Mindfulness for Pain & Illness | Part 1 with Vidyamala Burch

In this episode, Vidyamala Burch, co-founder of Breathworks and a leading voice in mindfulness-based pain management, shares her personal story of living with chronic pain for nearly 50 years and how it led her to develop powerful mindfulness practices for pain and illness.

She describes her early struggles, moments of insight, and the journey from resistance to resilience. Vidyamala outlines the key distinction between primary and secondary suffering, and how mindfulness helps reduce the emotional and cognitive layers of pain.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔ The difference between primary and secondary suffering

✔ Vidyamala’s personal story of chronic pain and transformation

✔ The parable of the two arrows and how it applies to pain

✔ Practical metaphors like the cushion exercise and resistance loop

✔ Strategies for noticing and softening reactivity around pain

✔ The importance of recognizing your own resistance patterns

This episode offers deep insights for anyone working with chronic pain—personally or professionally—and provides mindfulness teachers with grounded, compassionate tools to support others through discomfort.

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About the Podcast Mindfulness Exercises with Sean Fargo is a practical, grounded mindfulness podcast for people who want meditation to actually help in real life. Hosted by Sean Fargo — a former Buddhist monk, mindfulness teacher, and founder of MindfulnessExercises.com — this podcast explores how mindfulness can support mental health, emotional regulation, trauma sensitivity, chronic pain, leadership, creativity, and meaningful work. Each episode offers a mix of: • Practical mindfulness and meditation teachings • Conversations with respected teachers, clinicians, authors, and researchers • Real-world insights for therapists, coaches, yoga teachers, educators, and caregivers • Gentle reflections for anyone navigating stress, anxiety, burnout, grief, or change Rather than chasing peak experiences or spiritual bypassing, this podcast emphasizes embodied practice, ethical teaching, and mindfulness that meets people where they are—messy, human, and alive. If you’re interested in: • Mindfulness meditation for everyday life • Trauma-sensitive and co...