5 at-home yoga practices in the age of coronavirus!

From the #quarantineyoga videos on instagram to the worldwide mental health awareness movement, everyone is now trying to shift perspective towards leading a more holistic lifestyle. Yoga is not just a form of exercise, it’s an all-inclusive way of living life. It works on all the dimensions of your body, mind and soul. Yoga enhances the very nature of who you are.

This ongoing lockdown situation around the world has inspired people to perform yoga asanas at home as an effective way to deal with anxiety and stay healthy amidst the coronavirus threat.

Being confined to your house may make you feel anxious and even depressed. This excessive stress can weaken your immune system by increasing inflammation in your body. And a weaker immune system increases your risk of falling sick.

Apart from healthy eating habits, yoga is a time-tested holistic approach to improve your mental health as well as your immunity levels by busting stress.

Yoga helps reduce cortisol levels in your body and leaves you feeling peaceful and relaxed. It brings balance to your body by keeping your organs healthy and allowing you to sleep better at night.

Even the doctors at Harvard Medical School have advised yoga and meditation as a relaxation technique to beat coronavirus-related anxiety. You can do it right in your living room without any equipment or gear.

5 AT-HOME YOGA EXERCISES TO KEEP YOU BALANCED

SURYA NAMASKAR

Performing this single yoga exercise offers several benefits including detoxifying your body and improving blood circulation. Best done early in the morning, it even rejuvenates your body and helps you soak up some much needed Vitamin D during your lockdown days.

This yoga exercise includes 12 different asanas, each targeting different organs of the body.

Surya Namaskar acts as a workout for your whole body and will improve your flexibility too. Do 8-10 Surya Namaskars every day to improve your wellbeing and boost your immunity. Here is an easy video tutorial to learn it in under 3 minutes.

PRANAYAMA

Prana refers to the life force that keeps your body healthy and Ayama means regulation. Pranayama is a set of breathing exercises that lets you relax and increases your lung’s capacity. Kapal Bhati is the easiest breathing exercise where you take a long breathe and then exhale in short, intermittent bursts. The Anulom Vilom is another easy breathing exercise where you breathe from alternate nostrils for a few seconds each.

Doing these simple exercises helps destress your mind and body which in turn would help boost immunity. You can do this whenever you seem to experience a panic attack or just need a break from a really stressful situation.

UTTANASANA

Uttanasana or the standing forward bend pose helps alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. The posture increases blood flow to the brain and also helps ease congestion in your body.

You have to start by standing straight with your arms resting on your sides. And then without bending your knees, bend forward using your hip joints and not your waist. If your hands are unable to reach the ground, cross your forearms and stay in position for 10-15 seconds before relaxing.

PARIPURNA NAVASANA

Who said you couldn’t do strength training with yoga? The Paripurna Navasana or the boat pose is a good at-home yoga exercise to flex your back and abdominal muscles after working from home all day. The exercise tones your digestive organs and helps strengthen the core muscles in your body.

Sit down on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Lean back a bit and bend your knees as you lift your legs off the floor, balancing on your body on your tailbone.

Slowly try to straighten your legs. Lift your hands to your sides, parallel to your legs. Making sure your back is straight, lift yourself into a V-shape. Bring your chest forward toward your legs and hold the pose for at least ten seconds.

VIPARITA KARANI

Also called Legs up the Wall, this is the ultimate stress-busting at-home yoga exercise that is ideal even  if you have never tried yoga before.

Sit a few inches away from the wall. Lie down on your back and put your legs up the wall in a way that your thighs rest flat against the wall. Relax your body and keep your hand along your sides or on your stomach- whichever you find to be more comfortable.

Viparita Karani calms down your nervous system to improve the lymphatic drainage of fluids. The posture also helps relieve pain in the back and legs after spending long hours at your work-from-home desk.