This suggested “homework assignment” is part of the free, yearlong online program, A Year of Body, Speech & Mind

For 24 hours a day we depend on our physical body. We feed it, clothe it, exercise it, try to help it rest. Beyond all the physical manifestations, a deeper sense of our body is our sense of identity — what Tenzin Wangyal refers to as the pain body, or pain identity.

Our true self is an open, vibrant state of clear awareness. But anytime something triggers anger or other uncomfortable emotions in us, we tend to dissociate from who we truly are, and take on a pain identity. Most of us have several pain identities, each with its own personality depending on the triggering emotion. For example, a memory of an uncomfortable situation suddenly makes us contract and become a dull, brooding person; a loved one says something that makes us become an angry partner, parent or child; a work situation causes us to transform into a frustrated, prideful, or jealous employee.

The suggested “homework” for the Month of the Body (October 19 – November 16, 2021) is to notice whenever your pain body starts to take over. Instead of disconnecting, dissociating, and immediately reacting, take a moment to rest in the stillness of your body.

Whether you are by yourself, with family, or at work, the moment you feel your pain body start to take over, try to catch yourself. Take a few deep breaths and feel the stillness in your body. Take as long as 5 to 10 minutes to rest in that space, allowing the awareness of stillness to protect you. Rather than immediately doing, saying, or deciding something, host and accommodate your pain in that space and feel protected by that awareness. If possible, remove yourself from the triggering situation or location.

Do this at least three to five times a day throughout the Month of the Body.

Video: Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche explains the homework in detail