When we are stressed or anxious, our immune system weakens.
Yoga and meditation can help to strengthen the body and calm the mind, thereby enhancing your immune system's ability to cope with these difficult times. I live in Madrid, Spain, and here we've been in lockdown since the 14th of March. As I care for my elderly mum, I've decided not to leave the house at all so as to reduce the risk of catching the virus and giving it to her. That means that at the time of writing this, I've been indoors 24/7 for 18 days.
Before this happened, I would have shuddered at the thought of not being able to go out for so long, but thanks to yoga and meditation I am finding it much easier. I'm therefore going to share some of my daily routines with you, in the hope that they can make your day easier and happier.
The most important thing for me is not to let yourself go. Get up at a reasonable time, shower and dress properly, no lounging around in pyjamas or tracksuit bottoms. An exercise routine is a good way of starting the day, if possible, but if like me you have other priorities, just make sure you fit it in at some point during the day. I try to do some cardiovascular exercise on a stepper machine, between 30 and 60 minutes, followed by stretching, a Hatha yoga session and some meditation.
It's also important to eat properly. The temptation of resorting to comfort food whilst in confinement is high, very high, but if you give in to that, you'll come out with many more pounds and possibly other health problems, such as high cholesterol levels.
I decided that the lockdown was a good opportunity for losing some weight and getting fitter, so I started a diet. This is a proper diet created by a nutritionist, not just something off the top of my head, and it also allows for one free meal per week, so I still get some comfort food and nice wine ;-) I make sure I eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, both cooked and raw, as these boost the immune system, and so far I must say that I am feeling happier, slimmer and stronger, both physically and mentally.
I'm still learning how to manage a blog, so please be patient, but hopefully soon I'll be able to post some pictures and videos to help you along this tedious lockdown.
Namaste
