Basic Ayurveda for #StayHome Health
A quick check in with what you’re consuming, and how you’re breathing are among the daily habits recommended in the video (below) of Ayurvedic Physician Vasant Lad offering his perspective on COVID-19.
“As we are aware about Coronavirus,” he says, “people are in panic — schools are closed, roads are closed, cities are closed, and everybody has to sit in their house, with their family.
“So this is a very critical time… This is a period to go within so we can follow our dinacharya [daily routine]. Wake up early morning, brush your teeth, scrape your tongue, rinse your mouth, and drink hot or warm water,” he recommends, for an “energy booster.”
“Have ginger, cinnamon and cardamom tea; regular chai made with tulsi (holy basil, one or two leaves); or even mint, cinnamon, cardamom. …If we keep our agni [digestive fire] strong, then illness will not happen to us.”
“… Drink warm water, then do pranayama. There is a package of eight pranayama [breathing practices]: Bhastrika, Kapala Bhati, Anuloma Viloma, Brahmari, Utjayi, Utgeet, and finally Sheetali and Sheetkari.”
These eight exercises, Lad says, strengthen our immune and respiratory systems, and “our lymphatic system will be clean… It will maintain the balance of ojas [immunity], tejas [digestion], and prāna [vital life force].
“…Do some yogasana — camel pose, cobra pose, cow pose, boat, bow, and bridge pose, locust, lotus, lion pose. If you think this is too complicated, just do Surya Namaskar.
“…And then sit for meditation. Do So’Hum meditation. Sit quietly in a lotus pose, or siddhasana pose, or sahajasana pose, and inhale with ‘so’ exhale with ‘hum.’
“This is a great opportunity. When we do this So’Hum meditation, you will flower the inner joy, the inner beauty. Then sit quietly and feel your presence. Your easeness is awareness. And that awareness is ‘Sat Chit Anand.’
Sat means ‘truth,’
Chit means ‘awareness,’
and Ananda is ‘joy.’
These are not just three words. They are one and the same thing: sat is awareness, chit is awareness, ananda is awareness. So we have to see what is going on in this outer world. Everything that is going on, it will come and it will go; nothing is permanent in this world. Even this coronavirus will come and will leave on its own accord. But we have to keep integrity, harmony, happiness and balance between body mind and consciousness.”
As for food: “This is a great opportunity to be at home and then eat homemade,” he says.
“…Hot food is good. It is better not to take cold drinks. No iced water; no iced cold beverage. No yogurt, no cheese, and no ice cream because that cold will suppress agni, exposure to cold will diminish our natural resistance.”
If you’re in need of a mantra to help calm anxiety and increase focus, “You can chant ‘OM,’” Lad says. “You can chant, ‘Hari Om.’ Or, you can say, ‘Jai Ganesh.’ All these are very creative, positive vibrations of higher Consciousness and they will support our family, will support our friends, will support our neighbors so that we will stand together, walk together, share together the same truth.
Matter fact, “Let us walk together, share together, stand together — but not too close — with a little distance… Never shake hands, but do Namaste. Namaste is very beautiful. If you see your friend, do Namaste and this is wonderful greeting, and there is no direct hand-to-hand contact.
“…We will see positive vibration,” Lad assures, “…Don't be unhappy. Don't be sad… Stand together and you will see the energy will flower into bliss, into peace.”
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Photos by Patrick Malleret, Chinh Le Duc, Carl Barcelo
A native of India, Ayurvedic Physician, Vasant Lad, BAM&S, MASc served for three years as Medical Director of the Ayurveda Hospital in Pune. He was Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Pune University College of Ayurvedic Medicine for 15 years. He holds a Bachelor’s of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAM&S) degree from the University of Pune and a Master’s of Ayurvedic Science (MASc) degree from Tilak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya.
Lad’s academic and practical training include the study of Allopathy (Western medicine) and surgery as well as traditional Ayurveda. Beginning in 1979, he has traveled throughout the United States sharing his knowledge of Ayurveda. In 1984 he came to Albuquerque as Director, principal instructor and founder of The Ayurvedic Institute.
Lad has written 12 books on Ayurveda as well as hundreds of articles and other writings. With over 700,000 copies of his books in print in the U.S., his work has been translated into more than 20 languages.