Winter.
We all love the chilly season. Snuggled under blankets, warm fires, hot tea, the skii season. Oh how wondrous winter can be…
Then KA BOOOOM! The first sneeze hits. And suddenly the entire city is being pestered by the annoying phenomenon of “the Flu!”
This week has been a doozy for me, and the insights experienced through sickness is something I feel compelled to share.
After a lovely wintery vacation of; extremely cold weather, chilly winds and rain I returned back home ( with jet-lag deciding to pack itself into my suitcase). Two days later I ran the gauntlet of “New Years Eve” celebrations; next- to-no-sleep, dancing the rumba until I had no “olay!” left, laughing so much I worked the abs more than a p90x chore synergistics workout, and consuming too much junky food that wouldn’t usually be apart of my organic repertoire. Feeewww. What- a- break.
( Oh- I did experience more than just cold weather on my winter vacation. Stay tuned for this story- its a delightful one. Next blog!)
After settling back into life as of 2014, I started coughing. Lost my voice. Felt like a stiff doormat. And the rest is history. Yes the stress I’d put on my body had definitely taken its toll. Now I am not one to visit the doctor. No thankyou. I have always sort out natural and alternative medicines. Not that I’m opposed to Western medicine, because I truly believe it has its place. But not for me this time round. Well after a week of garlic drinks, soups, wholefoods and more water than the Indian ocean- still I was sick. I thought “:anti-biotics, here we come.”
Then suddenly- I had a thought. This entire week my focus had been on my sickness.How it made me feel i.e. low and unwell and how much of a nuisance it was. Because my physical body was feeling drained and unpure, I too started thinking unpure thoughts about my outer life, my work, my relationships etc. So- stop! Something had to change. My body didn’t. My thoughts did.
” I could clear my body, if first I clear my mind.”
Right then and there I did a meditation, visualizing my perfectly healthy body. Miraculously I felt lighter, more invigorated. Then I continued my meditation and gave thanks to all the “good” and “bad” I’d experienced in 2013. I felt lighter still…
From that moment on, I made a vow to think only “healthy” thoughts, not just about my health and body, but of everything. For an added measure, every time I looked in the mirror I told myself how healthy and glowing I am. Within a day I had a huge turn around of energy, and my incessant cough substantially subsided. Its still there a teeny bit. But a lot shifted. And fast!
Now, Im not saying “dont go to the doctor and instead sing koombaiiyaaa.” If you feel compelled to medicate, do- absolutely! What I am recommending is putting a little time aside to meditate on your “healthy self” during this flu season. It just may make all the difference.
I am so grateful for the “down time” that this illness presented. It shifted a lot within me, both internally ( a lot of icky gooey gunk) and externally. I feel more abundant than ever! So along with that ginger tea, or antibiotics, why not try some “mindful healing” too?
