Pain Blessings

Love hurts.

No pain, no gain.

I don’t believe in these kind of pain-normalizing idioms. BUT, I do believe that physical pain can serve as a blessing in disguise. It tells us what needs attention in our body, where, and usually an indication of how to fix it. It keeps us present.

The body hurts not because it has turned on you. How could it? It houses your soul. However, that is a responsibility the body-temple takes seriously. When we act, think, or feel in ways that are throwing us off balance, the body takes corrective action, instantly. We have a lot to learn from paying attention to our body’s needs and messages.

Take headaches, for example. For me, a headache is often the result of too much thinking, simply put. Being in my head, immersed in the past or tripping about the future, energy painfully concentrated in my brain. When I try dispersing that energy throughout my body, I notice my shallow breathing, stuck in the chest. I start to bring my attention back. I relax, and take deeper breaths. The pain eases.

Take deep breaths, for example. Breath nourishes life. When you breathe deeply you send oxygen into your gut. You are directly feeding your core, and the subconscious mind is then better able to communicate with you. The disguise part of the blessing is our spiritual challenge to understand and read the pain as a call for attention, an opportunity for growth, or simply to slow down and breathe.

Next time you experience pain, stop. Pay attention. Ask it why. Notice where. What do you intuitively do or reach for in order to ease the pain? When has this happened before? Notice your surroundings. Is this triggering something for you? Breathe. Your body is your friend, it loves you and wants you to treat it with love.

Love is all about care, attention , respect, mutuality, and trust. So listen to your body, respect its desires, and treat it with respect. Love doesn’t have to hurt :)