What’s the first reaction you have when you experience pain or discomfort? For most
of us the tendency is to analyze and intellectually try to figure out why this is happening
to us. We often create a story around the pain such as, I must have pulled my back
gardening yesterday, my pain must be due to the old mattress I sleep on, or my
condition must be genetic because my mother or father had these same symptoms.
Some of us resist and fight the pain, making every attempt to exert control over it.
Others victimize themselves with responses such as, “Why does this keep happening to
me?†Still others medicate and try to numb the symptom. Regardless of our natural
response, each of these reactions tend to lead to more contraction within the body,
thereby worsening the symptoms.
AWARENESS
What if instead of immediately responding externally to these challenges, we bring our
awareness inward. What if we begin by accepting our current circumstance with
inquiry, discovery, and curiosity. Can you bring your full awareness to the condition or
pain? Notice the stories your mind creates. Become fully aware of your emotional
response and reaction. Notice the natural tendency of resistance.
Now ask yourself if you are you able to accept your body despite this condition. In other
words, are you able to accept “yourself” unconditionally? Whether you like it or not, in
this moment, this IS what you are experiencing! When you don’t accept what you are
experiencing, you are not accepting YOU! Bring awareness to the habitual patterns of
the mind, that lead to emotions, that ultimately perpetuate the condition or
circumstance.
When you respond to any issue with frustration, worry, anxiety, anger or fear the
nervous system goes into fight/flight mode and the body goes into contraction. The
autonomic nervous system reacts to the emotional stress you are experiencing by
restricting the blood vessels, which decreases blood flow and causes the tissues to
receive less oxygen. This is called Ischemia. Exercise, movement, and massage can be
helpful to increase blood flow and oxygen, but the first step in true healing is bringing
awareness to how you react to the physical, mental, or emotional stress.
ACCEPTANCE
In the face of difficult circumstances, you can’t continue to have the same response and
expect a different result. Once you meet life’s challenges without reacting to the mindmade stories, beliefs, expectations, or perceptions from past experiences, you can bring
full awareness and acceptance internally, rather than immediately react externally.
For a moment, just tune in to the somatic sensation you are feeling in your body. Stop
and notice what the pain, discomfort or emotion feels like. Not the story your mind
creates, but what you actually sense and feel as you accept the sensation and relax into
it. If you create a preconception that the experience will be painful, it will be! Instead,
just notice if you can have a direct experience of working with the discomfort rather
than fighting and resisting it.
Observe and notice your mind. Does it immediately begin asking, “When will this go
away? “Why does this always happen to me?†“I don’t want to feel this,†etc. What
does your body need from you? The story? The resistance? Or do you need
compassion, kindness, and acceptance?
Now try taking your mind away from the uncomfortable place or condition in your body
and notice the rest of your body that is NOT experiencing this challenge. If you allow
the energy of the “whole†body to connect and support the “part†that needs care, you
begin to initiate an internal connection.
ACTIVATATION
Once you have accepted what “is”, you can begin to activate the process of healing. You
release yourself from the sympathetic nervous system response of contraction and
begin to experience an expansion of energy. Acceptance doesn’t mean we sit around
and do nothing! Acceptance just allows us to begin to activate an energetic change
internally, so we are more apt to make healthy choices externally.
When we try too hard to get rid of a problem, we continue to stimulate the fight/flight
pattern. When we let go of resistance, we activate the natural capacity for expansion,
oxygenation, and blood flow. We move into a parasympathetic nervous system state of
rest/digest. Rather than just focus on the external circumstance, we activate our
internal power by reconnecting with our body’s natural energy flow.
CONNECTION
To begin healing, you must first discover the internal blockages leading to obstructed or
stagnated energy. This can be a misalignment, adhesion, or disease in the body causing
a physical obstruction. This can also be emotional stress that creates contraction and
stagnation of the internal energy. Regardless of whether physical, emotional, or mental
stress is perpetuating this symptom, you have the power and capacity to change these
energetic patterns and form a different reaction. From this space of “internal”
awareness, you can then look externally with curiosity and discovery for tools and
practices to guide and empower you. But keep in mind, it all begins with opening within
and letting go of resistance.
GRATITUDE
The outcome of this awareness and connection is gratitude. When we unconditionally,
regardless of our circumstances accept what is, then we activate, connect, and awaken
to our internal healing energy. We begin to feel different as we experience appreciation
for life and the gift of this body in which we live.
No matter what story you tell yourself, you are still experiencing the miracle of
life! Keep in mind, the energy is still moving inside of you! When we accept, we release
ourselves from frustration, blame, and victimization and begin to embrace our internal
power. We access a deep appreciation for our existence regardless of our
struggles. This is not based on conditions, or whether we have a problem. Believe me,
we all have problems!!!!
APPRECIATION
If you don’t appreciate your body and the gift of existence, then what’s the point of
healing? Can you appreciate your life? Can you be satisfied with who you are? Can you
accept what you are experiencing? Can you let go of the internal chatter, the stories,
judgements, expectations, and criticism your mind places on your body? Can you
connect to something beyond your circumstances? Can you connect with the energy of
what “is?†Connect with gratitude and appreciation for life unconditionally. Letting go
of “conditions” means accepting yourself and your body regardless of your
circumstances.
TRANSFORMATION
We all face challenges, we all live, and we all die. In this life, you have the choice to
transform fear into creativity, worry into confidence, grief into courage, anger into
compassion, and so on. You just need to initiate a new habitual pattern, reaction, and
response to the circumstances you are faced with. The reality is, you are more likely
from this place of internal acceptance, awareness, and connection to manifest the
external results you desire. At the end of the day, emotions are just energy, and with
awareness and acceptance, all energy has the potential to be transformed!
