English

This meditation guides you through the practice of absorption into your breath so that you might access its softness and gentle flow even while suffering intense pain. With a realism born of personal experience, it promotes self-compassion and acceptance. 
I am alongside you through the practice; no judgement, no shame. 
May you taste some glimmers of relief and ease.

Migraine And Pain Relief: The Breath As Haven

Just breathe. This is one of the key pillars of your self-care, of your self-love, of your healing when you have a migraine and it's so very simple but also takes practice and this is to just come back to a soft natural breath and it doesn't matter, it really doesn't matter what's going on with your breath there is no where we're trying to get with it, there's no, you know, I can't breathe properly, we get so het up about these things and I could be a lot of shame. Maybe you have a cold today, maybe you have asthma, maybe you have tension around your chest or diaphragm that's impacting your breath, we are just beginning where you are, where you are and wherever you are the breath has something to offer you. It is this moving, flowing energy, this ever-changing current and that is such a relief. Let that be a relief, that with whatever is going on in your body, whatever pain might be present, your breath it's not really yours, the breath is moving, it keeps flowing and we can come to know this breath as an anchor point, as a steady harbour, a haven when much in the air, the breath is a small flickering light, a safe harbour. We can take time to this relationship with our breath, it might help you to become aware of sensations inside your nostrils, the temperature of the air just outside your nostrils. Let's passage through them and it's very tempting with the breath to try and deepen it, to tug it in all directions but when we have a migraine, when we have some glaring pain in the body, I found that it's most healing, soothing to become absorbed into the breath. So the breath is this stream that's happening really without your control and without your attention, it is ongoing, keeping you alive, stream of life. So wherever you feel your breath you can imagine becoming absorbed into your breath as if you are looking down into the stream, you're gently approaching the riverbank with some wonderment and curiosity to observe your breath, the river of the breath and so you might notice how in this practice and as you are most likely lying or sitting quite still, you notice how your breath might become really subtle, really quiet. You don't need to move your eyes or move your body to attend to the different places, your attention can travel internally, picking up on the sensations of the breath, where is that in your stomach, in your pelvis, around your torso, your back, in your front, your ribs, in your lungs and if it's better to not move your attention too much, please go with that. Sometimes the aggravation can be so intense that we just need one small, calm place to retreat to and that retreat with the breath, so it reminds us of our aliveness and of how things are always changing, always moving, they don't need to, we don't have an agenda, we're not forcing anything but we know that that's true. This air coming in now is changed by the exchange in my body and changes me in very tiny ways, this air coming out is of a different composition, connects me to the wider world, you find the balance of where you need to remain, deeply inside or with a soft traveling attention, maybe it's more soothing to rest your attention somewhere on your skin, on your nostrils, your tummy on the contact that your body makes with things around you, any comfort, any small comfort, as little pressure as possible, as little attachment as possible and the breath, it does move, soft, subtle breath, flows in and out, what can it offer in terms of softness to the parts of you that are likely bracing against pain, the parts of you that are throbbing with pain, slowly, slowly, gently, no pressure, no rush, practicing becoming absorbed into the river of the breath, seeing what it has to offer you, what pathway it can show you, what glimmer of freshness or of ease it might deliver on its current. Please continue with this practice for as long as you would like, you might play it again, you might come back to it, just carry on in your own time, perhaps our breath could even be a prayer, so right now where I'm breathing, sent into my connection with you wherever you are, to the breath that we all share and I honour you in your process, however that is and I send you much love. Thank you.