Yesterday, I attended my 3rd group meditation session in the @naturalmedicine discord server run by @bewithbreath and the mindful life crew. It turned out to be a really positive session.
I've written about the importance of mindfulness for people with chronic illness before in this blog, Freedom - The Mental Battle is Half the Battle.
To briefly elaborate, the cessation of thought that results from successful meditation can allow the space for healing. When you have a chronic condition your day to day is a constant battle with busy thoughts. As each symptom begins, you wonder how debilitating and intense it's going to turn out to be today. It is extremely difficult in this situation to just let go and let what will be.... be, as one day it can lay you low and another you can function.
“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”
Swami Sivananda, founder of The Divine Life Society.
This quote is all over the internet, erroneously accredited to Buddah in most cases... but hey, that's just the internet. I do agree with the sentiment in this statement and have felt this effect in varying degrees over the last 6 years of struggling with this illness. The key word to focus on here is author.
Has meditation or diet cured my small intestinal bacterial overgrowth? No.
But what we put into our body, and how we approach our perception of reality, can certainly improve things, sometimes facilitating true healing. It is exactly as difficult as writing a novel. With a novel you have all of the pieces of the puzzle to work with; plot, characters, theme, beginnings and endings. It's how you put these things together that makes a novel worth reading.
When approaching health through meditation and mindful living, it is important to understand that it's a complex novel you must author, especially for people with chronic conditions. No amount of good will and positive thinking will kill a profound overgrowth of bacteria in your guts. Despite what you might have read, you can't heal cancer by wishing it so! However, I would argue that those miracle stories you read about people healing chronic disease through intent, are people who have been either lucky or stubborn enough to find the magic formula to write that perfect novel. They have healed through a combination of meditation, diet, mindful day to day living, stress reduction and in some cases herbal medicines.
I know healing naturally is possible, and even for some through pure intent. But it has proven to be a much more complex puzzle for me, that I am still trying to work out.
To learn about the hundreds of treatments and tactics I've tried, you can read more in these blogs.
My SIBO Story (part 1) - What is SIBO & How it has Effected Me
My SIBO Story (part 2) - The Elemental Diet - 3 Weeks Without Food
My SIBO Story (part 3) - After The Elemental Diet - Plans for Natural Healing
indful life Meditation Experience
The theme of my meditation experience was definitely tranquility. I didn't set out with any set goal, just to be with breath and see if I could still my thoughts. Guided by the very accomplished @bewithbreath, we flowed from body scan into breathing meditation. It is at this point that I found what I really needed, a strong escape from my busy thoughts. Throughout the 10 -15 minutes of focusing on the breath flowing in and out of my nose, my mind drifted several times to thoughts that are stress triggers for me. But each time @bewithbreath seemed to have plugged into the collective unconscious, as his prompts to return focus to breath came just as my 'monkey mind' started to take over.
The final 5 minutes of the breathing section flowed by in a complete stillness for me. That quiet mind feeling is like paradise, that's the most accurate way I can describe it. Especially with my day to day mind state being quite prone to stress and fight/flight reactions. When I find these brief times of nirvana, it is just that... nirvana. It's kind of like sleeping but with bodily awareness, nothingness within and without. The sound of passing buses, police sirens and all the city life just melting away.
As I have recently had a disc issue with my back I was lying down to avoid pain from sitting cross legged. Lying there drifting, I felt the physical power of meditation in my legs, which had previously been achy, and now had ceased to hurt. My muscles relaxed into corpse pose, and the numbness in my left leg - the remains of sciatica - has eased off today after that deep relaxation.
ealizations & Plans to Heal Chronic Illness Naturally
I find meditation to be a cumulative experience.
The process of the breath meditation and body scans brings complete quiet for me... when it works 😉 I'm not sure exactly what happens to the psyche when thoughts are quieted like this but I imagine it to be like a dirty car windscreen being wiped clean. All this is going on in your subconscious while you just drift in a pleasant letting go of the world.
This process continues after the meditation is over when returning to thought, you find that you can see through that shiny windscreen much more clearly. This is how it is with me after a successful meditation, realizations and ideas flow in the 8-9 hours afterwards. Sometimes they pop into the mind like a bolt from the blue, others times they settle in like water flowing into a tarn, filling every tiny crack and crevice in the bed of the lake. These ideas and thoughts follow this watery analogy in their clarity.
After meditating I had a strong realization that the tools are still all there for me to figure out how to heal this illness, I just need to start all over again with a different methodology. My recent resignation to suffer on, is more born out from six years of constant disappointments, but it is the busy thoughts fed by stress that strengthen this lethargy. It is truly exhausting to keep trying to figure this out, but at the same time it's just as exhausting to sit back and do nothing.
In my conversations with the group prior to the meditation, I'd mentioned The Wim Hof Method as an example of the proof of mind over matter. It occurred to me that as I tried his breathing and cold water therapy for a short period during my elemental diet treatment, maybe I should give this remarkable method a chance long term.
I was first made aware of the Wim Hof Method by @redrica who used it to help with depression and promote mental health awareness. Check out her crazy Vlogs where she jumped in the Thames every day for a month:
https://steemit.com/@redrica/2l9ilcbz
The Wim Hof method is a combination of meditation, a specific yoga breathing technique and cold water immersion. This combination is proven to activate the sympathetic nervous system and stimulate the innate immune response in humans, check that link for the scientific study! When I was very sick during the elemental diet, I followed the breathing and cold water immersion for four days and it seemed to make me feel moderately better each day.
I also realized through the meditation process and in the hours after when my mind was quieter than normal, how important it is to carry mindfulness into everyday life. It is all very well having these wonderful meditative experiences for thirty minutes, but the goal for me is to increase this clarity of thought during the in-between times. I realized it's not about not thinking, if you were in that state 24/7 you would get nothing done. Rather it's about that background presence that Eckhart Tolle talks about...
This is that 'nothing' feeling that you get when meditating, but if you can allow it to exist in the background in your day to day, then it is so much easier to keep clarity of thought. It's hard to explain, I've felt that state of deep joy and acceptance before in my life, where I have complete control of my thoughts and an inner calm. Part of what I want to allow/find/accept into my life, is that state of presence in the endless moment. This, along with active methods such as Wim Hof and healthy diet, are what I think will be key in my journey to heal. I've nothing left to lose as I've tried every medical treatment and exclusion diet known to man... now it's time to try something new.
All this from a 30 minute meditation session!
If you would like to join in the meditation sessions in the @naturalmedicine discord channel, they are on Wednesday and Saturday, details below.
Wednesdays 8:30 to 9:30 pm London time
Saturdays 5:30 to 7:00pm London time
Well said!
I'm so happy you are benefiting from the meditation and it is making the quality of your life better!
I've found taking that time to join in the group meditation (plus my regular daily meditations) really does have a positive effect on your day - it's that taking that experience into the day, building your awareness and living a mindful life!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Yeah, it really is helpful and a balm in times of struggle.
I couldn't agree more. It is so powerful to walk through the day with that centered alertness you get during meditation. Ha ha, I guess that is the ultimate goal.. if goal is the right word... which it isn't lol
I find it difficult to carry my meditation out into life always. This session was a rare exception, but meditating in a group always brings a more powerful experience for me, even over the internet. Strange... but wonderful :)
Thanks for checking out my post porters :)
Yes, it is wonderful to have these group meditations for I live in a more remote area and don't get the opportunity to sit with others except with my husband. Thanks to @bewithbreath. For taking the initiative to make it happen!
Wonderful your back felt better. I believe it is important to take some time and quiet the mind and listen to that small still voice inside.
Yes, I'm really happy that I relaxed so much that my muscles released and my back improved.
Thanks for checking out my post about the meditation group redheadpei :)
I just keep positive thoughts @raj808 and write it out, it is my mental therapy. :)
Nice one @cryptopie
Everyone is different, and need to find their own method to try and keep mental clarity. The main thing is finding something that helps :)
Each minute meditating with your own thoughts is helpful!
I agree... well said :)
All that from a 30 minute session... you are buzzing!! Amazing.
Beautifully written. I always think meditation gives you space for life to fill it up again, ad infinitum! All my yogi and meditation teachers have spoken about how the practice ACTUALLY gives you more time, not less (it takes time to practice) because we become more efficient thinking... let alone healthier and more able to do our lives!
They have done more studies that DO find people with serious illness are more likely to recover through a meditation practice. Of COURSE it is a combination of factors but im convinced it helps. When my father was sick the first time with cancer comma they hit him with really aggressive chemotherapy. He had some pretty serious side effects and he swore that meditation and Yogic breathing helped him through both psychologically and physically. It also enabled him to come to terms with his illness and not resist it so much. They say positivity is one of the key factors for cancer survival as well.... so far hes still going well even though the treatment continues.
They have also done studies on meditators and found that their telomeres actually were in better shape than those who didnt... it literally has the power to change your brain. So if this is starting to work for you.... who knows babe, it could really, really help!
They had a wimhoff workshop near me last month. Sadly i missed it but it kinda freaks me out. Id love to do it though!!!!
So glad Mindful Life is adding to your healing journey!!!!
I agree, but I'm a born cynic. It's not negative thinking, it's just a healthy drive to find the answers... that work. I spent 2 years doing yoga 5 mornings/week while experimenting with every exclusion diet you could imagine and none of that helped heal my illness. This is why I say what I say in this blog post.
Regardless of all that I'll never give up... and what you said
is absolutely true in my experience. Not resisting is a big part of giving yourself a chance to heal. I am very aware that part of what exacerbates my SIBO is the stress of trying to figure out the next healing plan/protocol, not to mention having to battle tooth and nail with doctors over treatment.
Meditation allows me to let go of all that background tension... and that has to be a good thing :)
ha ha, it is freaky. Even after only doing it for four days I was able to hold my breath for 3 minutes after the breathing exercises, and stand under the cold shower for about 5 mins where before I'd last 30 seconds. It is crazy stuff, but with my love of diving it really appeals to me for the idea of one day being able to freedive for ages, and to be healthy again as well ;-)
Thanks for checking out my post riverflows :)
“Understanding presence is being present.” How beautifully put by learned teacher Eckhart. As @vincentnijman said after meditation “listen to the silence” - may not make sense until we are really able to listen. Beutiful post raj. Look forward to meditating together more in the future.
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Ha ha, yes I loved what Vincent said
It cracked me up as I was in downward facing dog I think, and the way he said it just made me giggle. A profound statement, but he said it just after everyone had been talking which is what made me lol :)
I look forward to meditating with you again soon bewithbreath. You're really very good at guiding the meditation :)
Yes...😃😃😃I felt that he said it exactly at the right time 😊 to feel the silence. Look forward to sharing the energy and healing!
!tip
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🎁 Hi @raj808! You have received 0.1 STEEM tip from @bewithbreath!
@bewithbreath wrote lately about: Looking To Wind Down? Could Meditation Be Cheapest Way? Feel free to follow @bewithbreath if you like it :)
Sending tips with @tipU - how to guide :)
i tried mindfulness meditation a few months back, and i admit it does help in clearing the mind and keeps my stress level in check. my only problem is i cant seem to find the consistency to do it on a daily basis. hehe
Yeah, it is hard and I only seem to end up doing it once or twice a week. These guided sessions are really good though, I don't know why but when you meditate in a group it is easier lol. Energy connection probably, but seriously it works, even on discord over the internet ;-)
I've done group meditation in the local Buddhist center here in Liverpool and it was the same. Much more powerful when in a group. Keep up the good mindfulness Andy. It's the best medicine for stress m8 :)
Upvoted, great content, much appreciated. We need more like this many thanks. Tolle's book the Power of Now and followup, seems to me to be a western interpretation of Buddhism without using the word Buddha too much, introducing the ancient wisdom in new format for the layman.
Absolutely agree with this. I find listening to him allows me to find stillness, he calls it pointers, it really helps me switch off the internal dialogue and find quietude. In that state creativity just flows in a much more fluid way :-)
You said it well:
but I will add that the way he frames those pointers is also great for the atheistic mind, or those who aren't necessarily believers in divine. I'm of that mindset, I see there is much more than is currently explained by science, but I don't think there is underlying intelligence in the universe. I think that is mans interpretation of something unfathomable.
Either way, it's tapping into the stillness and presence of the collective consciousness that is important to my mind. Tolle allows me to do that, but there are other spiritual teachers who do the same for me. I have a hard time with the way people follow these people though, lol, a little too much like religion for my taste. I see these practices and knowledge as a tool to improve ourselves and reflect that outward into the universe :)
Thanks for checking out my post about the meditation group Julian :)
you are on such an incredible journey with all of this, leading to so much awareness and ultimately healing. Yes there are so many different parts to healing, as there are so many different parts of us. I hope one day to join in the meditation but so difficult now with full care of my 3 girls. Love getting to learn all about this with you and so glad your back felt a bit better xx
Yes, I really hope so... and I feel it will be so when I find that magical formula, like writing my novel ;-) I hope you make it to the meditation group one day trucklife-family, it would be great to have you along :)
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