Meditation for Thursday 7th March 2024
There is no denying that pain, either physical or emotional make concentration trying and sometimes impossible.
Some people find doing simple physical exercises prior to meditation can assist with relaxation. It could be as simple as sitting with your hands hanging loosely by your sides and at the same time noticing any tension in your body. When the tension is identified tighten the muscles around the area of concern and then let go. These muscle relaxation exercises can be useful on those days when pain is preventing you from meditating.
If you find yourself tensing up because of pain, physical or emotional acknowledge the pain or stress and quietly return to your point of concentration. E.g. the breathe.
If the pain prevents you from concentration turn your meditation time into a mindfulness exercise where you focus on the pain becoming aware of any changes in the pain. Its uncanny how sometimes concentrating on our pain can provide temporary relief. I think in psychology this is often referred to as Somatic Tracking.
This non censoring of our pain experience is also an exercise without judgment. As we sit alongside our pain we might become mindful of sadness and in the case of emotional pain, regret and hostility but our mindfulness meditation will undoubtedly provide consolation.
Meditation
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