People have been asking if Yoga and Ayurveda have tips for boosting immunity, staying well and thriving during coronavirus times. Here are some top tips:
- For those self isolating: Enjoy the time off. Rest, relax and allow your body to rejuvenate after so much hard work. Stay home if you have one. Be grateful if you do. Avoid public establishments (schools, gyms, offices, restaurants, groups or socializing less than 6 feet from someone).
- Establish online communities for socializing. Practice holding your hands together in the gesture of “Namaste” to say hello. It’s time for humanity to end the handshake.
- Take walks in nature. Enjoy spring. Meditate, do yoga at home, make your own home-cooked meals. Have three meals per day. No snacking.
- Follow a circadian rhythm. Wake before sunrise. Be in bed by 9:30pm.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after touching public surfaces, doorknobs, etc. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers, if soap and water is not available, should be at least 60 percent alcohol.
- Don’t touch your mouth, eyes and nose with unwashed hands. Especially before alternate nostril breathing.
- Cough, sneeze, rant or sing into your elbow if you are around other people.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces with household cleaners.
- Take time for leisure activities and humor daily. Find a daily source for laughs.
- Start writing in a journal. See what comes up for you in this time. Are you reacting with anxiety, anger, denial or depression? Just observe. Don’t judge.
Catch up on Sleep
Turn off electronics after 8pm at night to encourage sound sleep. Sound sleep has been proven to boost immunity and help the body repair itself. Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat healthy foods, and manage your stress to keep your immunity strong. Along with that Ayurveda also recommends immune boosting herbs to support your immunity. Half a teaspoon of Triphala powder with 8 ounces of warm water before bed can help with proper elimination in the morning. Avoid late-night media. Avoid murder mysteries or horror films.
Food, Diet and Spices
This is the time of year to prefer Kapha balancing foods. Avoid wheat, dairy, coffee, caffeine, sugar, smoking, alcohol, snacking, etc. Have your main meal at lunch. Have plenty of healthy fats like coconut oil, ghee, fish oil. Have a daily beet, apple or lemon juice. Avoid inflammatory foods. Bats have bodies with very little inflammation so they can fly. Scientists think this is how they can survive with so many viruses in their system.
Some of the dietary immune boosting foods, and anti-inflammatory foods, include kitchari, oranges, lemons, elderberry, dandelion greens, fresh ginger, turmeric, tulsi tea (holy basil), cinnamon, pepper and fenugreek. Prefer warm food and hot tea. Sip on ginger, pepper, honey and turmeric tea twice a day. (Garlic can be OK.) Have kiwi, broccoli and other fruits and vegetables high in Vitamin C. Amalaki has lots of vitamin C.
Hot Tea Herbs & Spices
Echinacea, Ginger, Licorice, Tulsi, Turmeric, Throat Coat, Sitopaladi, Gypsy Cold Care. Or a rooibos blend with fresh ginger, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. The cinnamon helps the lungs, clove opens pores and nutmeg relaxed the nerves. Ginger is a diaphoretic and expectorant that is the best Sattvic spice for colds and flu. Other beneficial herbs are lemongrass, cardamom, goldenseal. Avoid milkshakes.
If you start getting symptoms, Ayush herbs has Kuff Soothe syrup and Flucomune pills. I also like Umcka, zinc tablets and vitamin C powder. Alternate between each one every 2 hours if you feel symptoms. Stronger Ayurvedic herbs are available with an online consultation.
Chanting
The best thing you can do for your health is to NOT WORRY. The Dalai Lama advised followers in Wuhan to chant the “Tara Mantra” to maintain peace of mind. This is how it goes:
“Om tare tuttare ture Soha”. In my research related to cancer survivors, those who tested positive but had reduced anxiety, fear and worry were able to hove a bolster stronger immune responses.
Misc. Items
- Have Stamets 7 Daily Immune Support (mushrooms) once daily
- Ride out the fever with hydrotherapy. See a naturopath if you don’t know how to do this.
- Open your mouth and let the sun shine on your tongue and throat. (When you are away from other people.)
- Engage in Mantra, Marma, Mudra, Yoga to relax. It will boost your mood and immunity!
- Remember the saying: Feed a fever, starve a cold.
- Apply two Nasya sesame oil drops in each nostril once daily in the morning
- Observe rest and mild exercise.
- Practice breath of fire daily – or other Pranayama if you have high Pitta
- Don’t combine ginger and aspirin. They are both blood thinners. Separate ginger and aspirin by at least 2 hours.
- Mix cinnamon and honey to relieve congestion.
Yoga Postures
- Daily Backbends: Cobra, Cat & Cow, Bow, Locust, Bridge
- Daily Shoulderstand: Or legs up the wall (compress throat center)
- Daily Fish Pose (open throat center)
- Savasana: daily reclined relaxation
Zoom Tips
If you have moved your work or classes online, please set up a passwords for your Zoom call attendees. There have been trolls on the internet looking for public zoom calls, and taking over the broadcasting with pornographic imagery. They have registered with multiple logins, so they can’t be shut down and a women’s tech online conference had to be ended early because of hijacking. Take preventative steps by requiring each attendee to have a unique password.
Question: What are the Kleshas and how do they relate to Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
Answer: The Kleashas are the afflictions that prevent us from seeing the oneness that already is. In Rama Vernon’s translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras (II:2-9), we learn that Ignorance (Avidya) and Clinging to Life, or Fear of Death (Abhinivesa) are two sides of the same coin. Throughout the discussions of the virus, can we hold opposite points of view at the same time, such as: a) It’s just another flu this spring; this will pass; b) It’s a deadly virus that warrants government quarantines and action and life will never be the same. Explore the Kleshas and what comes up for you by writing in a journal. (See item #10 above.)
Fear of death leads to neediness, anxiety, guilt, mistrust, suspicion, feelings of being unloved, defensiveness, aggression and perception of separation. Ignorance creates cultural and humanitarian divides, separation and borders and boundaries between people, states and nations. We can counter these with correct perception (Pramana) and with proper memory (Smriti). We are all one. We have never been separated. We mistake the real for the unreal. Who is the Self? Meditate on the nature of consciousness. The painful mindwaves of the Kleshas can be transformed into non-painful mindwaves (Vrttis). Vrttis, mind waves, can be observed and released. For more from Rama, purchase Book Two of the Yoga Sutras. Learn how to be present in the NOW of each breath. Life begins with an inhale and ends with an exhale. Be grateful for each breath. Samadhi, enlightenment, can be realized in just 12 focused breaths. Can your mind stay 100% focused on the breath for just 12 inhales and exhales?
Daily practice of Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation are more important than ever. And many people have more time now to practice this. Make every moment divine.