I am the type of person that never gets sick. I always tell people at work, especially those that are ill a lot, that I squeeze all my toxins out when I practice yoga through the peace of mind, sweat, twisting and balance that is achieved and practiced through yoga. And, I truly believe that this is entirely true.

In fact, I can’t even remember when the last time I got sick was, but I got sick yesterday. I had a great day, took Shakti Flow with Ashley at Yogani Studios,  photo shoot with photographer Kerry Travilla-Brown, then taught my own yoga class at Serenity Stream, came home made dinner, ate and oh what a feeling.

My tummy began to hurt like a knife was sticking in it and then twirlling around. I thought it was something I ate, but when I only had lentil soup and a salad what on earth could it have been? Even though I am still not entirely convinced that it wasn’t something I ate – maybe the soup was bad (it was from a can, but an organic soup – even so).

So the next day when I woke up and will still really sick, I realized, I can’t do yoga. I couldn’t teach my class last night either, oh no reality set in! I am defiantly not good at sitting around either, even though being sick you don’t have much choice, but beyond watching boring tv, sitting in silence, and talking to friends on the phone there isn’t much else to do. I couldn’t even be on the computer as I couldn’t sit up for very long. And the Blackberry was not working out either while trying to type laying down.

But, there was one thing I could do that is one of the eight limbs of yoga and that is – Dhyana- Meditation! I could do this lying down, I could keep my blanket on me,  and I could be in peace and get my mind off the pain of my topsy turvy tummy.

A good friend of mine, Loraine, gave me a bunch of CD’s from my favorite author, Jon Kabet Zen. You have heard me mention his book before in an older blog post. Inside the batch of CD’s there was one with Lying Down Meditations. Right up my alley!

As I meditated, it was interesting because although I was supposed to revisit the sound of my breath if my mind drifted, it seemed during that particular present time to refocus through the sound of my own tummy grumbling.

So, the moral of the story is, Yoga is something that you can still practice, even when you are sick! And even if you don’t have any meditation cd’s, or lying down mediations, you can do your own meditative practice, or even listen to one from Itunes (Meditation Oasis, etc.)

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