The pink and bright orange geraniums pictured here lifted my spirits in the dead of winter. I was so happy to see flowers blooming in January. It was a new experience for me to bring geraniums into the house for the winter. These glorious plants along with my yogic breathing practice helped me immensely when I unwillingly played host to the covid virus in January of this year.
You know the virus. The pandemic wreaking havoc, causing death, destruction, and fear that has circumnavigated the world and has created great change everywhere and in everything...that virus! I tried to consciously not give in to the fear of contracting the virus. My immune system was run down after the Christmas season and it sauntered right in and set up camp. Hello covid... It's time to tango. What do you have to teach me?
When I tested positive for the virus, I have to admit, there was some form of release within me and a letting go of a fear I was subconsciously holding onto. The fear had been lurking in the shadows of my awareness for the past two years. This unwelcome visitor zapped my energy, stole my taste buds, and made me feel rather foggy in my brain and brought lethargy to my entire body for a few weeks. When I struggled to sleep at night, I would use a breathing exercise coupled with a mantra. I would breathe in love on the inhale and breathe out fear on the exhale. Repeating this breathing mantra practice over and over several times helped me to fall asleep at night. It brought peace to my mind and peace to my body so I could sleep. I was grateful.
One night during my dance with covid, I woke up and felt rather faint. If you have never fainted, it is an overwhelming feeling of dread that floods every cell in your body and literally takes over. It's like a dark cloak slowly covers my head and body, I feel clammy, lightheaded, and I black out for a few moments. I have learned throughout my lifetime from the many fainting episodes I have experienced, to put my head between my knees...that is, if I have enough time and sense to do this before I black out. I say, black out because I have no recollection of any thoughts when this happens. I just completely pass out and everything goes dark. I have fainted many times in my life ever since I was a child and I am not a fan. It has been an extreme physical reaction of mine for my fear of needles, fear of seeing blood or any suffering of any kind.
When the feeling of faint began that night, I got out of bed and I got down into a child's pose on the floor next to my bed. Child's pose (balasana) is a yoga pose. It is a pose where I get down on the floor on my hands and knees. I gently push my hips back and lower them down to rest on my heels. Then I bring my forehead to the floor resting my upper body on my thighs. I placed my arms next to my body with my palms facing upwards behind me or I can stretch my arms out in front of me with my palms facing down in an extended child's pose.
It is a resting pose where all of my chakras (spiritual batteries of God's divine love that are within the body) are close to the ground. The chakras are healing batteries that help shift energy. Child's pose stretches the back, shoulders, and calms the mind. It is a pose I can breathe deeply in and one that invites in the feeling of security. This pose helps increase blood circulation, brings in a feeling of safety, relieves stress, anxiety, and fatigue.
It helped me to choose to not panic and go into thoughts of fear. This pose offered sweet surrender and brought calm to me that night and I was incredibly grateful that I did not faint. I rested on the floor for several minutes and continued to breathe deeply into my body and I was able to remain calm in my mind and my body. It worked. After several minutes, I was able to crawl back up into bed and sleep the rest of the night without incident. I recovered from covid and so did my family members who got it around the same time. I am deeply grateful that we all recovered. I honor, allow, and accept the lessons in my life that have come my way and stretched me beyond my current understanding. I understand they are here to teach me. I am grateful for all of the tools I have in my toolbelt that I have gathered along my journey that have helped guide me.
Angela O'Brien-Greywitt, Intuitive Mystic
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