It is natural to want to avoid pain,
Because our pain transports us back to a time of unpleasantness,
A time of hurt and sadness.
However,
In this meditation today,
You are invited to go against this instinct.
You are being invited to trust this introspective process,
Which is built on thousands of years of experience and wisdom.
It is also built on kindness and love.
To better understand this invitation,
You need to understand that the avoidance of pain keeps us trapped in the prison of pain.
We might believe,
If we are not thinking about the issue,
Or the time when we were hurt,
That somehow we are free,
But this is often not the case,
Because we are in fact incarcerated by the illusion that we are free.
Our defence mechanisms are many,
And they are very sophisticated,
And they are designed to protect us and keep us safe.
But sometimes the price we pay for that safety is far too great,
Because we can be left believing we are somewhere that we are not.
If you are feeling sad,
Set adrift,
Lacking in confidence,
Afraid to pursue your dreams,
Almost certainly there is some pain somewhere that is blocking your path.
If you are brave enough to face that pain,
You will then be able to resolve it.
So let us begin to do just that.
Let's start by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system,
Which creates deep feelings of relaxation and enables us to expand our awareness.
One of the best ways to do this is to breathe in a conscious way.
Every time you breathe in,
Breathe in through your nose,
And imagine you are breathing in light.
This light represents the power of the universe,
The life force that is at the heart of everything.
As clearly as you can,
See that light entering your nostrils and filling your whole brain and body with its subtle power and majesty,
Which feels wonderful.
Every time you breathe out,
Imagine a gaseous substance which has gathered up all the waste products from every organ and system in your body.
Imagine this gaseous substance being exhaled out through your mouth.
For the next little while,
Breathe in this beautiful,
Powerful light and breathe out the gaseous substance.
Imagine it removing all the toxins and unwanted substances from your brain and body.
Do this now.
You are now feeling quite relaxed,
And I want you to be brave enough to travel in your mind to a point in time where there is a sadness and a pain that you found unbearable at the time,
And it may still at times feel disabling.
Although this memory might feel overwhelming,
It's something you need to face.
It's something deep down you know you need to do,
And I'm going to ask you to trust that you do have the power,
The capacity and the reserves to face this,
Because you do.
So,
In the silence that follows,
Be brave enough to go and find and face that pain.
Whatever has emerged is what you need to face today.
You may feel a little wobbly and uneasy,
But when you dare to step into your courage,
The power you need will flood your mind and your body.
For the next little while,
Just feel that power flooding your mind and your body as it comes to assist you in this moment.
Remember,
With every in-breath,
You are being filled with the light of the universe,
Which possesses everything you need.
And with every out-breath,
Any fragility,
Weakness and fear that you might feel leaves your system.
Just sit in this awareness for a while.
You now feel fortified and strong,
Equal to any challenge or demand,
And you're ready to face your pain empowered by the strength you've accumulated.
So take your mind back to the scene which felt unbearable,
And now look at it with these eyes,
With the feeling of strength,
An awareness that you are formidable,
Greater than any pain,
Greater than any hurt or sadness.
In the silence that follows,
See how you can take this pain and use it as fuel for positive change.
You've now emerged from the experience with a sense that you're no longer defined by the pain and by the issues that have emerged out of this scene.
What you're able to feel now is a sense that you can take the pain,
Sadness and hurt,
And use it to craft a new beginning.
It's not that the original hurt and sadness have gone,
It's that you're choosing to make them a force for good in your life.
Like the phoenix that rises out of the ashes,
You now feel you've gathered the key lessons and learning that the experience has to offer.
So you see yourself rising out of the ashes with grace,
Poise and dignity.
Spend the next little while steeped in this feeling.
With every in-breath this feeling gets stronger,
And with every out-breath anything that might weaken you evaporates.
You are now feeling intoxicated,
Because what you have learned today is that you can turn any experience into something empowering just by changing your perspective.
And by changing your perspective,
You can see a way out of the darkness and into the light.
Promise now to take this journey as often as you need to,
And each time you do,
You will find you can take any painful memory and experience and use it as fuel to create positive change.
This is how you move from pain to power.
You now feel wonderful,
Liberated and free.
