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Meditation to Eliminate Pain

I filed away an email that a fellow colleague had sent me. I finally read it and now realize why I hadn't deleted it. The article was about a study that revealed how meditating can reduce the feeling of pain. Why? Because our brains are able to anticipate the feeling of pain less.*

Where I live, I don't meet people in my every day life that tell me, "Oh, yeah, I meditate all the time! It's so easy!" Nope. Rather the opposite. I find that I meet people who are stressed and use some kind of external source to find relaxation, be it exercise, food, alcohol, etc..

I've done all those things. Yet, the feeling I have when I meditate is one that comes from deep witin. From a place that I can't explain. I don't feel like I need all those external "things" to fill me up. And, oh...I am so at peace.

So this idea of pain: this is what I've been thinking about. With the many different types of clients that I serve, it truly doesn't matter why they are coming to me. They all have "pain" of some sort. Pain over wanting to conceive a baby. Pain over being cleated on the soccer field which now requires surgery. Pain over the loss of a loved one. Pain, pain, pain. It's all around us. We've all experienced it. And this is why I can't just hold myself to serving one population of people. It doesn't matter to me who you are and what circumstances led you to me (or me to you!) What matters is that we all begin to figure out ways (in this oh-so-fast-paced world) to SLOW our minds down and live in the way research is just now proving to be the BEST way to live.

So meditate. There are so many ways to meditate, but here's one way to start if you've never done so before:
Light a candle and set a timer for five minutes. Sit and close your eyes. Listen to your breath as you breathe in and out. If your mind starts to tell you that you need to cancel your dentist appointment, then be sure you have a pen and paper nearby. Jot down that thought (and any other) and return to your breath. Your breath has always been there for you, waiting to fill your lungs more deeply with oxygen. Picture all the goodness that you're doing for your body, your mind and your SOUL. Before you know it, that timer will go off!

I love what I do. I love helping people find their place of peace (and having them realize it was always there to greet them).

Happy mediating!

Lisa

*"Meditation reduces the emotional impact of pain." June 2nd, 2010. www.physorg.com/news194691626.html