--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's also helpful to realize that this…" description: "\"It's also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that's sitting right here right now... with its aches and it pleasures... is exactly wha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_ache_it-s-also-helpful-to-realize-that-this-v_1878869.png" --- # It's also helpful to realize that this very body that we… ![“It's also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that's sitting right here right now... with its aches and it pleasures... is exactly what we need to be fully human, fully awake, fully alive.” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_ache_it-s-also-helpful-to-realize-that-this-v_1878869.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_ache_it-s-also-helpful-to-realize-that-this-v_1878869.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_ache_it-s-also-helpful-to-realize-that-this-v_1878869.png) > “It's also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that's sitting right here right now... with its aches and it pleasures... is exactly what we need to be fully human, fully awake, fully alive.” [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our physical body, with all its sensations, is essential for authentic human experience and presence. **In simple terms:** The body is key to being fully alive. Key Takeaway Embrace bodily awareness. Themes mindfulness embodiment presence Mood calm reflective Type spiritual inspirational When to use this quote - Meditation practice - therapy sessions - daily self‑check - stress reduction Key Concepts Buddhist philosophy psychology sensory awareness Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor your body's signals today? - What practices help you stay present in your body? A Different Perspective Focusing only on the mind neglects the body's role in consciousness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Body image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-image/) [Body love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-love/) [Fully Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fully-alive/) [Get well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-well/) [Human body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-body/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Inspiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiring/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) ## Related quotes > [“It's very helpful to realize that being here, sitting in meditation, doing simple everyday things like working, walking outside, talking with people, bathing, using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-very-helpful-to-realize-that-being-here-sitting-in-meditation/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [This was the gift of recovery, he thought. The ability to be here in this moment with the female he loved and be fully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/this-was-the-gift-of-recovery-he-thought-the-ability-to-be-here-in/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [For human beings, the most daunting challenge is to become fully human. For to become fully human is to become fully divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/for-human-beings-the-most-daunting-challenge-is-to-become-fully-human/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [“Man only plays when he is in the fullest sense of the word a human being, and he is only fully a human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-von-schiller/man-only-plays-when-he-is-in-the-fullest-sense-of-the-word-a-human/) [Friedrich von Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-von-schiller/) > [To be fully human, fully myself, To accept all that I am, all that you envision, This is my prayer. Walk with me out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/to-be-fully-human-fully-myself-to-accept-all-that-i-am-all-that-you/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/to-be-fully-alive-fully-human-and-completely-awake-is-to-be-2/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/to-be-fully-alive-fully-human-and-completely-awake-is-to-be/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“The Glory of God is a human being fully alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-glory-of-god-is-a-human-being-fully-alive/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe what Irenaeus said - the glory of God is a human being fully alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/i-believe-what-irenaeus-said-the-glory-of-god-is-a-human-being-fully/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [We are one blink of an eye away from being fully awake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/we-are-one-blink-of-an-eye-away-from-being-fully-awake/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [WE ALREADY HAVE everything we need. There is no need for self-improvement. All these trips that we lay on ourselves—the heavy-duty fearing that we’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/we-already-have-everything-we-need-there-is-no-need-for-self/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [But all the time our warmth and brilliance are right here. This is who we really are. We are one blink of an eye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-all-the-time-our-warmth-and-brilliance-are-right-here-this-is-who/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [It is a mistake to imagine that you can awaken in any kind of permanent way. There is only NOW and so you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-jacobson/it-is-a-mistake-to-imagine-that-you-can-awaken-in-any-kind-of/) [Leonard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-jacobson/) > [To be awake is to be fully present, no noise, just you and God. Most of us only have seconds of full consciousness. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/to-be-awake-is-to-be-fully-present-no-noise-just-you-and-god-most-of/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [“Simply being awake is not being fully conscious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/simply-being-awake-is-not-being-fully-conscious/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) ## More by Pema Chodron > [“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/since-death-is-certain-and-the-time-of-death-is-uncertain-what-is-the/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) [Explore all 664 Pema Chodron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## More Ache quotes > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [When we went into the ocean, I watched his body as he dove into the waves, and it gave me a feeling in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/when-we-went-into-the-ocean-i-watched-his-body-as-he-dove-into-the/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-lives-with-the-stress-of-an-overwhelmed-schedule-will/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [I ache for the touch of your lips dear, but much more for the touch of your whips dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-ache-for-the-touch-of-your-lips-dear-but-much-more-for-the-touch-of/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I was not wounded in any part of my body, but I had never experienced such intense pain, such a ripping of the nerves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-was-not-wounded-in-any-part-of-my-body-but-i-had-never-experienced/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [as we acquire new aches and new pains, our health care is, of necessity, being supplied by internists, cardiologists, dermatologists, podiatrists, urologists, periodontists, gynecologists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/as-we-acquire-new-aches-and-new-pains-our-health-care-is-of-necessity/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [Jamie enjoyed solitude, but loneliness was a constant ache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-sheldon/jamie-enjoyed-solitude-but-loneliness-was-a-constant-ache/) [Sidney Sheldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-sheldon/) > [Some men make money not for the sake of living, but ache In the blindness of greed and live just for their fortune's sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/some-men-make-money-not-for-the-sake-of-living-but-ache-in-the/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [Staring at her face, she began to fancy her outer layer had begun to melt away while she wasn't paying attention, and something --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/staring-at-her-face-she-began-to-fancy-her-outer-layer-had-begun-to/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [O thou beautiful And unimaginable ether! and Ye multiplying masses of increased And still increasing lights! what are ye? what Is this blue wilderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/o-thou-beautiful-and-unimaginable-ether-and-ye-multiplying-masses-of/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [An emotion is a thought, yes, an idea, but it is also a sensation, an ache in your body. Desire, love, hate, fear, repulsion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/an-emotion-is-a-thought-yes-an-idea-but-it-is-also-a-sensation-an/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [He that sleeps feels not the tooth-ache](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/he-that-sleeps-feels-not-the-tooth-ache/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I will live this day as if it is my last. …I will waste not a moment mourning yesterday’s misfortunes, Yesterday’s defeats, yesterday’s aches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/i-will-live-this-day-as-if-it-is-my-last-i-will-waste-not-a-moment/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) Browse all 489 Ache quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that's sitting right here right now... with its aches and it pleasures... is exactly what we need to be fully human, fully awake, fully alive.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pema Chodron" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-also-helpful-to-realize-that-this-very-body-that-we-have-that-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ache" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-also-helpful-to-realize-that-this-very-body-that-we-have-that-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_ache_it-s-also-helpful-to-realize-that-this-v_1878869.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_ache_it-s-also-helpful-to-realize-that-this-v_1878869.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_ache_it-s-also-helpful-to-realize-that-this-v_1878869.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that's sitting right here right now... with…” — Pema Chodron", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Pema Chodron", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's also helpful to realize that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-also-helpful-to-realize-that-this-very-body-that-we-have-that-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-also-helpful-to-realize-that-this-very-body-that-we-have-that-s/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```