Have you ever noticed that while we might spend time reflecting on how our thoughts and emotions shape the health of our bodies, we rarely discuss that the connection also works in reverse, that our physical pain disrupts our presence and clarity. Through personal experience and professional observation, it becomes clear that lingering pain and discomfort are more than silent burdens; they actively distract our minds and detract from our ability to be present.
Even the intention to be calm, focused, and grounded in daily living can feel unsettled when physical pain is present. Recognizing this dynamic is an invitation to turn inward with compassion, to honor our body’s signals, and to be curious and explore new paths that might nurture both our physical and mental well-being. This two-fold approach can be a wonderful gift to restoring the possibility of presence and greater peace in our lives, even alongside physical pain.
Samples of Focusing on the ‘Mind’ Aspect of the Mind-Body Connection
Often, when we talk or read about the mind-body connection, the emphasis is on how our minds impact our bodies. For example, we often see information about how:
- When we carry unmanaged stress, our bodies might experience increased risks to our cardiovascular, immune, and other systems.
- When we hold onto fears, we remain in an activated fight, flight, or freeze response, which again causes harm to our physical bodies.
- The same goes for denial, anger, and unhealed trauma.
BUT… could how we manage the needs of our bodies also work in reverse? My firsthand experience is an absolute YES! Unmanaged pain, injuries, and illnesses impact our minds and emotions, and perhaps, explicitly, our ability to settle our minds and to be present.
Thoughts and emotions are not the only distractions. Physical pain can also be a distraction. And this physical distraction from being present impacts how we show up in conversations, our work, and even in our meditations. I have found that I can improve my ability to settle my mind in meditation by:
- Managing pain before sitting in meditation. This might involve a gentle walk, stretching, or even a heat pack and massage.
- Having a long-term solution in bringing about greater physical ease and improved pain management by working with the right team.
This two-fold approach (working both the mind and the body) to being present is a wonderful way to approach meditation and mindfulness practices if physical pain is an obstacle.
Let’s look more closely at real-life samples.
Real-life application
Allowing an Awareness of Physical Pain to Guide Our Daily Actions
I have found that meditating in the morning is not what serves me best. Due to significant back and neck injuries, I often struggle to sit without pain. This impacts my ability to settle into a meditation practice.
I am aware that there are those who are proponents of sitting through pain as part of a disciplined practice. While there’s nothing wrong with that approach, it is not my approach. Life deals us enough pain and suffering; I struggle with physical pain most days. I choose to take a kinder approach for my personal needs.
That means first moving to loosen my muscles, to allow my body to let go of pain that may have arisen overnight. Pain that might arise from a head leaned to one side or the other, from a misplaced pillow meant to hold a little traction, or otherwise.
This movement might be a gentle stroll, an exercise walk, a little yoga, or stretching. On other days, it may require a heat pack, massage, or even cupping. The key is in listening to and honoring my body’s needs.
And this is why sitting in meditation can serve our ability to make healthy decisions for our physical bodies. We must first be aware of when our body is sharing important signals. By listening to these signals with self-compassion, we can better support our overall well-being.
On those ‘pain’ days, I have found that when I first take care of my body, I am better able to sit in a meditation practice that best serves me. The same is true of other practices such as journaling.
Consider how you can better listen to your body’s signals to improve your self-care practices, such as meditation, journaling, or even sitting and reading.
A Longer-Perspective: Developing a Supportive Strategy
When we have such physical ailments or injuries, it is easy to fall into the pattern of a slow degradation of daily support habits that keep the impact of injuries at bay. Sometimes, even after we have worked so hard in the past to improve such pain. Just like falling off a diet or exercise program, there are many reasons, which we won’t go into here.
The key is in knowing when it is time to reapply our focus. To once again do the work. Or to acknowledge that there might be work that can be done.
Now we can approach the ‘problem’ with curiosity!
And that brings me to this summer, the summer of 2025. Being back in Pittsburgh for a few months provided me with the opportunity to work with a very well-qualified licensed Pilates instructor. One who focuses on a physical therapy-type approach. I have worked with her for many years in the past as part of a comprehensive physical therapy program, three times a week, for more than three hours each session, year after year.
She knows me, my injuries, and how my body responds to movement. This is a gift!
Once in the past, she played a key role in helping me get to where I could participate in a group Pilates Class, only to have to remove me due to neurological symptoms.
As you might guess, even with many years of Pilates experience, I am not in a group class. Our first session involved the most basic movements. No springs, no bands. The tiniest of movements. A focus back to only the most foundational aspects of posture, alignment, and movement.
She is helping me relearn:
- How to lift my arms.
- How to straighten my hair without triggering pain behind my eyes.
- How to hold a posture sitting and standing that reduces pain.
- How to position my body in conversation so as not to trigger pain.
- Even how to hold a water bottle while walking so that my morning strolls do not inflict more pain. We settled on using a wrist weight on the opposite arm to offset the weight of the bottle, and chose a different kind of bottle. A Yeti that allows the bottle to hang straight down without being at an angle.
While these might seem like frivolous goals, they make a world of difference in my everyday comfort.
We are being intentional with every action, with every new exercise.
And the work is paying off! Today, after four weeks of this intentional work, I noticed I was able to sit in meditation with less distraction from physical pain. I am able to more easily be present in conversation.
Not only am I able to be more present, this improved ability to settle my mind with greater ease means I enjoy a greater experience.
If physical pain is impacting your ability to be present, consider how this two-fold approach to BOTH mind and body might benefit you.
Final Ponderings:
Consider what area might be impacting your ability to be present? Is it a physical, emotional or spiritual challenge? What action can you take to offset that impact? Is it like my first sample, where a small adjustment will allow you to be more present, or is it more like the latter, where you’ll need to develop a strategic plan and work with an individual with a different area of expertise? If you’re not sure who might best support you, I invite you to download this guide Building Your Dream Team for Greater Success.
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