Audio Meditation: In the Flow of Discomfort

Yoga can definitely make us feel better. But it’s most powerful benefit, perhaps, is how it teaches us to be present with discomfort rather than turning away. We learn that when we can face discomfort, relax into it, notice the way it flows, it’s often much easier to be with than when we resist it. This meditation is for those times when there’s discomfort in the body, whether emotional or physical, that doesn’t easily go away. There’s a pain in the body or the heart, but anything that can be done to make it better has been tried and still, it sits with us.

This meditation may be useful when you are dealing with an uncomfortable emotion such as sadness, anger, or anxiety. Some may like to simply explore the experience of being bored in stillness, which is its own common discomfort. Acute physical pain should be attended to, but if it is the dull ache of an injury that’s been appropriately cared for this meditation may help. Some people will chronic pain may find this meditation very helpful, but if focusing on the sensation gets too intense, stop the meditation. If you can, stay with it until the end so that the sensations of discomfort can dissipate.