Living Well with Pain and Illness

Book excerpt: After two serious spinal injuries, Vidyamala Burch found herself facing the loneliness of disability and chronic pain with few skills or resources to turn to. But instead of giving up, she set out on a mission to embrace her physical challenges with compassion, acceptance, and peace. Living Well with Pain and Illness shares the fruits of her courageous life's work, teaching us how the practice of mindfulness can help us thrive in the face of health challenges of any kind. Drawing on the wisdom of a dozen years teaching meditation and a lifetime of study of the benefits of mindful living, Vidyamala encourages readers with insights and instruction in: The five-step model of mindfulness and how to use it to foster healing The Breathworks approach to meditation, and how to apply it to health concerns such as migraines, arthritis, and chronic fatigue Step-by-step techniques, illustrations, and case studies demonstrating how to effectively bring mindfulness into daily life Chronic pain has been called the modern world's silent epidemic. Billions are spent every year in an attempt to cope, yet the best solution available may be absolutely cost-free mindful living. In Living Well with Pain and Illness, Vidyamala Burch presents a work that is at once an inspirational memoir and practical guidebook for using mindfulness to reframe your relationship with physical and emotional suffering.