I suppose it seems silly to think we may want to be mindful of pain. As if we are keeping pain in the forefront of our thoughts. So when I talk about being present to your pain I'm not asking that you sit and concentrate on how much pain you're in. What I am suggesting is, rather than fight it or try to get rid of it or search endlessly for a cure, instead - look at your pain. Observe it, embrace it and begin to accept it. This does not mean you need to hold onto pain and never release it. But by accepting it as factual in the present moment we are not hiding from it. And we can remind ourselves that, with the exception of chronic pain, it is temporary and we can relax a bit knowing that. There are different kinds of pain. Some pain is emotional such as grief; loss or rejection or disappointment. And some pain is physical. When I think back to when I began my meditation practice I would sit in such discomfort. I remember how much my back or my knees would begin to ache and I would think,"how am I ever going to do meditation with this annoying pain?" But my teacher suggested I sit with the pain and breathe and relax into it. To become curious about it. Also to try to pinpoint the pain to see if I could find the exact spot on my knee that hurt. By simply accepting the pain instead of shifting my body around looking for a comfortable position, I noticed that by breathing into the pain and looking for the exact location of it the pain became elusive. It seemed to wander and I found myself chasing it around to different parts of my knee. This was the beginning of my training with being mindful of pain. Without the goal of getting rid of the pain. Simply developing a curiosity to the pain, observing and accepting it. What about emotional pain? During stages of grief we can be mindful of our reactions to it without judgement. Simply observe the grief as it arises and allow ourselves to go through the waves of grief that carry us off. We may find ourselves getting caught up in our grief where it can begin to feel like an anchor around our neck, pulling us down where we drown a bit in the pain of loss. And in awareness of this we can cry and purge our anger, fear or sadness through tears. Accepting it and knowing that this pain is temporary. The Dalai Lama calls crying the cleansing of our soul. Chronic pain: For most of us this is the most difficult to deal with. There are those who suffer pain every day from an injury or illness. This is something that is more likely to not be temporary. And something that requires a very open heart towards ourselves. Those who say that they learn to live with it actually report not being in as much pain because they have accepted it as part of their life. Normally when we are in constant physical pain our brains go into overdrive searching for a way to relieve the pain. But when there is no cure we must accept our pain and care for it. We can do this through compassionate mindfulness. We can ask ourselves how we're talking to ourselves. It's easy to find ourselves berating our bodies for "doing this to us". We may become angry that we are unable to do some of the things we used to do. And this kind of thinking adds stress which may cause more pain, suffering and even depression. In addition to being mindful of how we speak to ourselves we can also be aware of how we use and hold our body. Doing a mental body scan can help us become aware of where we may be tensing up causing us to exacerbate the problem. Gentle yoga, deep breathing and relaxing meditation can be a tremendous help. We learn to hold our bodies with a loving heart without criticism and in a state of curiosity which opens us to acceptance which in turns opens us to observe the pain without the negative thoughts that we might internalize. We can find through mindfulness that our curiosity about pain actually allows us to see that the pain is not necessarily constant. That it has different intensities and at times may be barely evident. We may notice that the intense pain doesn't necessarily last all day. There are times when it subsides and we can notice that there are peaks and valleys to pain. From this we can live in the awareness of the times when the pain is not so intense and appreciate those moments. We can also notice when the pain is more intense and care for ourselves by intentionally taking deep breaths and letting go of any tension we may be holding as a result of being in pain. There are hospitals and clinics that offer Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction classes that are designed specifically for chronic pain. Acceptance, curiosity, self compassion, a loving gentle heart, breathing deeply, mental body scans and even distractions can all be beneficial to dealing with pain. "Aging, sickness and death are suffering. Loss, grief, and despair are suffering. To lose what you love is suffering. To be with the undesired is suffering." —Buddha *Joanie Lane is a Meditation Teacher, Reiki Master/Teacher, Spiritual & Life Coach, and Healing Movement Qigong Leader. She lives in Kelseyville, Ca. at her meditation center "A Positive Light". For more information visit her website at apositivelight.com **These are original writings by Joanie. Any quotes by others that have been included have been identified.
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