Soften to Pain

This past week I was reminded to soften when faced with pain and discomfort. I did not feel my best, I have to admit, but my symptoms are much, much better now than two years ago when the Nutcracker Syndrome first roared its painful head. In moments of experiencing pain last week, I remembered an important tip I heard in yoga to soften my face. This is a phrase I have heard when holding the downward dog pose, because it can be very easy to hold your breath or clench your teeth in this position. Normally I squeeze my face into a big grimace when I feel pain too, as many of us probably do, and I unintentionally tighten most of the other muscles in my body as well.

But when I remembered this tip and tried focusing on softening my face this past weekend, I found it very difficult to keep the grimace and I began to relax more in the moment. Relaxing in the moment and embracing the pain provided me with some relief, for which I am very grateful. Once I could relax a little, I could think more calmly and clearly and be more proactive or distract myself from the fiery sensations I was experiencing.

I have read about embracing one's pain from Pema Chodron and in other Buddhist writing, but I didn't quite know how to actually go about doing this until now. The idea of literally softening all the muscles in our face and forehead when in pain is fairly easy to try and practice, is something we have some control of and is a very practical remedy to the stress that pain can cause us. 

I have found in the past two years that my pain has been greatest when I am most stressed out, so I find the idea of softening and relaxing quite refreshing, compared to my automatic response of tightening, resisting what's happening to me and stressing about what is going on in my body to cause all this pain. That way of thinking doesn't help relieve the pain; it only exacerbates it. It feels almost counterintuitive at first, but it is so valuable to remind yourself of this in a painful moment. I think this practice could be applied to emotionally painful moments as well, although I haven't tried it in that way specifically yet. Please keep me posted if it works for you!

All it took for me was one little phrase and listening to my inner wisdom in that moment to bring me a glimmer of relief in a painful situation. I hope this post brings at least one person the same relief I experienced.

Tranquil Time Tuesdays

As I sit looking out at the Puget Sound hearing the waves lap at the shore and hearing the birds calling and boats buzzing by, I am stuck with extreme gratitude for living in such a beautiful world. The sun is shining and the weather is warm, a special treat for us Seattleites indeed and I have a little bit of free time to unwind after a busy day. I randomly decided to organize all the papers and ideas in my purse this afternoon to hopefully give me a better sense of control. I frequently am struck with a wide array of ideas but don't really have a good system in place yet for organizing all these ideas, so I took a trip to the dollar store after work and found a few purse-sized organizational tools I'm going to try. I haven't yet found a tool that works with my sometimes random thought patterns and flow, but it's important to try to gain some kind of control over my purse and ideas, so I'm trying. :) The warm sunshine on my face and cool breeze on my arms and breathtaking view for my eyes are helping inspire me to stay focused. Yet here I am writing this blog from my smart phone! I feel especially moved to write about my journey through wellness when I'm taking good care of myself, like right now. Taking a few minutes just for me to get organized, relax and take some sweet sea-scented breaths on a sunny summery afternoon helps me manage stress that has visited throughout the day and better prepares me for any unexpected stress in the near future. But I've learned that relaxing requires regular upkeep, like having to water a plant so it will keep looking fresh and healthy. This time to unwind is essential for my well-being and spirit. So here's a shout out to Tuesday...cheers to enjoying tranquil time today! 

How do you make tranquil time for your spirit?