Earlier this week, I wrote about the shift from the medical/psychological concept of spirituality as a 'component of wellness', to a spiritual healing perspective, where the spiritual is the ground of wellness. There is a similar shift that happens with meditation. We begin with meditation being one of our "healthy" activities, but at a certain point, meditation practice begins to shift to being central to our life, that core out of which the rest of our daily life proceeds.
From a public health point of view though, especially during this Pandemic and the weight of the sheer magnitude of the consequences of Covid-19, it makes sense to encourage people to maintain basic health practices along with the special protocols of masks, social distancing and hand-washing. There are different models for wellness, but one that is researched-based prescribes the five components of: a mindfulness or meditation practice, a healthy diet (nutrition), sleep, exercise, and social connections. Interestingly, all five practices, when done consistently over time, have been shown to reduced inflammation. Medical research has demonstrated inflammatory processes play a role in a variety of illness, including Covid-19.
These are all still emerging ideas within medical and mental health science, but worth our re-evaluating the ways that we take care of ourselves, whether we are in lock-down or re-entry mode. Along with the centrality of meditation, some consistent practice of nutrition, sleep, exercise and social connection--wellness practices and routines-- help our lives have a consistency that bridges the times of stability and the times of disruption. (Susan Nettleton)