Defeat the Coronavirus – You can do it!

A new Coronavirus by the name of COVID-19 is out in the open. People are still unsure of where it came in contact with humans and so the speculations continue. The first outbreak of it affected the province of Wuhan in China and thereafter this virus spread around the globe, as March 2020 ends there are almost 200 countries that are affected by it. Since this virus was first spotted in China therefore many countries have not hesitated to call it a ‘CHINESE VIRUS’. Some feel it is a deliberate Chinese conspiracy to create financial distress in the world and benefit from it and thus have kept COVID-19 under the category of biological weapons.

THREAT IS REAL & PRECAUTION IS THE KEY

As a common man whether you believe the conspiracy theory or not but the threat of coronavirus is real. It is spreading like wildfire. As of now most of the planet’s populace is immobilized and made to stay indoors in these times. As a trend governments worldwide have chosen to impose complete lockdown upon their citizens to protect them against this virus. People in many countries have voluntarily stopped socializing and going outdoors even though there are no lockdown orders issued and wisely so.

While governments, civic bodies, police, doctors, essential service providers are doing their best to make these lockdowns successful and fighting this pandemic it is everyone’s individual responsibility to support their governments and obey the general guidelines issued by local authorities strictly.

I find the below acronym of CORONAVIRUS by Ma Shakti Devpriya ji most apt to quote here. It has very effectively given us the best possible understanding in a crisp and direst way. We must remember – ONLY PRECAUTION CAN HELP!

|| Taken from Ma Shakti Devpriya’s blog http://tattvashakti.wordpress.com ||

DO NOT PANIC

The fear is obvious but we must not get into fear psychosis. As the season is changing many people are developing a cough, cold, flu, allergies and bacterial infections and some are so fearful that if they get one episode of sneezing or coughing they start imagining – they have it! It is time you learn how to keep yourself healthy amid seasonal changes rather than panicking about it.

Normal cold, cough or running nose is not coronavirus infection. Seasonal changes bring about some challenges. If you are having cough or flu do not panic just give yourself some shots of homemade herbal decoction and you shall feel better. Every household in India has some or the other recipe for preparing such decoction (kaadhaa) for dealing with such common issues. Maybe you have never been initiated in making kaadhaas/decoctions so I have requested Ma to provide with you a recipe of kaadhaa that we use. It works almost like magic every time.  If you observe such symptoms then take this preparation at least two times a day. It offers relief and even cures such common conditions without having you go to a doctor.

WHAT TO DO IF WE SUSPECT WE HAVE GOTTEN IT

Let this sink in. If you stay alert, remain confined to your places and observe all the necessary precautions it is most unlikely that you will get coronavirus infection however there is still a faint possibility for we may become little slack and the virus may sneak in. Looking at the current situations and statistics we find that some people got coronavirus infection even when they were 100% alert during their travels and social interactions. So let’s not fool ourselves by assuming that our ‘alertness-shield’ can prevent it 100%. The fact is – how so much bleak but there is a possibility that we may catch the infection because we may have faulted somewhere unknowingly. Now there are two things which each one of us should know.

1. What precaution we must take if we suspect that we have gotten infection?
2. How do we identify it is THE infection?

If you think or feel you have gotten coronavirus infection the first thing you should do is isolate yourself from people around you. This is called a self-quarantine. You should definitely know how to self-quarantine. For this refer to the R of the above Acronym. Read from authentic sources. Enough information is being made available through different media, TV channels about how to self-quarantine. I am sure by now you understand the difference between isolation and quarantine.

It is always advisable to self-quarantine even if you have any bacterial or viral infection but you should also understand what does it feel like when you get coronavirus infection and more importantly how do you conduct yourself during that period. Every country has published sufficient information on it. If you are in India you may choose to browse through the relevant page on the Government of India website for information.

Briefly, these coronavirus infection symptoms mostly resemble common flu however as per medical experts this being a new virus not many symptoms have been documented however few things one should look for to ascertain whether this infection is due to coronavirus;

1- Shortness of breath/difficulty in breathing accompanied with
2 – High grade (High–grade fevers range from about 103 F-104 F) fever (some people report this fever feels most hot on the chest and back region).
3 – Loss of smelling sense
4- Diarrhea (loose motions)

So if you have gotten all or most of these symptoms you must immediately contact your doctor nevertheless DO NOT PANIC. I repeat DO NOT PANIC at all! The good news is that more than 80% of people infected with coronavirus recover without any need for hospitalization.  These people do not even require oxygen support in the process of recovery. So no need to panic – most likely you will not require hospitalization and recover at home. Of course, you must follow all the prescriptions of your doctor and immediately self-quarantine. Observing home-quarantine instructions strictly for the prescribed period (that is exactly 14 days) is extremely important so that in case you are a potential carrier of virus you do not transmit this disease to people around you. Stay calm and confident as that will keep your immune system in shape and speed up your recovery.

WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR IMMUNITY

More than 80% recover by themselves? Yes! but do you know who are those lucky people? They are the ones that have a normal functioning immune system. The immune system is a built-in capacity of our body to fight against all sorts of disease-causing bacteria and viruses. So when people are told that your immune system is the only savior then the next question they ask is “What can we do to boost our immune system?”

It should encourage you that it doesn’t matter what age you are in, how badly you have been treating your body so far you can improve the immune response of your body from today. It is never too late. The body is all ready to support the life it carries. It is anyways trying its best to help us survive. For this, you are not required to spend fortunes. Just little changes in your lifestyle, diet, and routine will do the magic. At whatever low immune response you are if you stick to these small changes religiously it will get into an upward curve within just 108 hours starting time taken from the first sunrise.

CONNECT WITH SUN

The first thing is about following and connecting with the source of life itself, the Sun. Get into a healthy routine based on Sun i.e. get up at least 24 minutes before Sunrise. Drink one or two glasses of water. If you have access to the morning sun, do watch it slowly going up. Spend a minimum of 30-40 minutes in the presence of the sun within 2 hrs of sunrise. During this time you should do your daily exercise, Yoga, breathing practices, meditation, and gardening etc. If you ask which breathing exercise? There is one breathing practice that I recommend – Nadishodhan. It is so effective in balancing your mind and body that your immunity is boosted multiple times. If you do not know how to do nadishohan then you can Join FREE Nadishodhan Lessons from qualified yoga teachers of The Shakti Multiversity. If you are not able to do nadishodhan then just practice deep breathing. Deep breathing ensures improved oxygen density in your bloodstream and it will also train your lungs to take the stress in case of possible respiratory distress.

The sun rays are a germicidal and natural disinfectant. Sun charged water is used as medicine for improving various conditions. There is a whole therapy based on the healing power of the Sun that you can use to your advantage but the ground rule is ‘The Sun is a source of life – Connect with it daily!”

Ideally, breakfast should be taken within 2 hrs of sunrise. Do different activities during the day. Avoid sleeping while the Sun is still at work! There are recommendations to have your last meal well before sunset but if you can not then have dinner well within 2 hours of sunset and sleep after a minimum 1 hour after dinner. Remember – 1 hr of sleep before 12:00 midnight is equal to 2 hrs of sleep after midnight. So, sleep early and get up early. Do sleep for a minimum of 6 Hrs unless you have trained yourself for a lesser number of hours and still feel healthy.

MAKE CHANGE IN YOUR DIET

Most people would be tempted to eat indiscriminately just because they are home and nothing else to do. Do not give in to temptations rather eat light and freshly cooked food.  The cooked food should be eaten within 2 hours of cooking. This way it helps us energize without producing toxins. Include vegetables, fruits, curd, nuts and raisins in your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Avoid too much coffee, tea etc. Refrain from alcohol and alcoholic drinks. Alcohol directly attacks and eats up the Ojas from the body – Ojas is an unseen dhatu in our body that helps us fight infections. It is the same ojas that decides the quality of our aura. Yes, those who are suffering from some medical conditions already should follow their doctor’s advice on what to eat and whatnot.

Few spices and herbs that are available in your kitchen can boost your immunity like anything. First one is turmeric – Add 1/2 TSF turmeric powder to your milk and have it at bedtime. Ginger, Tulsi (Basil leaves), clove, black pepper, and saffron naturally elevate your BMR and are also potent immune boosters. Citrus fruits such as orange, lemon should be consumed in abundance as these supply good vitamin C which helps our body fight infections. Do not use canned juices. If you don’t get fresh fruits then try obtaining chyavanprash from your medical store. Take one TSF chyavanprash twice a day i.e. in breakfast and at bedtime.

Drink plenty of water and keep yourself hydrated. About water, a few things are worth mentioning. Drink rested water only. What is rested water? Water coming from the tap or your RO machines is not healthy so you need to store the drinking water in a container (preferably metallic, earthen or glass containers, copper or brass vessels are best metals – No plastics!) for a minimum of 12 hours before you drink it. The second thing you should always remember not to drink lots of water in one go. Take some time. The third thing is you should never drink water standing. Further, if you just make a prayer to the water (in whatever language you wish to say – just give the intention of healing and health to water) before you drink it – you have programmed it for protecting your body. Water listens to and remembers our callings!

SMILE 🙂 SMILE 🙂 and SMILE 🙂

It would be a repetition if I told you that a child smiles almost 400 times a day and a typical grown-up adult like you just 20 times but it must be told because it matters. If you ever feel nostalgic about the magically cheerful moments of your childhood when life just happened. Yes? Then you must think; After all what was so different then? Maybe you were not surrounded by the kind of luxuries you have now. It is quite possible that you then aspired to grow to become an adult to be able to enjoy larger life with much more freedom. You did grow to become an adult… you do have freedom and means to enjoy life but now you can’t. Why? And the answer is You! Childhood was beautiful only because you were joyously allowing life to happen but now you are trying hard to make life happen. Needless to say, it is stressful and you have forgotten smiling!

Smile is pure magic! The simple act releases so many good neurotransmitters like dopamine, endorphins, serotonin etc. It relaxes your body, lowers your heart rate, reduces blood pressure. It is the most natural anti-depressant. Smile originates from that part of your brain namely the cingulate cortex, where unconscious automatic responses are generated. Try it. When you smile others smile and feel difficult to frown!

Smile is that magical curve of your lips that straightens many things in life and the most encouraging thing is that it is unlike a difficult Yoga mudra – khechari or Shaambhavi! Everyone can smile.. you too! You don’t have to learn it.. you already know how to smile but what you may not be knowing is that you can smile only in 19 different ways. Now, THIS must give you a reason to try smiling and check out. (smiles)

The last thing will probably convince you to smile and that is – it helps you fight coronavirus. Yes, smile strengthens your immune system!

STAY MOTIVATED TO STAY FIT

Finally, set small goals for yourself each day. Motivate yourself to achieve your daily goals. Lazing around and becoming idle in this period will work against your immunity. For that, you can start sharpening your existing skills or learn new skills. Do things that you always thought you would do when you will be free. Nowadays that you are least burdened, have most of your time at your disposal. So why not use it productively?

In the end, I must remind you that your health is wealth that no one else can earn for you. You should always keep in mind that there are no proxies in health regimes. Only you can do it for you else only you suffer in your illnesses. So it is time for you to work on yourself. If you follow the simple things you can be sure that your immunity will be taken care of.

There is no need to feel that it is the end of the road.  Just contiue with precautions and do not lose hope. Rest assured..

“Life will win!”
“The best is yet to come!”

In my next article, I will discuss the methods of boosting vitality and immunity through the system of Yoga. Till then stay safe and work on yourself.

Shivoham!

– Acharya Agyaatadarsan Anand Nath