[progressally_objectives]
“When we pay close attention, we see that almost all movements are an attempt to alleviate some kind of pain or discomfort. When we’re sitting, we can see this in the slight shifts of position, in order to relieve some tension; or in the larger movements of posture, when we move if the pain becomes unbearable. When we go to eat, we’re relieving the suffering of hunger. When we go to the bathroom, we’re alleviating a discomfort. We lie down to relieve tiredness. But even then, when we think we might finally enjoy some ease, after some time, the body needs to roll over or stretch. And after some number of hours, we need to stand up because the body is getting stiff from just lying down…. It’s worth investigating this to see for ourselves what drives the many movements we make during the day.”
Joseph Goldstein, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening (definitely a recommended read!)
After a few weeks of seated practice, you may have noticed times when you are distracted or bothered by physical sensations or pain during meditation. This lesson will focus on how to work with pain and unpleasant sensations.
In meditation, we become mindful of stillness. And we can also become mindful of sensations of discomfort. When you notice these – whether it’s an itch, a dull ache, or a sharp pain – notice your intention or desire to scratch the itch, change positions, or wince in reaction to pain. In Joseph Goldstein’s Mindfulness (quoted above), he asserts that every movement we make is essentially a way to avoid discomfort. This was eye-opening for me, and I have become much more aware of my intentions to move and shift positions before actually moving. Sometimes I discover that it was really restlessness, and not discomfort; I can watch the desire to move pass without acting on it.
Perhaps you can practice sitting with discomfort (if you are in acute pain, by all means, get more comfortable). As one of my mindfulness teachers told me, “at some point we’re going to get an itch we can’t scratch.” It can be very powerful to learn how to bear discomfort.
If you do choose to move and shift position due to discomfort (which is totally fine!), do so slowly and mindfully. Note what it feels like to change position. If it feels good, enjoy the relief. Note how long the relief lasts, and how soon the urge to move again returns.
I often use the analogy that we practice mindfulness when it’s “easy” – we practice stillness and calm observation of thoughts and emotions when our home is silent and our candle is lit in our meditation space. We train the mind in this way when it’s easy, so that when it’s HARD, when our kids are pushing our buttons or a co-worker angers us, we’ve rehearsed enough to know what to do.
Learning to sit with and observe mild discomfort in meditation trains us in a similar manner. It trains us to not immediately run from something unpleasant, but to observe it, without judgment. We can be curious about the bodily sensations. And just like bringing our awareness to emotions can lessen their intensity, we may notice something similar with physical sensations.
The next time you notice discomfort or mild pain in your practice, remain still and observe it. This is practicing non-getting. What is it like to not immediately move? What is it like to not scratch the itch?
What is this sensation, exactly? How big is the itch? How strong is it? Where is it, exactly?
You can ask the same question of pain. One of the most helpful teachings I’ve received in working with pain was at a retreat two summers ago, when our instructor told us, if we noticed pain, to “find the edges of the pain.”
That was HUGE for me. Think about it. When you are in pain, you probably focus on the MOST INTENSE CENTER OF THE PAIN. But what if you expanded your awareness outward? Can you find the edges of the pain? Can you find the spot where pain fades into irritation, and irritation fades into neutral sensation?
For me, this produced the same awareness we spoke of with emotion – I am larger than my pain! The pain is held in awareness, which is gentle and infinite. The pain is not me. My body can contain the pain. My entire body is NOT in pain.
It’s probably no surprise that mindfulness was first used in medical practices in the West as a pain management technique. Jon Kabat-Zinn writes, “you will probably find that how you relate to the sensations you experience makes a big difference in the degree of pain you actually feel and how much you suffer.” He also reminds us that pain, like a negative emotion, is an important messenger. It’s the body’s way of telling us that something is happening that needs our attention.
“Pain is a natural part of the experience of life. Suffering is one of many possible responses to pain.”
Jon Kabat-Zinn
While I am not an expert on chronic pain conditions, I can share a few suggestions for those of you who may be dealing with chronic pain: (many of these suggestions are explained in great detail in Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Full Catastrophe Living)
- remind yourself that YOU are not your pain!
- practice the body scan each day — imagine the in-breath bringing in relaxation and nourishment, and the out-breath releasing tension and resistance
- notice how the pain is not monolithic — it changes in intensity or severity or size
- don’t expect the pain to go away (non-striving)
- welcome the pain the way you learned to welcome emotions last week
- when the pain becomes really intense, see if you can shift your attention to another part of the body that is NOT in pain
- realize that “pain” is just a word — it’s not the actual experience
- investigate the sensation you have labeled as “pain” — what is it?
- bring your awareness to the distinction between the sensation of pain, and your reaction to it
(Though it seems like the opposite of mindfulness, distraction can be a powerful pain-management technique. One thing I will do with my kids when they get hurt and they’re upset is I will rub their back (or a non-injured body part), and ask them, “How does this backrub feel? Does it feel good?” Tears usually stop pretty quickly! Or I’ll ask, “Where is the pain? Is it in your toe? Is it in your tooth? Is it in your hair?” When I’m goofy with it, they learn that their bodies can hold the pain, too.)
If you’re interested, you can access a guided meditation from Ron Siegel on dealing with pain here.
“As we practice being with these unpleasant experiences, our capacity to bear them steadily increases. We also come to see painful sensations are distinct from the suffering that commonly accompanies them.”
Ron Siegel