This is an article I found on-line from the website https://grokker.com/blog/yoga/chronic-pain-meditation-medication/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=email_this&utm_source=email
I thought I would share it with you guys
Where do you reach while experiencing pain? If you experience headaches, do you immediately reach for the Tylenol? When you’re emotionally in pain, do you reach for the potato chips or ice cream? Scratchy throat? Do you go straight for an antibiotic? No worries. No one is judging.
Did you know that meditation is also available to you? Through meditation our mind begins to settle, and as it does, something extraordinary takes place: all the fragmented aspects of ourselves come home. Negativity and aggression, pain, suffering, and frustration are actually defused. Often, you may feel the situation (pain in this case) worsen before it gets better. If you place your awareness on pain and where that pain is coming from, you’re simply going to be feeling it. The experience of pain may intensify before it dissipates and begins to find a new pathway, away from pain.
Our adult brains are deeply transformed through experience. Our thoughts are similar to raindrops that eventually make their way to the earth, carve streams, accumulate into puddles and lakes, and in turn, create interdependent systems. A large aspect of a meditation practice involves studying yourself: your thoughts, behaviors, and turning the corner to re-engineer those well-worn, neural pathways into positive acts of loving-kindness.
Regular meditation is equivalent to mental training. Whether your pain may be chronic or acute, meditation brings about a profound stillness. Regular practice will give you the ability to just “drop in,” and take that state of awareness when and as needed.
Meditation is not biased by age, gender, or time availability. If you’re someone who says you’re too busy or have racing thoughts, then you are the perfect candidate for meditation. Here’s a 5 minute meditation to get you started.
