The Healing Power of Relaxation: My Journey with Covid

Posted on December 30th, 2022

I really don't like getting sick.

Yet somehow I've managed to come down with covid during the holidays, two years in a row.

Maybe my body understands it has a chance to just rest, there is nothing so important to be done... Maybe it is the astrological influence of Saturn aligning with my moon-sign, called sade-sati, but that is another story for another time.

Maybe it is just a coincidence. Nonetheless, when I noticed the symptoms this year, I decided I was NOT getting sick. The following day, when I saw my Covid test results, I was almost in a rage. I had so much resistance to being sick!

That night, before going to bed, I felt so many emotions. There were plans to be canceled, dear friends and family i would not be able to see, trips I had planned for months that would all have to be called off.

I crawled into bed, tears flowing. My body was starting to ache with that familiar feverish body ache, the one that tells me my immune system is kicking into high gear, my alert system is on, an invader has been found and we are going to war.

I didn't want to go to war.

But I also knew that in my current emotional state, I would not get to sleep, which is the place I need to be, if I am to recover quickly.

In moments like this, I feel grateful to have some powerful healing tools I can use - starting with my own breath.

Focusing on the deep feeling and rhythm of my own breath slows down my mind and allows me to be present with the sensations and needs of my body.

As I relaxed deeper that night, i discovered a sensation on my left ankle at the acupuncture point KD-5, called Shui-quan, or "water-spring", which is treated for rejuvenation of vital life force, and particularly helpful for women.

I self-treated this point with the Ohm tuning fork and with acupressure and massage. As I worked, other points of tension began calling to me, and before i knew it, I had put myself into a state of deep relaxation.

I did not cure myself of Covid in just that one night, but I did have a much milder experience this year, taking the time to treat myself every day with therapies that work for me. These are mainly simple therapies, like taking an epsom-salts bath.

It takes some practice getting still and silent, but it is also second nature, it is written into our DNA. To feel the waves of deep peace and relaxation. To feel at ease and that our problems have lost some of their weight. To feel a sense of wellbeing and heart-centered connection.

Here's to a happy, healthy 2023, full of the magic that arises from deep inner peace!