Jack: During these past few sessions of bringing mindfulness to the various sensations in your body, you may have encountered some level of physical pain or discomfort. We've been talking so far about simply remaining present with sensations, whatever they are, but then you might wonder is it a good idea to hang out with pain? Why focus on the discomfort? How about doing something to get rid of it or take our mind off it? Perhaps you might even recall George Carlin's advice. “My philosophy,” he said, “is no pain, no pain.” From a survival perspective, pain's a call for attention. And certainly, it's important to respond in whatever way seems appropriate in taking care of ourselves, but what if you’re in the midst of pain? You just can't get rid of it, a migraine, a headache, a backache, or you just had surgery.
What if pain relievers or other attempts to reduce it just don’t cut it, or even you’re having a minor discomfort, and you know that rushing to get an aspirin isn’t really necessary? Our attention fixates on the pain, and it flavors everything. While we can’t avoid unpleasant sensations, we can avoid the resistance that leads to pain dominating our awareness. A resistance to pain brings suffering. With mindfulness, the unpleasant sensations we call pain may still arise, but we're no longer suffering. We're no longer wrapped around it, controlled by it. A skilled athlete learns how to move with pain, not fighting it. A woman giving birth can allow the pain of contractions rather than tightening against them. Research has actually affirmed that for those who practice mindfulness, subjective ratings of pain are reduced.
With a non-resisting mindful presence, we open a spaciousness that holds the pain with more ease. Like putting a tablespoon of red dye into a glass of water, the whole glass turns red, but what if you put a tablespoon of red dye into a lake? The lake is big enough to allow the dye without trouble. In the same way, mindfulness opens a spacious awareness big enough to hold the sensations of pain with greater ease. And with this spacious awareness, we can notice that what seemed a solid mass of pain is actually a changing constellation of sensations. Within the pain, there is space around between and within the sensations. Like everything else, the pain is everchanging, rising, and passing. It's not a solid, impenetrable, unchanging block. Pain becomes workable.
It's important to note that mindfulness is not always the wisest or even a possible response to pain. Sometimes, it’s more skillful and compassionate to redirect your attention or to do other things that bring more ease and comfort to your body and mind, but as with all aspects of your mindfulness training, your capacity to find balance and ease in the midst of discomfort will grow with practice and will steady you with all the challenging domains of your life.
Let’s try this. Allow yourself to settle into a comfortable seated position. As you become still, take a few moments to collect your attention with the breath. Relax with the inflow and outflow. And continue with a calm, clear attention on the breath. And remember, each time the attention wanders, gently bring the puppy back, a kind, steady return.
And now, open your attention to the sensations in your body, scanning for any area of discomfort. If you find unpleasant sensations, gently guide your attention to that spot in your body. And if there's no area of discomfort, practice attending to any area of the strongest or most distinct sensation. See if you can bring a curious attention. Instead of the word pain, or if there are unpleasant sensations, what are these sensations actually like? If it feels helpful, you can make a soft note, pulling, burning, throbbing, twisting, hardening, fire, noticing all the aspects of the experience. What is their texture, density? How large is the area of sensation? Where’s the edge of what feels unpleasant? Is there a color associated?
And now, sense the space outside of the pain, breathing gently.
Can you let the sensations float in this larger space of awareness? You can even sense the space between the sensations. Now, you are simply witnessing how the sensations continue to unfold. Notice, do they become more dense and solid or more diffuse? Do they move, or change, or morph into another kind of sensation? Keep the same gentle presence, allowing the sensations to be as they are and unfold as they will. If at any time your mind becomes tired, fearful, or reactive, if the experience feels like too much, gently guide your attention back to the breath, or if more helpful, to a place in your body where there are pleasant or neutral feelings, a place to regain resilience, balance, and perspective.
