Loving-kindness meditation for chronic low
back pain: results from a pilot trial.
Researchers
from the Duke University Medical Center examined the benefits of a traditional Buddhist loving-kindness meditation for chronic
low back pain. Loving-kindness meditation is a practice of cultivating love, good will, and compassion.
Researchers conducted
an 8-week loving-kindness program for individuals with chronic low back pain. Participants were randomly assigned to either
the loving-kindness intervention or to standard care. Researchers assessed patients' pain, anger, and psychological distress
before and after the intervention. The loving-kindness group showed significant improvements in pain and psychological distress,
but the "standard care" group did not. In addition, the more that an individual practiced loving-kindness meditation on a
specific day, the less pain they experienced that day, and the less anger the experienced the following day.
Authors: Carson JW, Keefe FJ, Lynch TR, Carson KM, Goli V, Fras AM, Thorp SR.
Source: Journal of Holist Nursing, 23(3):287-304.
Lovinging-Kindness Meditation is a wonderful practice and if you are in class this week, you
will be introduced to it. It can be a meditation practice in and of itself or it can be a part of a larger practice.
I've practiced in both ways.
Basically it as an offering of wishes for well-being to yourself, someone you love, someone
neutral, someone who is difficult for you at this time, and finally, recognizing that all beings wish for well being...we
offer our wishes to everyone everywhere.
Here's the simplest phrasing you can use...
"May I be free of suffering.
May I be at peace."
In my handout for class I offered some longer variations and you can find them online too.
This is a really interesting practice. It will probably surprise you.
Here's a link to a Loving-Kindness Meditation with Sharon Salzberg. You can read it or
listen to it online.
She also has a book on this practice called "Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness"
(Shambala Press).
AudioDharma has lots of talks you can listen to online or download to your iPod (for you techno
yogis). Here's a link to the talks...scroll down and there was a talk on Loving Kindness in April of this year.
I'll leave you with these two things...first a poem by Edwin Markham
Someone drew a circle that left me out.
But love and I had the wit to win...
We drew a circle that took them in.
Lastly, a quote by meditation teacher Jack Kornfield
"If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete."
May we all be free from inner and outer danger
May we be well
May we be peaceful and at ease
May we be happy.
Lots of love...Kit
ps: be sure to read the post that follows on an upcoming workshop on Ayurveda here in Columbus.
