,

An area of discomfort has presented,

Just allow it to present.

Just bring a compassionate inquisitiveness to this pain,

To this area of the body.

And really welcome the energy of this pain.

Observe the magnitude of that energy.

Observe it as neutrally as possible,

As if you are studying it scientifically.

Just notice how intense that pain can be.

Perhaps find a descriptor to describe it.

Is it a searing pain?

Is it warm or hot?

Is it cool or cold?

Is it contracted or expansive?

Find words to describe this pain and allow yourself to feel this pain.

No more suppression,

No more repression,

No more sticking it in a corner and putting it in a nice little box and pretending it's not there.

Just welcome it.

Be with it for a moment.

And perhaps allow your attention now to rotate to another area of the body,

Another area of the body in which pain or discomfort is manifesting.

Honor this area of the body by acknowledging this pain,

By acknowledging this sensation.

Welcome it into the equation,

Into your experience,

Into your awareness.

Need it with compassion,

Respond to it with love.

When you do,

Notice if there is any internal dialogue that comes up in how you speak to it.

Notice if there is an attitude of it's okay.

This pain is okay.

This wound is welcome.

I recognize and honor this pain.

Find words to describe what this sensation is like.

Is it dull or intense?

Is it desperately uncomfortable or bearable?

But just hold space for it.

You notice if there is another area of pain or discomfort in the body,

Perhaps even rotating attention back to the original area of pain and discomfort.

Be aware of your relationship to this pain.

Be aware of the internal dialogue that you have right now with this pain.

Is there a belief that this pain is your cross to bear through life?

Is there a thought that you somehow deserve this pain?

Do you constantly find yourself asking,

Why me?

Just observe all of these possibilities from a place of calm,

Neutrality,

From a place of equanimity,

Where we can simply be aware of the narrative of this life and this journey without fully participating in it.

Observe the dialogue.

Rest in this awareness.

Rest in this awareness of pain manifesting in the body.

Rest in the awareness of how you typically respond or react to this pain.

And again,

Rotate attention through the places of pain in the body to hold space for them,

To honor them.

Maybe feel the deeper layers of pain.

Just noticing if the pain has subsided somewhat or more than somewhat as you come back to the places that you have already visited.

Be attentive to this process with care,

With loving kindness,

The same way you would take care of that someone else whom you care so much about.

Bring to you what you typically bring to all of those other people who you love and care for and want the best for.

Bring this kind attention to yourself right now.

Notice through the lens of this caring attention any emotions that might be arising.

And again,

Observe them through the lens of kind,

Compassion.

Hold space for these emotions.

Notice if the sensations that you were initially feeling of pain aren't in any way associated to an emotion.

Name that emotion.

Welcome whatever arises,

Whether it is fear,

Whether it is rage,

Whether it is solitary loneliness,

Whether it is anger,

Whether it is resentment.

But welcome whatever this emotion is again through that lens of almost scientific neutrality where you're simply observing,

You're identifying parts of the narrative for information.

Not to participate in a reaction to any of it,

But to simply be aware.

Feel free to rotate attention throughout the body,

Throughout areas of pain or discomfort and identify emotion that is associated to these places of pain.

Collect information in full awareness.

The body breathing itself.

No contraction,

No tension.

The body just heavy and relaxed.

Leaving space for areas of pain or discomfort.

Perhaps noticing any change in sensation in these places of pain or discomfort that you have already visited.

Leaving room for these places to perhaps have dissolved a little bit,

The pain to have dissolved.

Leaving room for this pain to simply be as it was,

As it is,

With nothing to change and nothing to fix.

Perhaps welcoming what is,

Accepting what is.

Perhaps finding a sense of resolution with what is.

Perhaps finding a sense of peace.

Just rest in this peace for a moment.

The body at rest,

The mind at rest,

You as this kind,

Compassionate awareness.

Feeling in this energy of relaxation and wise awareness.

And then very slowly from here we're going to find our way back,

Back to the body,

Back to more of a waking state.

And we'll begin by just inhaling a little bit deeper and exhaling to let that go.

Feel free to stay here as you are for as long as you like or slowly draw yourself back fully into the body,

Fully into this present moment.

Maybe opening and closing the eyes a few times to let light filter back in.

Perhaps bringing gentle movement back to the body.

But set an intention now to move through the rest of your day with a kind,

Compassionate awareness of the totality of what is.

Hold space for all of it,

Honor all of it,

And be well.

Reviews

Very helpful, I felt heard achknowledging that I am in a lot of body pain. Learning to no reject it, naming and discrimination my pain. Etc. I felt it was very helpful. Thank you so much.
Tawnya 🙏

Very insightful, calming and helpful

Thank you! This meditation helped me to be more compassionate with myself and the physical pain I'm experiencing right now