What practical stillness practices help when chronic illness drains your energy?
When energy is scarce, you need practices that restore rather than demand. Dipa Ma taught that stillness isn't about emptying the mind or sitting in perfect posture—it's about releasing unnecessary effort. Start with what I call "supported rest." Lie down or recline fully. Let gravity hold you completely. Spend five to ten minutes doing nothing but noticing the places where your body touches the earth beneath it. This isn't meditation in the striving sense. It's permission. Another simple practice: settle into one place—a favorite chair—and spend a few minutes feeling the solid support beneath you. Feel the air on your skin. Listen to sounds without trying to identify them. Your nervous system doesn't need more doing; it needs signal that you're safe. The key is meeting yourself where you actually are. On low-energy days, three conscious breaths while lying down is enough. On better days, you might extend it. There's no "right" amount. What matters is the quality of attention, not the duration. These practices work because they align with your actual capacity, not some ideal. That alignment itself is healing. Your body learns: *I am allowed to rest. I am enough as I am right now.*