A Guided Meditation For Cold, Flu, COVID & Allergies

When you’re sick, it’s easy to spend the whole day wishing you felt different. Wishing your body felt better, your symptoms would go away, or you could just get back to normal.
This 10-minute guided meditation is an invitation to gently drop into the present moment, even when the present moment includes a stuffy nose, sore throat, fatigue, aches, allergies, or just generally feeling physically unwell.
Whether you’re dealing with a cold, the flu, COVID, allergies, or another sick day, we’ll practice noticing what’s here without needing to change it. You don’t have to like being sick or pretend that you feel good. This is simply a chance to soften some of the resistance, reconnect with your body, and give yourself permission to rest. You don’t have to wait until you feel better to find a little bit of peace, to accept & adapt.
Please note that this meditation is for relaxation and support only, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or care.

Transcript

Hey everyone, Today I wanted to do a quick guided meditation. With the cozy visual of the fireplace in the background because I'm sick. I've had a cold or maybe the flu for a couple of days now and I've noticed that with these physical symptoms it's been more difficult for me to drop into presence and I'm noticing and identification or re-identification. With my physical body, I'm noticing. A lot of resistance to symptoms. So whether it's a sore throat or my nose is running, There's this almost immediate, I don't want to feel this way, Or I shouldn't feel this way. I noticed yesterday, Which was my birthday, And the day I got sick, That I was having a thought train say, Well, I shouldn't be sick on my birthday. Who says? And. . . Becoming aware of that thought train I was able to just put it down and let it go. And so I want to invite you to get comfortable. Feel free to close your eyes. You can keep them open if you'd like, But I'm going to close my eyes. I'm doing this for myself just as much if not more than I'm doing it for you all. And if you're listening to this or watching this, And you have a cold or the flu or COVID or allergies. You're not alone. You're not alone. So take a deep breath in through your nose or through your mouth if your nose is a little stuffy. Big exhale. We're going to do a couple more of those. Just noticing any tension in the body anywhere you're grasping. Noticing your feet on the floor. Or maybe your sitz bones on a cushion. Feeling into whatever part of you is touching the ground. Remembering. The koan about how when the Buddha. Was being. Attempted to be distracted or tempted by Mara. Desire. And V. Pleasure. All the historical Buddha did. Was put his hand on the ground. Just touching the ground. So grounding into this moment. And getting curious about whatever symptoms you're having. Just noticing them. For me, There's pressure along my forehead. There's a scratchy feeling in my throat. Noticing distractions to those sensations as well. For me, My house sounds like it is. Under attack of acorns. And an air filter just turned on to the loudest setting. Lay it all down. Not trying to change anything. Not trying to distract yourself from anything, Just being. Just noticing. Oftentimes, When we're sick, We want to distract ourselves. Think about anything but the physical sensations. And here we're just present for them. Opening the door to radical acceptance. Am I accepting and adapting? All right, Taking it easy, Resting, Maybe drinking some tea. Or am I resisting and suffering? Accept and adapt, Or resist and suffer. I know yesterday I caught myself resisting. Quite a bit. I had made plans that were canceled. I had all of these goals and designs in mind that got wiped off the map. And my resistance of reality exactly as it is was causing my suffering more than the physical symptoms. So what if I just accept it? Reality as it is. Really breathing some lightness into your body. Giving yourself the nurture. And compassion. Of a maternal figure. Viewing your body as that of a small child just wanting to be taken care of. So take care of it. Holding that compassion, That nurture, That care for yourself. Coming back into the room. And slowly blinking your eyes open. Remembering that so much of our suffering when we have allergies or a cold or the flu. Comes from our resistance of those symptoms. Not actually the experience itself. When I radically accept that my throat hurts. And my head hurt. And my body hurts. There's almost a lightness, Like, Oh, OK, I don't have to fight this. It just is. So can I come back? Into this moment. And just breathe. I hope you all feel better soon. I'm making this video right as the weather on the East Coast of the United States is starting to change. I think a lot of us might catch a bit of a cold in the coming weeks and months. And that's okay, Because that's all there is. I hope you're able to rest today and take care of yourself. I'll see you next time.