Pain,
Discomfort and unpleasantness as our guide.
Begin this mindfulness by connecting with your breath then settle into your mindfulness posture and become aware of the sensations in your body.
Try to focus on breathing diaphragmatically allowing your abdomen to rise and fall with each inhale and exhale.
Allow each breath to expand your awareness of your body.
Use the breath to notice the sensations of your body expanding all the way out to the top of your head to the tips of your fingers the bottoms of your feet and allow your breath to just gently guide you.
Together we're going to explore how we can use pain,
Discomfort and unpleasantness as our spiritual guide.
So let's start by taking a moment to notice if you are currently experiencing any emotional,
Physical or spiritual unpleasantness,
Discomfort or pain.
When you notice any of these sensations focus your breath and awareness here.
Just allow yourself to be aware of the experience of pain or discomfort and try to refrain from any judgments and simply become comforting and curious like a friend to this sensation.
Also try not to magnify or diminish the pain or discomfort you're experiencing,
Just allow yourself to be with it to help guide yourself in this practice.
You can breathe in and breathe out and just use the mantra I'm okay with what I'm experiencing right now.
I will allow what I am experiencing to be and perhaps even you may even use the mantra I will allow what I'm experiencing to be and also experience peace.
To help stay present with your pain experience in the here and now I invite you to visualize this pain being gathered into a white cloud right next to you or you may find your own unique visual representation to symbolize your pain experience.
Once you've identified an object to visually represent your pain focus on staying grounded in your body through the breath and notice what it is like to become a witness to your pain.
As you're witnessing your pain notice what it feels like to be separate to be separate from it to diffuse your being from the pain experience.
Continue to bring your attention back to witnessing and being present with your pain and use your breath to release attachment to the pain.
Your breath can help you drop attempts to diminish or intensify the pain.
These attempts to control pain only lead to more suffering.
Feel yourself surrendering to its experience.
As you sink deeper into surrender to the pain with each breath visualize yourself putting your arm around the pain to compassionately acknowledge its present.
This pain is next to you.
You may not want it here though you're starting to realize being its friend will cause you less suffering than being its enemy.
As your arm is wrapped around the pain the pain extends an arm to you inviting you to shake its hand.
If it feels right accept the invitation by a handshake reaching out your own hand.
This handshake is symbolizing the pain's desire to be your guide not an enemy.
As you take on this new relationship with your pain as a guide consider what is your pain trying to tell you?
What can you learn from your pain?
When you make friends with your pain you make friends with yourself.
How can you befriend yourself?
Give yourself compassion amidst the pain.
Try to move out of the thinking mind as you contemplate these questions and into your body to see if your body is holding some answers.
Bring your awareness back to your body allowing your breath to extend your awareness to all ends of your being.
Notice if this new perspective of pain you have started to develop caused any shifts in your body sensations since last checking in.
As we wrap up this mindfulness identify a piece of this mindfulness visualization you would like to take with you in your day to help remind you of this transforming relationship you are creating with your pain.
Perhaps it is the handshake the arm around the pain or just the tenderness of being with yourself in compassion.
