Colds and flus are common and contagious enough,
And usually resolve on their own without any external medical intervention.
Sometimes they last a while,
Though,
Or we find that they are recurring,
Constantly,
Not leaving us alone for very long.
If you're concerned about your health,
See your doctor or health practitioner for help.
But in the meantime,
Let's also consider the spiritual meaning of your cough,
Cold,
Or flu,
And let's see if the body can tell us anything we might really need to know about why we're feeling sick right now.
Take a moment to get settled for your meditation.
You can do this in any position that is comfortable for you.
When you get there,
Take a moment to acknowledge the land that you are on and your relationship with this place,
This part of the world.
Notice the season,
The time of day,
What the plants and animals might be doing around you,
Wherever you are.
Notice what your breath is doing naturally.
If it would feel good to take a deep breath or sigh,
You're absolutely welcome to do that.
And you might certainly notice you can't breathe through your nose right now,
Which is just fine.
You can breathe through your mouth as you need to.
And now we're going to take a moment to notice the sensations around your cold or flu,
Whatever's going on with you.
You probably know the classic symptoms,
Headache,
Fever,
Stuffy nose,
Sore throat,
And so on.
But I want to invite you to consider the sensations themselves as they are for you today.
I know these are uncomfortable,
So see if you can just stay present with what's happening without needing to fix or judge it right now.
Simply notice.
Where is there sensation in your body?
Is it pulsing,
Tight,
Spacious,
Heavy,
Piercing?
Is there a posture that your body is taking on or wants to take on within this illness?
If this illness,
This virus,
Or whatever it is,
Could speak for itself,
What might it say?
Is there something it wants or needs from you?
Take a few moments just to listen,
See if it'll tell you anything.
Colds and flus often come with a runny nose and streaming eyes.
These are some of the same things that happen when we cry.
Grief is also associated with the lungs,
So if your lungs are affected,
Your body may be trying to grieve for you.
Is there something that you're grieving or feeling sad about right now or something that maybe you could be or should be grieving that you haven't been?
Especially if you notice these illnesses tend to recur,
Is there an older grief that you've had trouble processing or that you've put into the back of your mind that's still with you?
What does it feel like to consider that your body might be slowing you down so that you can grieve,
Feel,
And cry,
Even if it's unconsciously?
If you have a fever,
Your body is heating up in order to try to kill something inside that shouldn't be there.
Fevers can be very powerful spiritually and energetically and can sometimes work to help release something that doesn't belong physically or energetically.
So if a fever is a part of your symptoms or has been,
Consider if there's something in your life that has been invading your space,
Your time,
Your privacy.
Is there a person,
A behavior,
A workplace that is causing you issues that you might like to burn off?
Has something happened recently that your body could be trying to cleanse,
To release from within you?
Have you been feeling vulnerable emotionally,
Spiritually,
Or energetically?
What does it feel like to consider that the fever could be cleansing your spirit as well as your body?
Colds and flus often appear when our immune systems are compromised for some reason.
We're not getting enough sleep,
We've had too much stress,
We haven't slowed down enough maybe,
Especially in a darker season.
So let's consider what's been going on in your life lately.
Have you been going through a stressful period?
Or has it maybe been a long time of dealing with some low-level toxic stress that never goes away?
How is your basic self-care in terms of,
You know,
Getting enough sleep,
Eating enough nutrition,
Getting some movement?
Do you ever force yourself to exercise,
To eat or not eat certain foods or overwork due to social pressure?
How is your sleep right now?
What would it look like or feel like to listen to what your body needs on a day-to-day level?
Your immediate answer might be several days of sleeping,
12 hours a night.
And you could be exactly right,
That could be exactly what your body needs right now.
But with appropriate balance,
You should be able to rest,
Work and exercise in balance.
And that balance is going to shift and change depending on the weather,
The season,
Situations in your life,
Even your menstrual cycle,
If you menstruate.
Plenty of factors will affect this.
So take a few more moments here just to listen to your body and whatever else it might be trying to tell you.
If you'd like to journal some of what comes up here,
Feel free.
And keep in mind,
If no answers came today,
That's totally okay too.
The body loves to be listened to.
And spending this time in relationship with yourself is powerful,
Regardless of whether or not you get any clear answers.
So let's just take a little bit more time just to listen,
To pay attention,
To notice.
Take your time with this,
Ending your meditation when this feels complete.
If you'd like,
You could place your hands together in front of your heart or maybe over top.
Just bow gently to your body.
Thank it for being with you,
For doing its best,
For communicating however it could today.
I hope you get some rest and take care of your body and your soul as you recover from your cold or flu.
Thank you for listening.
