‘Breathe in, breathe out’

BREATHE IN LIFE

Actress Zoa Morani believes yoga helped her fight COVID-19. An ardent yoga practitioner for seven years, Zoa says, “Fortunately, I was already practicing ashtanga yoga for the last seven years. It is not only yoga — it was an entire lifestyle change — probably the first time I led a disciplined life after my initial years in school,” explains the actress.

Zoa also talks about how yoga helped her cope when she was tested coronavirus positive. “I had fever for an entire month and my immunity took a hit, but I sailed through it because of all these new habits I had learnt,” she points out. “It helped me mentally and physically. Also, no matter what the situation was, it helps remain calm and maintain a positive outlook. I have experienced days where I have been in a negative frame of mind and my practice and prayers almost instantaneously changes my perceptions.”

Ashwini G.S., daughter of Karnataka BJP MP, is yet another who believes yoga helped her recover from the COVID-19. She had recently shared a video message, in which she said, “COVID19 is not something to be feared, and yoga, pranayama and a strong mental state are the key to defeating the pandemic.”

Payal Gidwani Tiwari, one of the most famous fitness and yoga experts of Bollywood, staunchly advocates the power of breathing correctly. “Positivity in yoga comes from breathing correctly. Breathing is spontaneous and occurs naturally to everyone. Yet, most of us do not know how to breathe correctly, so how can one think positively and have good mental health?” she asks. “Slouching and bad postures also reduce our lung capacity and hamper our breathing. Moreover, with the current situation, sedentary lifestyles, tension and fatigue lead to decreased levels of blood circulation. To achieve positivity through yoga, one needs to do pranayama like anulom vilom, bhramari, bhastrika and om chanting,” Payal adds.

When there is an imbalance in the hormones, a lot of things in the body can go wrong. It can be set right with the right food and yoga —Bharat Thakur,