How to boost body’s immune system?

Mulyadi Kurnia Asked: How to boost body’s immune system?

Over the past month, I succumbed to running noses and flu quite easily. The most recent one being throat infection which the doctor prescribed antibiotics with.This despite me keeping healthy through diets (less meat, more veggies, fruits, cereals etc), exercise (swimming), yoga and ensuring good sleep hours (7 hrs to 8hrs). Any advice? Thanks.

Answers:

Sati Answered:
Hello scary fairy,

One of the most important things a beginning meditator needs to do is establish the mind set that meditation is a training, that it takes lots of practice for one to get skillful. Therefore, establish a daily meditation routine and stick with it. Find a place that you will feel most comfortable and sit there at least once a day. It doesn't matter what position you sit in. You can sit on the floor or in a chair. Just make sure you are comfortable and you can keep your back straight. Now sit for as long as you possibly can. It takes time for both the body and mind to build endurance. Start with five or ten minuets and gradually increase the length of time as you get more comfortable. Just remember, meditating takes a lot of practice. One must first be an apprentice before they can become a master.

At the beginning of meditation it is helpful to bring attention to the body. Make it as comfortable as you possibly can. Notice where it holds most of your tension. Is it in the jaw, neck, shoulders, back, or belly? Slowly perform a thorough body scan and release as much stress, tension, and tightness as you can. Imagine the body is an ice cube, and feel it slowly melt into a puddle of water. Ask the body what it needs and listen to it. Once the body comes fully relaxed, released of all tension, then it is time to let the body go. In essence, letting go is what meditation is all about.

Meditation training can be thought of as a series of stages. The first stage is training the mind to become aware of the present moment. What do you think about most of the time? Chances are the mind is churning with thoughts about either the past or future. You must learn to let it all go. Envision yourself holding two heavy luggage bags, the past in one hand and the future in the other. Just let them go, drop them on the ground and imagine how much lighter you will feel.

When the luggage of past and future have been let go, meditation can then be used to train the mind in staying with what is right now, in present moment awareness. The easiest way to do this is by connecting with the breath. How is it that you know you are breathing? Start to focus on that. Now let the breath start to breath itself. Become fully aware of both the inhalation and exhalation. Make the breath an anchor, a place to call home. Let go of all distractions, both inside and outside. Drop the attachment to both what you want and what you don't want. When you sense the mind wandering, no problem, just bring it back to the breath. Tell yourself "Here, just this!Just this breath, this experience."When you are saying 'here' to yourself, you say it as though you are giving yourself a present. It's not a demanding 'here', but a giving 'here'.

Once you start practicing like this, you will begin to notice what is called "Monkey Mind". Like a monkey in the trees, the mind jumps from thought to thought. Be patient and keep bringing the attention back to the breath. With practice you will soon notice that the inner commentary will begin to slow down and create more space in between thoughts. The monkey mind will become more and more tame until one day it becomes completely still. It doesn't move or make a sound. When this happens you have reached the next stage and are now resting in silent moment awareness. In the void of thinking there is peace, contentment, stillness, and joy. With practice these feelings will gain strength, the inner chatter will stay silent longer, and staying with the breath becomes almost effortless. Silent moment awareness becomes sustained attention of breathing. Keep practicing and soon you will be knocking on the door to the deep states of meditation that are filled with pure, awesome bliss.

Hope this helps. Meditation is truly a wonderful habit to develop. I wish you much success in all your efforts.

For more information, check out the following links:

Brief Instructions for Sitting Meditation
http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/b