A Winter Meditation

I flew back down south, but I hope I have another opportunity to do this meditation up north before the winter is over. We had some beautiful snowfall up in Connecticut this past month, and falling snow is always accompanied by a deep quiet and peacefulness that transforms the whole landscape. I took the time to sit outside in it and meditate. I have been deeply craving cold weather in my being for quite some time now. Cold air and relaxed breathing are powerful activators of the vagus nerve. 

My sister bought me a fancy pair of Beats Pro headphones for Christmas, so I put those on while sitting outside in the snow and played Emancipator's song Anthem off of his album Soon It Will Be Cold Enough. I closed my eyes in the refreshing cold air and visualized myself not just in a snowy landscape, but sitting alone in the middle of an Arctic tundra with a majestic snow-capped mountain. I imagined the very beginning of the song Anthem almost pulsing/flowing off of the mountain and swirling in the air around me, bathing me in rejuvenating and healing life force. 

I felt considerably more tranquil after the song was over and it helped to balance out the cortisol spikes that I get from the daily challenges with this illness.