Sadhana During a Cold or Flu

Dear Don,

I am just now recovering from a cold this last week! I’m glad you asked. It is difficult to meditate when one is not feeling well. My meditations were, accordingly, shorter than usual and I omitted using breath techniques that are aggressive so far as the use of the diaphragm and lungs. Gentle, gentle was the only way I could meditate without triggering a fit of coughing.

I didn’t have a fever or chills so I could still do yoga and Energization Exercises. I chanted silently. Mine was a light cold consisting of a sore throat and some head congestion. Nonetheless, fatigue was always a breath away and the body insisted on rest. If I had had something more serious like a fever, I probably could not have done any serious meditating. Part of the challenge is physical but part is also mental: it is more difficult to concentrate when the body is demanding attention. So I recited various prayers mentally at times. I talked to God and the guru often. I enjoyed the quiet time away from routine tasks and preoccupations. I ate very lightly, mostly liquids such as juice and soup. You’ve perhaps heard it said, “Starve a cold but feed a fever.”

With nasal congestion and a scratchy throat, it is easier to pay attention to your breathing when resting or sitting. So I used this variation on “Watching the Breath” during the week of my cold and found it very calming even if it doesn’t constitute meditation as such.

Do what you can to keep mindful but don’t let the challenges to your spiritual practices add more tension and stress to an already stressed body and mind. Rather than “fight,” relax into the flow of prana (divine energy) suggested by the breath and energies of body, even if unwell. Try not to succumb to the self-definition of being “sick.” Affirm mentally, “I am well! I am strong! Thy health and vitality flow through me, flow through me.”

In health and joy,
Nayaswami Hriman