Hot sauce. Growing up, I watched my dad pour hot sauce on everything. Not only spicy sauces but also jalapenos straight from the jar to the mouth like some would pop olives or pickles.
Perhaps wanting to emulate him or simply curious about what that red liquid he was so obsessed with was all about, I braved splashing my over-easy eggs one morning with a few dashes of Tabasco.
Fire. Sweat. Pain that was beyond anything I expected as my dad never seemed affected no matter the amount consumed.
I didn’t get it — and certainly did not enjoy it — but was determined to find a way to handle the heat.
My initial solutions were of the water/milk/crackers variety and none succeeded in easing the pain. I persisted and continued to try to enjoy (endure!) the spiciness but the end result was the same — pain.
Eventually, I decided on a new approach: Rather than trying to dowse the spiciness with liquids and control the heat with dry saltines, I would simply concentrate on the pain to the point where I was numb to it.
I opened a jar of jalapenos, took a big bite, and then simply sat still, closed my eyes, and focused on the heat bringing pain to my lips, mouth, and throat. I concentrated deeply on the heat as it increased in intensity and caused my brow to bead up with sweat and my pulse to quicken.
I remained focused on the heat but also became aware of my body and my breathing. Gradually, my attention shifted away from the heat; away from the body; and away from the pain to the point where I was now carried from one fleeting thought to another and completely beyond the origin of this experience.
When my mind races with frenzied thought; or I struggle with ruminating on the past; or anxiousness over the future overwhelms I return to that initial experiment of embracing the pain and channeling it to a more peaceful state through meditation. Focus — while simultaneously allowing the mind and body to flow — and gradually serenity and calmness will be gained.
As I was able to ease the heat by focusing on how it was affecting me, I find similar effectiveness in calming the mind by bringing awareness to it.
