Mindfulness offers us the clarity we need to respond to life, and anything it throws at us, effectively. At Spinal Care Clinics in Brentwood, we see mindfulness as an integral part of pain management. It’s basically a tool we all have the power to unleash. It helps us make better choices, build stronger relationships and manage emotional and physical pain. When we think of mindfulness and meditation, we often picture ourselves alone, sitting cross-legged on the floor in a very quiet room, but this can feel lonely at times.
You might never have thought about meditating with another person, but there is power in our minds coming together this way. Humans are social beings. We’ve evolved to connect and share with others and often we leak positive and negative emotions into those closest to us. We can’t control how others think, speak or act but we can control how we relate to them.
‘When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves’
Jack Kornfield
Meditating together
- Start by sitting down facing each other in a comfortable position.
- Your eyes should be slightly open and relaxed, aware of your partner’s presence.
- Focus on your own breathing first. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
- Feel the weight of your body and any contact point with the surface beneath you.
- As you relax, bring your attention to your partner and synchronise your breathing with theirs for 10 breaths.
- Notice their chest expanding and visualise the air entering and leaving their body.
- Now close your eyes and let your breath return to a natural rhythm.
- Bring the focus back into your body and start scanning down from your head to your toes. Become aware of every part of your body and how it feels. Work your way down gradually noticing any aches, pains or discomfort.
- As you reach the end of this body scan slowly, and when you’re ready, open your eyes and return to your partner and the space around you.