Finding calm and safety through meditation…
During my longer stretches in the hospital I often had trouble trying to sleep and settle myself down to relax. Or I would wake up during the night which always gets your head spinning again. Part of it is due to the amount of medicine and testing that you undergo and part of it was brought on by the isolation imposed by the pandemic. It left me alone for long stretches with my thoughts, which can always increase the level of tension you build up in your body.
So when it came time to sleep at night I found it helpful to practice a bit of my own brand of meditation to help relax and settle my brain and muscles. Breathing techniques and small moderate stretching are one way to ease that tension and open your body. We tend to sit and lie down for longer periods during hospitalization or when we don’t feel well, and combined with the effects of chemo, this can reduce our overall muscle mass and strength and affect how well we move and breath.
Breathing is an underestimated activity—until you have trouble doing it—and it can help to relieve some of the blocked sensations you may have in other areas. The very nature of expanding air into your lungs stretches out your rib cage, increases your circulation, and reduces the level of tension and inflammation in the body. It’s a simple act that can calm and settle your nervous system and create a level of relaxation in your mind.
Often I would do this breathing/mediation while playing wave music or the sound of rain on my phone and never got to the end of the piece, falling asleep and finally settling into a calmer place.
If you’ve never considered the idea of meditation, or don’t believe you can do it, try the exercise listed below to start. The concept of meditating has a lofty sound to it, but in its simplest form this is a way of centering yourself, allowing all the energy that is inside your mind to flow through and out and as a result calming your physical being. The simple act of tracking your breathing in and then exhaling means you are focusing on something other than the noise in your mind.
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One of the days at the Cancer Center I met a yoga therapist and healing instructor who was visiting people as we sat for treatments. She offered to help me focus on breathing techniques and positive affirmations. We stepped through a simple exercise that centered me, and I still use it most every day. It’s important to feel safe and calm as we go through this journey, and to believe that you’re going to be better.
This is an abbreviated version for anyone who struggles with these feelings or the overstimulation of the day. Make it fit for your own experience and be good to yourself, take the time to sit and be grounded. It may help you feel calmer and more focused.
Sit in a comfortable, quiet space. Spine erect but relaxed, palms open in your lap, eyes closed.
Take a long, slow inhalation, then exhale slowly and completely. Relax your body as you exhale the breath. Try to inhale for the same count as you exhale, making it a measured pace for about 3-4 breath counts.
Then let the breath flow naturally and notice how your body instantly refills itself once you’ve exhaled completely. Do this for a few moments and notice the rhythm your body takes.
Continue if you can for 4-5 minutes.
When you are ready to conclude your practice, spend time in silence and commune with any Divine that you may wish or use these affirmations to focus your thinking:
The healing power of Spirit is flowing through all the cells of my body. I am strong. I am well.
Every hour, every day, in body and mind, I am whole, I am well.
I feel peace and calmness in my body. I am safe, I am secure, I am whole.
Namaste!
