Meditate with Mucus

After days of laying on the couch with a fever, a trip to the doctor, and several doses of antibiotics, I finally awoke this morning feeling rested and normal.  A perfect time to meditate for a few and focus my mind on fully returning to the land of the living.  And so…

Breath in deeply, feeling the lungs expand.  Exhale gently, feeling the flow of air through the nose and hearing the gurgling and bubbling sounds emanating from the chest.  Breath again and don’t just hear the sounds, but feel the congestion resisting the flow of air.  Note the reluctance to exhale fully, in an attempt to avoid the unfamiliar and creepy sensations.

Focus on the sensations of breathing, but try not to react to them.  Note that the ribs are tender and sore from days of intense coughing.  Note that the teeth are clenched with the tongue in between.  Calmly place the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth and return the focus to the breathing.

Write about the experience on your blog.  Pause to think about what to write next and notice that gurgling is still there, despite having left a sizable amount of mucus in the bathroom.  Wonder how the tongue found its way back between clenched teeth.

Realize that meditation is not automatically calming.  It is the practice of observing but not reacting to sensory input and thoughts.  Calm is the absence of instinctive reaction.  Focusing on the breath usually leads to calm because the brain does not think “OMG, I’m breathing normally!”

But when you mediate with mucus, new and novel sensations result from the act of breathing.  The brain tries to determine if this is a threat.  A sudden urge to drink water arises.  Fluids are good for thinning mucus.  Adrenals are activated.  Why focus on breath at a time like this?  Getting water is the single most import thing in the world.

The urge must be resisted.  Give in, and the brain will create a dozen new urges.  Realize the urgency is a result of adrenal involvement.  Make a mental note to get some water later, and look for the adrenal off switch.  Sadly, it’s located in the room marked “focus on the breath”.