Self-Connection When You're Sick

When you’re sick, the body asks for slowness, compassion, and care. This gentle meditation invites you to connect with yourself in illness, resting with gratitude and presence.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

image: Getty

Transcript

Welcome to a practice for when you're sick mindfulness and self-connection so you can sit but my recommendation is to find a position for your body that is restful such as laying down just drop as much as you can into some relaxation and I'd really love to invite you to connect with some sense of compassion towards your body your body is working right now to recover to heal repair and the discomfort you might be feeling is a direct result of that it's a result of your body being busy healing itself and this is a period a moment where you really want to be very gentle very kind with yourself of course always but even more so when you're sick so can you in this moment not feeling well can you accept what you feel it's actually a chance for deepening your self-connection your connection with your body by just being with it as it is healing do you notice any tension in your body any tensing that you're doing unconsciously maybe your shoulders your face or your belly or your legs see if there's any then seeing that you can relax a bit more just being breathing patiently with this magnificent machine that is your body it's not actually a machine it's a metaphor but it has some machine like qualities to it have you ever seen those you know I don't know if it's an animation or a little actual footage of these cellular machines they actually walk across lines of proteins I guess and they really look like little machines working away in the inside of yourselves magnificent you every day your body is defending fighting for you staying on guard being vigilant scanning solving healing a thousand little things that you're not even aware of just to keep your body healthy and functioning and sometimes there's a little bit of bad weather and we get sick and all that process becomes a bit more to the forefront of our experience now we're sick you and we're just breathing with it our body really likes the attention we give it and sometimes for me anyway I can go really deep inside myself sometimes when I'm ill or sick so you can even do that experiment for as long as you're not well to really see it as an opportunity to deeply deeply self-connect the only thing is it only works when you cooperate with the base of your body right now and then you'll notice if you can accept the base and the adjusted abilities of your senses and your thinking and your coordination can actually be a little bit pleasant to be sick maybe not maybe not for you maybe not this time around but see if there's anything that you can find of somehow enjoying being in this temporary state of illness and knowing that your your organism your body is working so hard so smart so intelligently and vigilantly for you do you notice that there may be any gratitude that you feel towards your body for how it's working for you now and for how it's always working for you and if you want you can tell it to your body you can just send out these waves these beautiful gifts of gratitude to your body you can say that so if you want to you can do that right now so first feel and then just say to your body hey I feel really grateful thank you so much so you can take a moment for that if you want to you and then slowly I will go towards an end of this meditation and just wanted to repeat for you the message that I would love to give be very kind with your body be patient maybe even if you can follow the step of your body right now you can find some strange enjoyment and deep self-connection and if you feel gratitude your body loves to hear it I wish you a speedy recovery and also a beautiful time being in empathy with your body thank you

Reviews

This was so lovely and beyond what I was looking for to support myself while healing. Thank you for this gift!

I appreciate the guidance to shift my perspective.
I am a do-er, and being sick forces me to slow down, so I am grateful for this time to do less and practice self care.

Very relaxing thank you so much I feel better already!😉

This was such a lovely and helpful practice. I found the subtle perspective shifts so beneficial and felt a real sense of wonder and appreciation for my body. Listening to this put a whole new slant on feeling unwell, turning it from something unpleasant and inconvenient into an opportunity for connection and compassion. Thank you. 🙏

Loved this (and so did the body). So gentle, kind, sweet, and positive; so nicely paced, and such a pristine recording environment and result. Kudos☮️

This meditation helped me be kind and patient with myself as I go through a bit of a physically challenging day.
Thank you 😊

This was a very beautiful ode to the body. It was a really unique way of seeing sickness and handling your own self with so much care. I bookmarked this one. Thank you.

That was a surprise to actually feel gratitude towards my body. We have had an unhealthy 8 months. Thank you

Your message reminded me to come wholly back to myself and brought me tears of grief, compassion, and gratitude all at once. I currently have a fever of >102F and I feel more at peace than I have all day. Thank you ❤️‍🩹✨

Thank you! I feel a bit better and will be more patient with this process.🙏

Wonderful to reconnect with the body, as I am laying here in bed, sick. Yes. It can even feel nice in a way to just lay here and be my body. Thank you.

I was really wanting some support in leaning into this time of being sick, instead of fighting with it and my body, and this helped me do just that. I do feel it more as a time for rest and introspection. And very grateful for all that my body is doing for us.

Thank you for this practice 🙏🏼 It helped me get out of a mode of frustration and towards self compassion.