Video Version - Guided Meditation

Audio Version - Guided Meditation

Written Transcript of the guided meditation

The title is aptly appropriate for my situation right now. The title of this one is called "Listen, with Love, to the Body's Pain" and my body's sick right now. I'm finding it to be a fascinating doorway into this subject because even though it's not painful per se, there's the potential for the inner disturbance, which could be some expression of pain as we see what the body is doing and perceive it as being in the way.

It's going to be a great pointer to share some insight, also sharing how I interpret such situations. Then you can see how it applies to your situation.

I'm excited to do this with you today. So welcome. One of the things that I feel is super valuable in our openness to see more deeply is when the body is experiencing some sort of pain or disturbance or discomfort, it's so easy to quickly assume that the pain is the cause of our disturbance to such a degree where we say "if only the pain wasn't there, that I could be at peace", or "if only the sniffles weren't there, then I could relax". Or "if only life wasn't the way that it was, then I could be whole, complete.”

This carries an assumption that I am unwell in heart, body, and mind because of what is appearing, which projects a tremendous amount of blame and guilt toward that thing that is perceived to be the cause of the disturbance. But it's also a great withholding of love towards what the body is doing.

Life is Just Being Life

It's interesting because even in my current circumstance of having a stuffy nose and sneezing occasionally, I can see that it's just what the body is doing. It's like it's obviously a sign of health when the body is expressing itself that way because it's getting rid of toxins and it's kind of cleaning itself up.

So that's what's happening. But it's interesting because, in my character of humanness with the plans that I have and the things that I want to do, I could see the sickness as in my way, I could see that it's because it's how it is, that somehow I cannot be what I'm supposed to be. Clearly, that's just not true.

Clearly, that's just the mind doing what the mind does, and the ego doing what the ego does, thinking that its wholeness is in the future somehow. If it wasn't for life being life, if it wasn't for the body being the body, then I could accomplish that goal.

That's so silly.

In that silliness, we can look at this with a degree of gentleness that the projection of blame, the projection of guilt, the withholding of love towards what is, isn't necessary because the disturbance isn't caused by the sickness. The disturbance isn't caused by life being life. The disturbance is caused by my interpretation of it. The disturbance is caused by seeing what is in my way.

Naturally, we think it's going somewhere and it's not. Life is just being life.

This guided meditation is really going to be a quick invitation to allow some more love to flow.

I invite us to drop into that space and to release the blame, to release the projections of guilt and really see the profound innocence in what is arising.

To see the innocence of the pain that might be there, to see the innocence of a sickness that might be there, and bring this love that says, "oh, I see you. I see you now. I was just confused.”

So beautiful. We're just going to jump right into it. So let's go.

Start of Guided Meditation

What We Think Is Happening vs What Is Really Happening

Alright, well, here we are.

We are inviting ourselves into right now, ultimately to connect with the reality of what is, and give ourselves the chance to discern the difference. The difference, of course, between what we think is happening and what is really happening.

The title of this meditation is “Listen with Love to the Body's pain.”

Let's make some space for that.

As we rest here together, we will enjoy some pauses and enjoy some words.

In some way or another, we will journey through this together.

Let's just allow ourselves to come back to right now acknowledging that this is where we are.

The mind might want to go into yesterday, might want to think about tomorrow, and that's super cute, but we're just going to be here right now.

So let's breathe into that. We'll take a moment to just take some breath and realize that here we are right now.

As we breathe, we can just bring our awareness to any discomfort that might be showing. We can acknowledge its presence. We don't have to pretend like it's not there, but we're going to engage in a little exercise.

As our awareness is on this pain or this discomfort, we can ask ourselves, "do I really see you or do I see my interpretation of you?"

It's like asking, "what is this, really?"

This is really curious because so often as we live our humanness, we can project so easily and think that things are as we see them, not realizing that we are seeing our own seeing in the way that for me, I have a little bit of a cold and so there's some occasional sneezing, there's a stuffy nose, and there's the great uncertainty of my plans.

There's tiredness in the body. You see how I could see these things as in the way. But you see, they're not really that. That's just how I could see them.

Or I could think that it shouldn't be this way or it should be that way.

That's not really to see what's there. That's to see how I see it.

We're going to relax these projections, these

We're going to create a little bit of openness to see what's really there.

You know, my goodness, this really is listening with more love.

We can notice this in our play of relationships that if you want something from someone, there's not really an openness to really listen.

There's not an openness that honors the reality of the other person.

There's this movement underneath that's maybe unconsciously manipulating the situation in hopes that I get what I want. There's this movement that hopes the other person does what I want them to do rather than honoring their sincerity, their journey.

Love loves what’s Real

You see, that's not what love does. Love doesn't want anything.

Love simply sees what's true and honors the truth of things, the reality of things. It loves what's real.

You know, naturally, in our human experience, there's some confusion, misunderstandings.

These things get projected and it makes it look like things are a certain way that they're not.

That's why it's important that we take a moment and be still and we ask ourselves what's really happening here.

So let's just breathe into that space, the space that's willing to listen, willing to understand, and isn't so determined to get what we only think we want.

You know, for me, as I explore the pain that might show itself in the body or any sickness that might temporarily arise, I can see how I can perceive it as an interruption. I can see how I can perceive it as in the way. In that perception, I see a withholding of love towards what's appearing.

But there's only that withholding of love because I think what is appearing is the cause of my disturbance.

And it's not the cause.

The cause of the disturbance is how I perceive it.

So in a very direct way, I'm disturbing myself by thinking I am unwhole or incomplete. And what's appearing is somehow keeping me from my wholeness in the future.

This is to simply not see the truth of what I am.

This is so common in our adorable humanness where we think the prize is in the future.

In that perception, there are manners of things that can get in our way.

We end up withholding love from the things that we perceive as in the way.

If you can see this, let's invite some love to flow towards that which we are blaming, towards that which we think is guilty of our disturbance.

Let's see its innocence.

Let's see that it's really not because of that something that we are disturbed, that we feel incomplete, that we feel like we're missing something, but rather it's because of an innocent misunderstanding.

So we can bring some clarity to that misunderstanding which forever and always will restore the flow of love.

The Real Pain About Pain

This invites a deep intimacy with what is TRUE intimacy in being with what is, not desperately trying to capture something in the future. Not desperately trying to maintain some illusion of control.

We discover greater permission to just be here-- to be with what is, to extend love towards what is.

I invite us to also recognize that the real pain about pain is the story wrapped around the pain.

The idea that this pain means you're not enough.

The idea that this pain means that you won't find the prize in the future.

The idea the story that this pain means there's something wrong with you fundamentally, and you see all of these stories which project such self-violence, they're adding something that's simply not true and this only intensifies the pain.

If we can discover a space that gently releases these painful stories, we begin to see the real pain for what it is. Maybe you hear it say something that you couldn't hear before.

But I imagine in some way it's just asking for your loving attention.

It's asking "will you just be with me, please, for a little bit? I'm hurting."

Or in my case, it says "can we just take a rest, please? Can we just be still?"

YOU are that Love

That's super sweet. You can't hear such a beautiful softness when we're so determined to get away from something or when we're so convinced that it's in the way.

There's no openness to listen.

That's what's really great about taking this time right now.

An openness to just be with it; to listen.

Such an opportunity to extend love to all of these different parts of yourself.

Because naturally, you can see that if you're withholding love from what's showing, you're withholding love from parts of yourself.

That's not really what you want.

You know, my friend it's all about love.

It's all about love.

Whenever there's fear, whenever there's pain, there's this sort of assumption that love could be lost, and we get scared, but the love is there.

The question is can we meet it? Can we show up? Can we listen?

In that listening, you'll discover that YOU are that LOVE.

You are the love that's waiting to be seen, felt, and shared.

What a great gift to give to yourself this recognition and to allow life to be life; allow the seasons to be the seasons.

And you get to see what they really are beyond the innocent fearful projections.

Thanks for hanging out with me today.

'Til next time. Cheers.

—- End of Guided Meditation —-