When in Pain, Be Mindful
What goes through your mind when you feel pain? When you hurt yourself? Do you run away from it, hoping that it will go away? Do you fight against it? Or do you approach it mindfully, befriending it and caring for it
In today’s podcast, we explore pain, the suffering we experience from it, and how being mindfulness alleviates the suffering. Our conditioning teaches us to push pain away, to be afraid of it, and to treat it as an enemy with which we do battle. We create stories and beliefs around the pain that only make the suffering deeper and stronger.
With mindfulness we can befriend pain. We can be with it, investigate it, and give it kindness and compassion. I share a personal story of pain and how mindfulness and compassion was a way of being with the pain and alleviating the suffering. We all experience pain and discomfort. It is part of life.
Pain is a concept; it is the sensations of pain that we react to. These are simply messages that there is something in the body/mind we need to pay attention to. So, bringing our mindful attention to the sensations of pain is our doorway to being with pain. We learn that we can approach painful sensations little by little from the anchor of a bodily place that feels pleasant or has a neutral valence. We learn that expressing kindness and compassion to the part of us that is hurting is healing and liberating.
I hope you enjoy the show. Listen and subscribe, and please review the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen.
Live, online Mindfulness Meditation class is happening now, and you are welcome to drop-in. Book a single class here. And while you are there go here and sign up for the newsletter using the link in the footer.
As always I am grateful for you, my listeners, for your attention, curiosity, and willingness to explore Mindfulness. And, I am grateful for the people behind the scenes that make this podcast possible.
Allie Allen in San Francisco, California for logo and podcast cover design;
Gorgias Romero in Santiago, Chile for original music, audio engineering, and production;
Bill Rafferty in Sydney, Australia for technical web support and
Margaret Haas in Los Angeles, California for announcing the show.
Be well. Be mindful.
RESOURCES/CREDITS:
Chugyam Trungpa Rinpoche quote excepted from Ray, Reginald, “What’s The use of Suffering?” Lion’s Roar, November 1, 2001. https://www.lionsroar.com/whats-the-use-of-suffering/ Accessed May 19, 2022.
DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice and guidance of your health professional.
