Meditating while sick, fatigued and in pain.

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
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Alex123
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Meditating while sick, fatigued and in pain.

Post by Alex123 »

Hello all.

Does anyone have tips on how to meditate when one is sick, has headache, fatigue, pain?

Should I focus on the pain or should I avoid it and go back to object of meditation?
Or perhaps I should watch the mind's reaction to pain?

Any comments, ideas, experiences to share?

Thank you.
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Sam Vara
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Re: Meditating while sick, fatigued and in pain.

Post by Sam Vara »

Alex123 wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 1:14 pm Hello all.

Does anyone have tips on how to meditate when one is sick, has headache, fatigue, pain?

Should I focus on the pain or should I avoid it and go back to object of meditation?
Or perhaps I should watch the mind's reaction to pain?

Any comments, ideas, experiences to share?

Thank you.
I am aware of two basic stances on this. The first is broadly associated with the type of meditation which has become associated with the vipassana movement, and involves taking the pain, etc., as the object of meditation. By contemplating it in the light of the three characteristics, one gradually gains some insight into the nature of the pain. Rather than being "solid", persistent, and a permanent feature of experience, it reveals itself to be a pattern of movement - throbbing, pulsating, or something like painful particles which arise and pass away. One "pulls it apart" by showing that vedana is essentially empty; just a movement in the mind. It's worth noting that this technique normally involves some degree of calm to get started, though, and if the pain is really bad it can appear frightening and drive one's thoughts off into speculating and proliferating.

The other approach is more associated with samatha. One focuses upon the object of meditation - the breath, normally, and probably at the nostril - so that one's whole mind is taken up by the process. It's possible to "lose" the entire body like this. This approach has helped me overcome a lot of pain, although this very morning an experienced samatha teacher said to me that when she had bad toothache, nothing worked until she could get to the dentist!

You might want to try out both and see what helps. Physical relaxation is always good in alleviating pain, so don't force a difficult posture.

Good luck! :anjali:
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Alex123
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Re: Meditating while sick, fatigued and in pain.

Post by Alex123 »

Thank you, Sam Vara!
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