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Meditating with a cold
Jeroen
Luminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlands Veteran
I seem to have caught a bit of a 🦠 so am now going round with a 🥶 sitting on my 🛏 waiting for the 🤒 to pass, with frequent 🤧
It’s a disaster... can’t meditate, can’t sleep, no appetite and to top it all off the internet news is not interesting.
[edit] in hindsight it seems very self-indulgent to tell you all of my cold
I haz been wikkid (hangs head in shame)
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Comments
Lemon, ginger and honey with a side dish of curry. Don't go easy on the garlic - unless you are following monk precepts - which you are not ...
Existence is snot what it seems ...
https://www.lionsroar.com/how-to-invoke-the-medicine-buddha/
TAYATA, OM BEKADZE BEKADZE
MAHA BEKADZE BEKADZE,
RADZA SAMUNGATE
SOHA
Breed id, breed oud... a wudderful opportudity to codtebplate the ibbperbadets of the hewban body...
From https://buddhawithin.org.uk/2020/01/11/pain-as-practice/
Wandering thoughts, sleepless nights... its not good. The cold continues.
Sometimes wandering thoughts can be mindfully wandered with.
Sometimes sleepless nights can double the time we have to consciously rest.
The difference between labeling one thing as "not good"
compared to labeling another thing as "not bad" is
sometimes just the difference between experiencing dashed expectations and being able to accept a body's fragility for what it is.
What should we expect our own inevitable demises to be like to face?
Is a cold (like a kensho or a religious understanding) just a teacher offering practice dry runs towards our own endings while we still have the relative health and possible time to still develop them?
or is sometimes a cold, just a cold?
oh sh#t,
Apparantly I can't even say "get well soon"
without sounding preachy?
sometimes.
Great peachy advice from @how
Here we have it:
For all you cold suffers, immune compromised, coffee addicts, phone zombies etc etc etc
This is proper meal replacement (not just for breakfast)
https://mylittlegourmet.com/breakfast/bircher-muesli/
Things you can do to make it easier:
My gran used to make it for supper with cream (not a slimmers version)
Use greek yogurt instead of cream
Soak oats in organic apple juice. A grated apple is really good and traditional but cloudy apple juice is easier
(- an apple a day keeps the Dr away) The juice adds sweetness ...
Use frozen fruit/berries and they defrost by morning if done the previous day.
Fresh fruit better but mixed frozen is convenient
The nuts are protein
Sainsburies (UK retailer) have a no salt or added sugar Swiss style muesli this is a good base ...
Personally I use Irish or Scottish whole oats AND meusli on top (and chia seeds)
This is food that works as part of a - yum.
A big bowl will last two or three days in the fridge
Pseudo scientist or ahead of his time ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_Bircher-Benner
stay well soon
(iz plan)
I spent about two hours lying sleepless on my back breathing through my mouth last night. There’s not a lot of slime, but the swelling in the nasal passages is prodigious. I think I had a grand total of about 3 hours sleep between 11 pm and 9 am and I was up for various lengths of time at least a half a dozen times... During the day it is not so bad.
🤧
My father is advising a doctor’s visit, im not too convinced it is necessary
In the UK, we have what are known as Medic Calls; we can contact our local surgery and request a phone conversation with a Doctor, to save time and unnecessary appointments.
I had such a call a while ago, and after a 15-minute conversation with a Doctor, was advised to call Reception and to make an appointment; the Doctor then advises Reception a call will be imminent, and Reception work appointments according to Doctor's instructions and priorities.
It's a good system.
Try calling your surgery to see whether they feel a visit should be booked, @Kerome ...
It’s a question whether I prefer sitting upright with mostly clear nasal passages during the night and not sleep, or try to catch a few winks in between congested turning... the thing is I don’t have a temperature and my lungs and throat seem to be ok.
I’ve been watching the Netflix show Messiah, it’s vaguely interesting, about a modern day messiah showing up in Syria.
You need to get out more.
Seriously, go for a long walk. Take some olbas oil, or menthol lozenges. Peppermint, eucalyptus and tea tree are extremely beneficial. Ginger naturally raises body temperature, so have a drink with fresh grated ginger before going for a brisk walk.
Thanks for the advice.
I think I had about five hours sleep last night, which is an improvement on the night before. Lying down still seems to trigger congestion in the nasal area, but it is slowly getting better.
I’m still sniffling, luckily this cold seems to be more about congestion than a runny nose. It was marked by a surprising amount of sneezes. I hope those of you who catch it don’t struggle with it quite as long as I have...
I'm glad it seems to be going. I was getting fed up with wiping down the forum with anti-bacterial wash...! xD
I think it must have been a virus. I caught it.
Luckily I was on holiday at the time.
Wot no bot ...
https://www.wired.com/story/xenobot
Meanwhile ...
Bara döda fiskar följer strömmen
Finally shaking off this cold virus.
Whilst staying at Wolveton Gatehouse, I was in the top drafty room of an ancient tower. It did not help. Not my favourite holiday. 🤒
Did manage to visit some local lama/llama ... only I think they may have been alpaca ... Thought they were long headed sheep at first ... those sitting down are sheep.
Everything stops for dukkha. 😌
Chanted a bit. There was a big oil painting of baby Jesus in the dining room to cheer me down and everything creaked and rattled.
How did I meditate? Mostly just practiced mindfulness.
I've recently had a flu turn into a sinus infection, turn into a bacterial sinus infection, turn into a toothache, turn into a dead tooth. Didn't sleep a wink last night, probably won't again tonight. The pain is so intense, even with 2 Percocet, if I don't constantly keep my mouth cooled with cold water every 15-20 seconds, that I think any sort official meditation is out the window. On the other hand, at times my concentration on the pain is effortless and unwavering. :#
I think here in the past hour or so there are some signs of the pain maybe winding down, of a light at the end of the tunnel.
ETA: I guess my practice has been a lot of watching my mind to see when I'm adding the second arrow and to let that go.
That sounds intense @person. Yuk!
Dunno if this might help ... at least a little ...
OM MANI PEME HUM HRIH
Oh no sorry to hear @person I hope they can do a root canal or what is needed soon.
Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention that I did get a root canal this morning. But when the novacaine wore off the pain was even worse than before. It seems like it is starting to calm down now 7 hours later though. I was able to type this whole thing before needing cool water.
Would now be a good time to take up heroin?
Must be good. No time for joshing ... 🙊
I've occasionally wondered if due to my meditation practice I could resist torture. It seems like I have an answer and it is a resounding NO. 😰
For many meditation is torture due to resistance.
However can we embrace severe pain?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/more-caregiving/201011/buddhist-inspired-healing-embracing-rather-denying-illness
Can we relabel it? Hypnotize it into pleasure in some sad-masochistic methodology?
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/6-ways-to-use-your-mind-to-control-pain
My favoured method is counter stimulation. A bit of painful (don't damage yourself) yoga.
OK time to sit in a full lotus and release some endorphins. Iz I practice junky?
Teeth. Ugh. The bane of my life. I have a mouthful of strong, healthy teeth but they are very crooked, and I have general (as opposed to localized) gum disease, which is inherited (well, gee, thanks a bunch, Dad!). It controlled well by good oral hygiene and meticulous care but it's a literal pain on the neck and metaphorical pain in the ass and I hate anything being done to my mouth. So @person , you have my since and ardent sympathy and compassion, because anything to do with mouth pain is hateful, unendurable and all-consuming. Get well soon, is a fervent and sincere sentiment.
I totally sympathise, that’s a rotten run of luck (no pun intended). I only had some sort of dry viral infection of the sinus cavity, but that was bad enough. With a root canal on top the nights must be like extended holidays in the hell realms.
My attempts at meditating through it were a complete bust im sad to say, the only thing that helped a bit was a drink of lemon, ginger, hot water and honey, and with the root canal im not sure I’d recommend that in your case!
Thanks for the sympathy. I'm happy to say the pain has eased and I was able to get some Percocet enabled sleep last night. I took the last one 3 1/2 hours ago and so far there's very little generalized pain coming out of it. The area is still a little tender to the touch, but that's a walk in the park comparatively.
Walk in the park.
'This too shall pass' (you heard it here first and last)
Bow and yarrow
https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Prostration_(Buddhism)
It’s back! Incredibly dry throat, lots of coughing, I could hardly sleep at all last night...
I’m with you Brother @Kerome I have had symptoms for weeks, it’s a nuisance. I use a bit of tiger balm under the nostrils at night, to help me breathe. There’s also a seawater spray in the UK called ‘Sterimar’, a natural nasal decongestant, I’d rather use that than nasal sprays that are full of chemicals. I went to Samatha meditation group on Monday and was trying hard to breathe. It’s yuk. Hope it passes quickly for you 🙏