Different Meditations for Different States of Health

As we progress through life and encounter various illnesses, injuries and aging, we begin to recognize that death is also part of the deal.  It becomes increasingly obvious that the different circumstances in our changing lives require different adjustments in how we navigate our bodies and how we must adjust our meditation practices.  Just as we learn early the difference between using a spoon or a fork depending on the texture of the food we want to eat, so too, because of the changing nature of our lives, we want to discover and use the most appropriate meditation tool for whatever is happening in the moment.  Like problem solving in everyday life, meditation practice is a constantly changing environment of experimentation, learning, and adapting.  

Examples of adjusting to conditions as they change can include doing five minute sits instead of forcing the body to stay still for an entire hour when the body is sick or in pain.  Employing a conscious few moments of reflection frequently throughout the day serves when ‘too busy’ or ‘too sick’ to do our usual morning practice.  Another option might be acting on a generous thought in order to cultivate compassion and to serve others if stressed by our situation.  These options are just a few of the ways that can support the braid of practice beyond fixed notions of what is and what is not a ‘good’ meditation. 

Exploring ways to switch from static and narrow notions of what is and what is not meditation offers a lay person a selection of ways to bring wholesome intention, attention and action into all of one’s activities.  With greater flexibility, whether we are experiencing what we consider to be health or what we consider to be illness, or when we are experiencing a period of psycho/social chaos, a helpful understanding of the scope of what practice is comes in handy.  Learning how each type of practice can support us offers us a continuous lifeline to our practice. 

Allan Cooper
from Wisely Living While Sick/Aging/Dying: How Your Body Can Teach Master