The COVID-19 pandemic and its global lockdown measures have turned the lives of working people upside down. Being confined for months can be straining on one’s mental and physical health. Not only that, but the whole global situation raises a lot of questions in your head, this is where yoga classes can do you a great deal of good!
Coming out of quarantine can be scary; there’s still this lingering fear that things can go south and lockdown measures can be reinstated- and that’s where your stress and anxiety levels start to shoot up again.
There’s a way to manage that and bring harmony to all this mayhem.
Yoga isn’t really just about being flexible and fit, or having a certain physique – it’s more than that; yoga is mindfulness in movement – that sort of mindfulness brings about a wave of serenity where you can be at peace and comfortable during there very difficult and uncertain times.
The worries that COVID-19 gives off are more contagious than the virus itself, and that gives us a bit of a perspective as to what we’re going up against here.
Not only do yoga classes help you stay in ‘shape’, but they help you manage the mental turmoil going on in your head.
Here are some yoga poses you can try:
1) The Warrior Pose:
This pose helps you get your mind off of things; it improves concentration and focus, and most of all, it relieves stress and anxiety.
The warrior pose essentially betters your mind-body connection and improves body awareness.
That doesn’t sound too bad in the post-pandemic world.
Here’s how you do it the Warrior Pose:
- Start off by standing up straight while keeping your arms and feet close together.
- Go for a lunge while keeping your leg forward.
- Keep your left foot flat on the floor.
- Stretch your arms above your head.
- Extend that lunge by bending your left knee and lifting your left heel off the floor.
- Take a deep breath while you twist your upper body.
- Maintain that position for five long breaths.
2) The Mountain Pose:
This pose is all about managing your tense muscles and releasing all the built-up tension around your body. The mountain pose brings a sense of calm into the mix, helping you take a sigh of relief when it’s all done.
Here’s how you do the Mountain Pose:
- Start off by sitting down in a simple cross-legged position.
- Raise your arms above your head.
- Hold one hand with the other and stretch upwards.
- Make sure you’re stretching your abdominal muscles while you’re doing that.
- Maintaining that position for 10-15 seconds.
- Repeat 3 times.
Yes, yoga can be intimidating, but this isn’t any kind of yoga class – this is yoga for beginners – you’ll get there in no time; all you need to go is head on down to NUYU to get started.
