International Yoga Day on the 21st of June 2020 has a special significance, more so this year than other years. Can you guess what this is? Yoga especially the breath and meditation aspect of it plays a significant role especially in this pandemic Covid scenario. Breathing Exercises are important to strengthen our lungs and to boost the immune system. Awareness to the body, breath and mind which happens when we actively do Yoga brings us back to this present moment where we can creatively take the right action.
Otherwise at most times we are in the mind, stuck either to the past or future, oblivious to the body and especially our breath. Is it any wonder then that statistics have it that we only breath up to 30 per cent of our lung capacity whereas 90 per cent of the toxins are gotton rid of through the outbreath.
We are so caught up in the mind perceiving and reacting to what happens around us that we most times forget to breath even!
Hence International Yoga Day is there to remind us to take a Step back, to consciously remind ourselves not to take our breath for granted as in it lie many hidden secrets, not least of it, the Secret to Life Itself!
Breathing exercises such as Bhramari or the humming bee breath have today amid latest scientific studies been found to significantly boost the body’s natural mechanisms to defend itself against viral infection and even to fight viruses even before they can infect the body.
The Alternate Nostril Breathing or Nadi Shodhan Pranayama is well researched and known to bring about balance and greatly calm the nervous system and bring about hormonal balance in the body.
The Bellows Breath or Bhastrika can greatly energise one while getting rid of toxins from the body quickly.
While cleanliness and oxygen take on a whole new meaning and importance in this Covid era, we are gently reminded of the ancient wisdom of Patanjali who listed cleanliness as one of the important conditions of self-imposed discipline and Pranayamas or breathing exercises being an essential component of Yoga which is known to stop misery even before it begins.
Though ancient in its wisdom and practise, its more important than ever today to honour Yoga for what it truly is and that is a system of Prevention, Support of Wellbeing of not just the body but especially of the mind.
