Why is it important to practice YOGA during this lockdown season:
These can be difficult times for all of us as we hear about spread of COVID-19 from all over the world, through television, newspapers, social media, family, friends and other sources. In these times, it is common for all of us to have these emotions and thoughts..
In adults…
Fear : It makes us anxious, panicky, frustrated or agitated as the sense of security that one takes for granted, is lost.
Psychological challenges due to restricted travel : being confined to our homes and socially less active can be mentally challenging. Many a times it can lead to over eating , obesity, depression and rarely even suicidal instincts!
Uncertain Future: often results in sleepless nights which results in daytime fatigue. Many of us are unable to relax and when we try to relax forcibly, it results in greater stress.
In children...
Gadget Addiction : It is not uncommon for children staying at home due to lockdown spending more time in front of TV and internet which can lead to psycho-social problems like low self-esteem. Excess use of internet can lead to internet addiction disorder. Some of them can also experience cyber bullying which can affect their mental health.
Limited development of cognitive abilities: Spending more time inside the house makes children vulnerable to effects of indoor pollution which can affect their brain development, leading to limited development of cognitive abilities. Children who are separated from their parents/caregivers due to their infections or their parents serving in hospitals are more susceptible to psychological problems. They are easily vulnerable to depression, stress, anxiety, avoidance behavior, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Both anxiety and depression have adverse effects physically and mentally. They can actually bring down the body’s immunity to fight against infections. Physical & Mental health is of utmost importance to see through these challenging times. As social-distancing has reduced our physical movements, it is important to uplift vitality without having to step out of the comfort of our homes. With the practice of good hygiene, one must also adopt ways to boost our immunity naturally.
The sure-shot way to stabilize our ever-fluctuating physical and mental health, more so during this lockdown period is by the regular practice of YOGA.
YOGA is not an ancient myth buried in oblivion. It is the most valuable inheritance of the present. It is the essential need of today and the culture of tomorrow.
-Swami Satyananda Saraswati.
What is Yoga?
Most people around the world believe that yoga is all about postures (asanas), which unfortunately it is not. Asana is just one of the 8 limbs of yoga. Yoga is the science of 'living the right way' and is intended to be incorporated in daily life. It works on all aspects of a person: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
The word yoga means ‘unity’ or ‘oneness’ and is derived from the Sanskrit word yuj, which means ‘to join’. This unity or joining, in spiritual terms, is described as the union of individual consciousness with the universal consciousness. On a more practical level, yoga is a means to balance and harmonize the body, mind and emotions. This is done through the practice of asanas (postures), pranayama, meditation, shatkriyas (cleansing practices for nasal and gastro intestinal tract - kapalabhati, trataka, neti, dhauti, nauli & basti), mudras. All of these techniques purify the body, mind and energy systems.
What happens when you are emotionally disturbed?
Emotional disturbances (happening at manomaya kosha/mental sheath) such as fear, panic, frustration or stress triggers the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) which leads to changes in: breathing pattern (at pranamaya kosha/vital air sheath) seen as faster/irregular breathing and physical body (annamaya kosha/matter sheath) seen as increase in blood pressure, tensed muscles, reduced metabolism, lack of focus/attention, sleeplessness etc. When imbalance is experienced at this level, the organs, muscles and nerves no longer function in harmony; rather they function in opposition to each other. For example, the endocrine system (controls hormonal release in the body) might become irregular and as a result, the immune system, which is related to endocrine system will suffer.
When these manifestations continue for a prolonged period (a few months/years), they show up as physical illnesses/psycho-somatic disorders (PSD). There are numerous PSDs in the modern era like Hypertension, Diabetes, Gastritis, Asthma, Chronic Back pain, Anxiety, Depression, Epilepsy, Arthritis, Skin allergies, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Multiple Sclerosis and many more auto-immune disorders including cancer…the list never ends.
This happens due to the blockages building up in the naadis/energy channels by restricting the free flow of energy/prana.
Most of us fail to observe/identify the minor changes that begin to take place at the manomaya kosha, pranamaya kosha and even at annamaya kosha levels over long periods of time. Only when a major physical ailment/disease manifests, we realize that something is wrong! By then a major part of our system would have been destroyed!! Simply popping pills, cuts the symptoms but the root-cause is neither identified nor targeted for cure..
How can Yoga help?
The science of yoga begins to work on the outermost layer/sheath, the physical body (annamaya kosha), which for most people is a practical and familiar starting point. Yoga aims at bringing different bodily functions into perfect co-ordination so that they work for the betterment of the whole body. Asanas, Shatkriyas (Cleansing techniques) mainly aim at easing the flow of prana/energy along the naadis by removing the blockages and toxins. Yoga postures work on all systems of the body. Besides strengthening and elongating muscles, yoga postures tone up glands, internal organs, and spine nerves. Additionally, increased blood flow helps the digestive system to better extract nutrients from the foods you eat and the lymphatic system to eliminate toxins from the body.
The visible changes with correction of energy flow in the physical body are: feeling of lightness, energetic body, good bowel movement, good metabolism, improved skin texture, gradual disappearing of aches and pains etc.
From the physical body, yoga moves on to the corrections in pranamaya kosha/vital air sheath. The irregular/fast breathing is gradually slowed down with the regular pranayama/breathing practices resulting in slow, calm, deep, relaxed and rhythmic breathing pattern.
Pranayama practices such as Kapalabhati, Bhastrika, Nadi shuddhi pranayama/Alternate nostril breathing, Bhramari, Ujjayi, Cooling pranayama help in improving the respiratory health by improving lung function, improves immune system, improves sleep quality, reduces stress and improves physical & mental health - which are very essential during these covid times.
Our mind is connected to our breath. This is the reason why, as we get angry/frustrated/irritated, we see a change in our breathing pace- it increases. Slowing down the breath, calms the mind and soothes the nervous system. Hence, correction at the pranamaya kosha also acts on mental and emotional levels (manomaya kosha). With most of the Psycho somatic Disorders (PSDs), the rootcause lies in the mind. All meditation and mindfulness practices like Yoga nidra, Cyclic meditation, Mind Sound Resonance Technique (MSRT), Om Meditation, Transcendental meditation etc aim to balance the mind/manomaya kosha, helping let-go of unwanted thoughts/memories/fears and de-clutter the mind. The over-activated Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) which was the cause of stress - is now relaxed, by the activation of Para-Sympathetic Nervous System (PSNS), which is also called the rest and digest system. Relaxing the SNS helps to de-stress, thereby improving many stress related nervous system imbalances. 20 minutes of Yoga Nidra every day can help immensely in overcoming stress and anxiety.
Once the mind is clear, these practices of dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (identification with pure consciousness) help to understand and connect /become one with the self .
With a stabilized mental health, the visible changes are: improved sleeping patterns, improved quality of life, improved immune system thereby less prone to infections, a positive outlook towards life, cheerfulness, reduced negative thoughts and you are also able to plan your day better!.
Yoga Now (during lockdown) and Forever…….
We all know that the benefits of practicing Yoga are multifold!
There’s no better time than right now to take a stand for yoga. Investing a minimum of 60 minutes a day to the practices of Asanas, pranayama and meditation changes you as a person and changes the way you see life! I guarantee you this. Yoga classes can vary from gentle and accommodating to strenuous and challenging. You want to choose your style of yoga by physical ability and personal preference. A positive and balanced physical and mental state in these difficult times will surely help us win the battle more easily.
In an age of mobile phones, internet and twenty-four hour shopping, yogic practices make great personal sense. At a time when the world seems to be at a loss, rejecting past values and without being able to establish new ones, yoga provides a means for people to find their own way of connecting with their real-selves. Through this connection with their real selves, it is possible to establish harmony and compassion with the self, nature and the world!
