Embracing Wellness | The Rationale For Doing Nothing | The Month Of Love

Staying Well Now Means Embracing Self-Care

Coronavirus brings the topic of health and wellness to an entirely new level. While it makes staying healthy matter more than ever, it may seem that it’s taking away our ability to do all the things we usually rely on to stay well, maintain our fitness and alleviate stress.

For that reason, I’d like to offer some ideas from the yoga tradition to help support and protect your health—and that of your family and friends—during this difficult time.

What many don’t realize is that yoga is actually a science of ancient practices that came into being for exactly these reasons—to deal with the difficulties, demands and stresses human beings have faced in their daily lives for millennia, and to foster a higher level of healing and health. And right now, all comprehensive and integrated paths—especially yoga—offer so many sensible, nurturing and simple strategies for times like today, and are a source of hope and promise for us all.

What really matters are the personal choices you make every single day. This includes nourishing your body, sustaining your vital energy, building your immunity, maintaining your mental health and supporting your spiritual purpose and emotional growth. Most significantly, remember there’s a powerful inner knowledge within you that you can use to derive strength, courage and support—no matter what the circumstances.

Please use the practices and tools below and let them be a reference point to find faith and hope. Find out what works for you and what doesn’t. Trust your choices and embrace the practices you find comforting and personal.

Stay well and be strong.

Love,

BijaB

Practices and Tools for Self-Care and Immunity

One of the greatest gifts of yoga is a system of time-honored strategies to support your immune system and build defenses to resist anything harmful it encounters. Strong immunity gives you immediate protection as your body adapts and the immune system prepares itself for future challenges. Yoga’s practices are therapeutic and designed to affect the autonomic nervous system in ways that can either stimulate activation and strength, promote relaxation, or create a state of balance.

Understanding and applying these five practices can help you achieve these protective benefits:

1.    Moving Your Body:  Movement is fundamental for circulation and balanced growth throughout your life. These two practices help you get moving while building your immunity.

• “Vitality-Awakening,” a 12-minute practice that activates you in the a.m.
• “Vitality-Stress Reduction,” a 47-minute practice that deepens and calms you while reducing stress.

2.     Focusing Your Breath:  Breathing is a powerful way to regenerate your immune system and build stability and strength.

• “Analoma Ujjayi and Viloma Ujjayi” is a 5-minute breathing practice designed to create a peaceful yet focused state of body and mind.

3.    Meditating:  Meditation calms your mind and helps you remain peaceful while maintaining a state of focused attention.

• “Tuning In” can be done in any time frame and includes movement, meditation and self-inquiry to help you shift your state from distraction to expansion.

4.    Engaging Emotionally:  Intentionally taking time to tune in to your physical and emotional state helps involve you in the immediacy of your life.

• “Standing in the Flow” can be done anytime, day or night, to bring a felt presence to your emotional awareness.

5. Connecting with Spiritual Purpose:  Faith in yourself is an important element in yoga, and it comes from the trust you have in your highest self.

•  “Faith—Returning to Oneself” is a short technique you can use after any practice to deepen your inner experience and bring your awareness back to the self.