src=”https://cdn-abgke.nitrocdn.com/wpXYPLBkAhtksgYTBaEZtWFzEJygzWlS/assets/images/optimized/rev-b65ca01/liveanddare.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/coronavirus-meditations-300×300.jpg” class=”ss-on-media-img attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image nitro-lazy”
decoding=”async” nitro-lazy-empty=””>
The coronavirus is here, and the whole world is talking about it. But what does it have to do with meditation? Can meditation help keep you safe, calm and fearless in these times of chaos? Are there specific coronavirus meditations? This article aims to answer these questions.
Behold, the natural uncertainty of life is now magnified! You may be anxious about catching the coronavirus, or worried about family and friends getting sick or dying. Perhaps you worry about the future of your community or of humanity. You may be also feeling overwhelmed by the constant news updates and a growing number of deaths.
While I’m taking reasonable precautions, I am personally not afraid of the coronavirus (as you read through this article, you will realize why).
Don’t Panic—Practice!
This calamity is a great opportunity to take the skills and qualities you develop through meditation—such as serenity, equanimity and acceptance—and practice them in your daily life.
We can use this time to work on ourselves, grow as a person, meditate more, and spend quality time with people we care about. It’s also a great time for reflection about what truly matters in our life.
Here are three principles to keep in mind.
Mindful Preparedness
We need to be careful, but not to panic.
Let’s be careful about our hygiene, our health, and let’s avoid non-essential contact with people and gatherings.
These are all concrete steps we can take—but we don’t need to panic or become neurotic about it. That doesn’t help; in fact, it simply weakens our immune system (which is not a good idea right now)…
As meditators, we seek to find the middle way of balance: being careful, yet calm.
Human Tribe
One of the lessons we learn from meditation is compassion and oneness. This is very relevant now because we realize that we are all together in this sticky situation.
Taking care of yourself is taking care of the other, and taking care of the other is taking care of yourself. You are not alone in this!
Mental Fitness
In situations of calamity and danger, taking care of your mental health is essential. Hence the importance of meditation. It helps you manage the stress and anxiety of this situation, remain calm, and think positive.
This not only makes you feel better but is also proven to boost your immune system—thus making you stronger against viruses.
What Can We Do
(Note: I’m not a medical doctor, nor do I offer medical advice. Everything in this article is to be considered an opinion piece, fruit of my own personal research.)
There are five types of action we can take:
- Limit your exposure (avoid non-essential travel, meetings, events and public places)
- Hygiene (constant and thorough hand washing, avoid touching your face and touching public surfaces)
- Prepare for quarantine (stock a few weeks worth of food, water, medicine, etc.)
- Boost your immune system
- Manage your anxiety
In this article, I will focus on the last two items, which are things that meditation can help you with.
The weaker your immune system is, the higher the risk is for you. So boosting your immune system should now be a priority—as it could be a matter of life or death!
As mentioned, there is a lot we don’t know about the coronavirus yet. Some argue that boosting your immune system may not even help in preventing you to get the virus. Even if that is the case, a well-functioning immune system can be the difference between developing no illness from the virus, or having serious complications.
There are several ways to enhance your immune system. Many people are talking about Vitamin D and other supplements, having enough sleep, and a healthy diet.
Another thing that helps boost your immune system is having a daily cold shower, even if for only a few minutes. This is a practice I have kept daily for the past four years and I do feel the benefits in terms of immunity and wellbeing.
And, of course, meditation! Because a stressed mind, or overly anxious mind, will weaken your immune system.
How Meditation Helps: Immunity
Continuous exposure to stress and anxiety is known to weaken your immune system (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Similarly with other negative emotions.
In fact, there is a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine (2002) showing that people with negative emotions were less resistant to the common cold than people with predominantly positive emotions.
This means that learning how to manage stress, anxiety and other negative emotions is an essential part of keeping your immune system strong against viruses. And meditation is a great way of doing exactly that.
If the stress and anxiety triggers of our modern life weren’t enough, we now have all the triggers caused by the constant news and public panic regarding the coronavirus. So it’s now more important than ever to learn how to master your mind with meditation—through whatever means work best for you.
There are several scientific studies that demonstrate that meditation helps boost the immune system, makes you more resilient to stress, and helps with anxiety management. You can see the full list of benefits and the scientific sources here.
For that purpose, however, the practice needs to be regular (daily), over a period of time—and this is a challenge for most people.
The first Pillar of Meditation is habit, which you can learn more about through this free video series. While there are many different types of meditation, they all share the common goal of calming you down and helping you manage stress and anxiety effectively. Some styles, like Pranayama and Yoga Nidra, focus more on deep breathing and relaxation, which can be even more powerful in strengthening your immune system.
Meditation can also tap into the placebo effect, where beliefs in the efficacy of a treatment can improve one’s condition. By believing in the strength of your immune system, it can become stronger and more effective in fighting viruses and diseases.
In my own life experiment with the placebo effect, I have remained healthy and avoided sickness for the past 6 years by consciously using affirmations and visualizations to strengthen my belief in my own health. Meditation has helped me harness the power of my mind and can do the same for you.
In light of the coronavirus situation, meditation can be a valuable tool for boosting your immune system and managing negative emotions like fear and stress. Special guided meditations focused on immunity boosting and anxiety management have been created to help you through this challenging time. If you are interested in starting or deepening your meditation practice, now is the perfect time to join the Limitless Life program for support and guidance. Please rewrite the following sentence for me.