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How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
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How to Meditate: Meditation 101 for Beginners
10 Science-Backed Benefits of Meditation
What is Meditation?
Benefits of Mindfulness: Mindful Living Can Change Your Life
Mindfulness 101: A Beginner's Guide
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Hey there. Welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, we're going to talk about something I like to call the pain box. Now we've all experienced various traumas of life, macro and micro. These experiences cause us to reassess who we need to be in the world in order to be safe.
And often what that means is that we put up walls of guarding to protect us from having to experience a certain kind of pain again. But we all have different kinds of walls. So examples, we want to make a friend, make amends with a friend, and that requires admitting that we might've been wrong. But the pain of not being right is too great, so we just stay in our self-righteousness. That's a wall.
We want connection in our relationship and that requires sharing our needs with the other person, but it's too painful to imagine having those needs rejected. So we settle for good enough connection. That's a wall. We want to be less judgmental toward ourselves and that requires not beating ourselves up as much for our mistakes. But there's this fear that if we don't punish ourselves, we won't be successful in the world.
And the thought of not being successful creates pain. So we continue to be our own harsh, harshest critic. That's a wall. Before we know it, we put up so many different walls that we get trapped in a box, confined to a certain kind of way of being and living that we don't actually want. I call this box, the pain box.
It's called the pain box because the only thing that keeps us in it is pain. The walls don't actually exist. When we're not willing to feel something due to the perceived pain it will cause, it becomes a barrier and we get stuck in our safety, our comfort zone. In most circumstances, it's the potential pain we associate with what we want, consciously or subconsciously, that keeps us in the same place with the same people, the same longings and the same frustrations, even though we most desperately want something else. So take a moment just to hear that and maybe evaluate and try to feel what some of your pain walls might be.
What do you wish you could express about yourself? What conversations do you wish you could have with someone? Is there a part of you that you wish you could share with others? What do you wish you could accept in your life? Whatever comes up, then just ask yourself, what would I need to feel or experience to move toward this? It's okay if you're not sure yet. But the discomfort, if any, that you associate with moving toward what you most want is your pain wall. In meditation were organically starting to shift our relationship to pain, to find a stability and a groundedness within it. But as you go throughout your day, notice where you might get stuck. The conversations you might want to have, the experiences you might want to do, the risks you might want to take, and what is the pain you associate with potentially getting there.
Instead of immediately retreating, what would it be like to take a breath, soften around it and take a step forward anyway? In this way, we start to expand beyond our pain box. Thanks for your practice. I'll talk to you more in the meditation. And as always, take care.
The Pain Box
Personalized support for learning how to integrate mindfulness into your life. Delivered fresh everyday by our world renowned experts. Choose meditation duration:
Duration
Your default time is based on your progress and is changed automatically as you practice.
Hey there. Welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, we're going to talk about something I like to call the pain box. Now we've all experienced various traumas of life, macro and micro. These experiences cause us to reassess who we need to be in the world in order to be safe.
And often what that means is that we put up walls of guarding to protect us from having to experience a certain kind of pain again. But we all have different kinds of walls. So examples, we want to make a friend, make amends with a friend, and that requires admitting that we might've been wrong. But the pain of not being right is too great, so we just stay in our self-righteousness. That's a wall.
We want connection in our relationship and that requires sharing our needs with the other person, but it's too painful to imagine having those needs rejected. So we settle for good enough connection. That's a wall. We want to be less judgmental toward ourselves and that requires not beating ourselves up as much for our mistakes. But there's this fear that if we don't punish ourselves, we won't be successful in the world.
And the thought of not being successful creates pain. So we continue to be our own harsh, harshest critic. That's a wall. Before we know it, we put up so many different walls that we get trapped in a box, confined to a certain kind of way of being and living that we don't actually want. I call this box, the pain box.
It's called the pain box because the only thing that keeps us in it is pain. The walls don't actually exist. When we're not willing to feel something due to the perceived pain it will cause, it becomes a barrier and we get stuck in our safety, our comfort zone. In most circumstances, it's the potential pain we associate with what we want, consciously or subconsciously, that keeps us in the same place with the same people, the same longings and the same frustrations, even though we most desperately want something else. So take a moment just to hear that and maybe evaluate and try to feel what some of your pain walls might be.
What do you wish you could express about yourself? What conversations do you wish you could have with someone? Is there a part of you that you wish you could share with others? What do you wish you could accept in your life? Whatever comes up, then just ask yourself, what would I need to feel or experience to move toward this? It's okay if you're not sure yet. But the discomfort, if any, that you associate with moving toward what you most want is your pain wall. In meditation were organically starting to shift our relationship to pain, to find a stability and a groundedness within it. But as you go throughout your day, notice where you might get stuck. The conversations you might want to have, the experiences you might want to do, the risks you might want to take, and what is the pain you associate with potentially getting there.
Instead of immediately retreating, what would it be like to take a breath, soften around it and take a step forward anyway? In this way, we start to expand beyond our pain box. Thanks for your practice. I'll talk to you more in the meditation. And as always, take care.
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I have been on a journey of healing and learning self-love. Amidst the work, I have been using the mindfulness app for the gentle reminders, guides to the moment (especially the difficult ones).
Kelly Boys offers a fresh and illuminating take on how to step out of lifelong patterns that keep snagging us.
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Truly life changing. This isn't solely meditation and mindfulness...this is about striving to be the best the versions of ourselves.
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Relaxing and assuring beyond description... thank you, Cory.
- Babs312
This is the app I turn to when I want to feel calm and loved.
- Abby
Melli has a beautiful way of guiding and reminding us of the stillness within.
- Adrienne James
I have been on a journey of healing and learning self-love. Amidst the work, I have been using the mindfulness app for the gentle reminders, guides to the moment (especially the difficult ones).
Kelly Boys offers a fresh and illuminating take on how to step out of lifelong patterns that keep snagging us.
- Tara Brach, PhD
Truly life changing. This isn't solely meditation and mindfulness...this is about striving to be the best the versions of ourselves.
- Marisa, Plus+ Member
Relaxing and assuring beyond description... thank you, Cory.
- Babs312
This is the app I turn to when I want to feel calm and loved.
- Abby
Melli has a beautiful way of guiding and reminding us of the stillness within.
- Adrienne James
I have been on a journey of healing and learning self-love. Amidst the work, I have been using the mindfulness app for the gentle reminders, guides to the moment (especially the difficult ones).
Kelly Boys offers a fresh and illuminating take on how to step out of lifelong patterns that keep snagging us.
- Tara Brach, PhD
Truly life changing. This isn't solely meditation and mindfulness...this is about striving to be the best the versions of ourselves.
- Marisa, Plus+ Member
Relaxing and assuring beyond description... thank you, Cory.
- Babs312
Shamash's guidance is a gift of wisdom to help us in our busy and stressful lives.
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Excellent! Cory gently guides you into internal peace.
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A necessary tool for those who feel lost.
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I start every day with Cory or Melli for my daily practice. Including this app into my practice helps me continue to build more mental focus and understanding of my thought processes. What a welcome and powerful gift.
- Oku
Shamash's guidance is a gift of wisdom to help us in our busy and stressful lives.
- Paul Gilbert, PhD, FBPsS, OBE, Centre for Compassion Research and Training, University of Derby, United Kingdom
Excellent! Cory gently guides you into internal peace.
- Steve Ericson
A necessary tool for those who feel lost.
- Piper
Just want to say a big thankyou to all involved as this has had a positive impact in my daily life 🙏 Valuable teachings that have allowed me to have a better relationship not only with those around me, but with myself. Heal ourselves and we heal the world 💫✨🌍
- Marty
I start every day with Cory or Melli for my daily practice. Including this app into my practice helps me continue to build more mental focus and understanding of my thought processes. What a welcome and powerful gift.
- Oku
Shamash's guidance is a gift of wisdom to help us in our busy and stressful lives.
- Paul Gilbert, PhD, FBPsS, OBE, Centre for Compassion Research and Training, University of Derby, United Kingdom
Excellent! Cory gently guides you into internal peace.
- Steve Ericson
A necessary tool for those who feel lost.
- Piper
Just want to say a big thankyou to all involved as this has had a positive impact in my daily life 🙏 Valuable teachings that have allowed me to have a better relationship not only with those around me, but with myself. Heal ourselves and we heal the world 💫✨🌍
- Marty
I start every day with Cory or Melli for my daily practice. Including this app into my practice helps me continue to build more mental focus and understanding of my thought processes. What a welcome and powerful gift.
- Oku
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