Abhilash Desai, MD, Idaho Memory and Aging Centers
Hello and welcome to COVID Meditation – COVID stands for Compassion, Optimism, Vitality and Defiance. COVID Meditation is a combination of four short mantra repetition meditations – each one is one minute long. This meditation will help you activate “the defiant power of the human spirit” (holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl’s phrase). Let’s remind ourselves that Compassion Optimism Vitality and Defiant attitude are even more contagious than COVID!
In this meditation, you will be repeating words – mantras - preferably coordinating the words with your breath. Well-chosen mantras are messengers reminding us that deep down, there is a part of us that is totally fearless, incredibly strong, eternally optimistic and positive, totally non-judgmental, endlessly patient and loving, and kind as kind can be. Even a few seconds of this meditation will switch your mindset from Doom and Gloom to Positivity and Hope.
As you repeat the mantras, your mind is likely to get distracted and wander off, generally into the land of thinking and conversing with self. No need to be upset. That is what our minds do. When you become aware that your mind has wandered from the task of repeating the mantras, gently bring the mind back and begin again.
Get into a comfortable position and posture. Shake off any tightness or stiffness in your muscles. Gently close your eyes. Keeping eyes open and focused on something is also fine.
Begin the meditations.
1st Meditation:
Breathing in, say: Compassion in
Breathing out, say: Crankiness out
Compassion includes self-compassion – giving yourself a break – going easy on yourself. Compassion provides the much-needed warmth and energy to survive and thrive together. Doom and Gloom is what makes us cranky, grumpy, meany, snippy, sulky, angry, and judgy. Let’s breathe it out.
After one minute, gently and smoothly move on to the second meditation.
2nd Meditation:
Breathing in, say: Optimism in
Breathing out, say: Pessimism out
We are optimistic because we know that we are in this together. We don’t need any other reason.
Pessimism, despair, hopelessness are normal emotions but let’s make them temporary. After one minute, gently and smoothly move on to the third meditation.
3rd Meditation:
Breathing in, say: Energy in
Breathing out, say: Worries out
Energy in because we are breathing in oxygen that provides us with life-sustaining and nourishing-energy, coming straight from plants and mother Nature.
Worries are now always in the air! Worries drain our emotional battery. Let’s tag them to CO2 – carbon-dioxide and keep breathing them out.
After one minute, gently and smoothly move on to the fourth meditation.
4th Meditation:
Breathing in, say: Defiance in
Breathing out, say: Doubts out
Defiance means we refuse to give in to Doom and Gloom thoughts and feelings. We refuse to have Doom and Gloom be in the driver’s seat. We refuse to succumb to the malevolence of Pandemic and other tragedies.
There is no room for any doubts – we are confident in our attitude and choice – we chose compassion, optimism, vitality and defiant attitude.
After finishing the final meditation, when you are ready, gently bring your awareness to your surroundings and smile. Cheers. You just completed a four-minutes COVID Meditation.
Do this at least once a day, preferably in the morning, and then, off and on throughout the day. On difficult days, do it for 20 minutes, even longer.
Do it while washing dishes, doing stretch Yoga, with music in the background, while doing your nature run. Do it while holding a pet, doing it together with friends, family or colleagues. Do it while waiting in a grocery store or while watching sunrise or sunset.
Feel free to choose different words that more easily activates the defiant power of your spirit. Just saying – Compassion, Optimism, Vitality, Defiance may do the trick. Let the word COVID now have a new positive meaning.
Let’s repeatedly activate the defiant power of our all so human spirit and protect our elderly better with our warmth and presence. Let’s leave a legacy of love and resilience for our children and younger generation.
Namaste
Copyright 2021 Abhilash Desai, MD Reprinted with Permission
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All ACMS member contributions are solely the opinion of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Ada County Medical Society, its Board of Directors, its staff, or the membership.
