According to one study, six weeks of daily mindfulness meditation for 20 minutes resulted in a considerable downregulation of a pro-inflammatory gene and a significant reduction in pro-inflammatory activity.
Complementary techniques have also been discovered to have effects on the innate immune system. This was revealed in a study that found that 90 minutes of yoga asana stretching can boost the expression of two key antimicrobial peptides– essential protein components in the innate immune system– that are critical to COVID-19 because they are strongly expressed in respiratory cells.
Importance of Meditation during lockdown
Performing meditation for protection from coronavirus can help you with more than just reducing stress and anxiety. Meditation teaches people how to train their minds to focus and redirect their thoughts. Meditation can lead to a better understanding of yourself and your surroundings.
- To meditate, sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and relax your breathing.
- If you don’t have a specific thought, you can concentrate on your breathing and how your body moves with each inhalation and exhalation.
- You can learn how to meditate by watching one of the many videos available online. Beginners can simply listen to guided meditation audios to learn. Begin by meditating for 10 to 15 minutes or less if it appears difficult.
- You can meditate several times per day. When meditating, you simply need to be at ease. Make certain that the environment around you is safe.
It’s easy to get caught up in the panic that’s happening. This makes good mental self-care all the more important. Taking some time to meditate can be extremely beneficial in a variety of ways.
Meditation can help with anxiety relief
Mindfulness meditation is the best therapy for the management and alleviation of anxiety. It is a great stress reliever and helps with increased anxiety during the tough times of the pandemic. Thoughtful meditation entails remaining in the present moment without dwelling on the past or the future, as well as accepting your feelings and emotions as perfectly valid. This is in stark contrast to becoming preoccupied with the what-ifs of the pandemic.
Meditation for COVID patients has been shown to improve the immune system
Coronavirus is a highly contagious disease, and no one claims that meditation can protect you from it. However, several studies have shown that meditation can strengthen the immune system by positively impacting genes involved in the infectious cycle.
- Meditation Reveals Hidden Stress. One of the most common challenges with Covid 19 is stress. Meditation techniques promote a sense of calm and relaxation, which can help reduce anxiety and stress levels.
- Meditation Helps Improve Concentration. Meditation helps to promote a healthy mind by aiding concentration, improving the quality of sleep, increasing self-awareness, and increasing self-acceptance. These improvements help improve immune system response to health issues like CVDs than untreated people with severe mental disorders or diseases.
- Meditation Helps Fight Illness. Meditation is helpful in fighting illness because it helps in reducing stress which in turn improves the chances of fighting infections that occur. Research has proven that people who practice stress management, meditation techniques are less likely to get cancer than those who do not meditate.
Meditation can assist us in improving our emotional health during the tough time of COVID – 19
Meditation is a great way to manage depression, which can be exacerbated by stress at a time when people may be self-isolating, worried about finances, socially distancing from loved ones, and concerned about contracting coronavirus.
Pointers for meditation for covid patients who are new to it –
- Find a comfortable spot and sit with your back straight and your feet on the ground.
- Engage in proper breathing by inhaling for three seconds, holding for one second, then exhaling for three seconds.
- 3. Find something to focus on, like an object or image that is calming or soothing.
- Eliminate all outside distractions (like noise), and make sure to keep your eyes closed during meditation sessions.
- Begin by taking one minute to inhale deeply one time, hold your breath for one minute, and exhale deeply one time. As you exhale deeply, think about what it is that you wish to have or become. Think about this for 30 seconds while slowly breathing out the air in your lungs.
- Then take three seconds to breathe in, hold for one second, then breathe out slowly for three seconds as you think about what you are thankful for in your life until there is nothing left in your lungs.
- Repeat steps 5–8 until the timer goes off or the session ends (whichever comes first).
Transcendental Meditation, also commonly known as TM, is a technique that promotes a state of relaxed awareness by avoiding distracting thoughts. According to TM proponents, when one meditates, they experience that the ordinary thinking process is replaced by pure awareness.
- Unlike other forms of meditation, the Transcendental Meditation technique requires a seven-step course of instruction from a certified teacher.
- During a 60-minute introductory lecture, a Transcendental Meditation teacher provides general information about the technique and its effects. This is followed by a second 45-minute lecture in which more specific information is provided. Following a brief ceremony, they are each given a mantra to keep private.
- Meditation is a technique that helps in reducing anxiety, improving cardiovascular health, and achieving a greater capacity for relaxation if practiced for as little as 10 minutes per day.
Wellness tips during the COVID – 19
- Routine is your best friend. It aids in the management of anxiety and allows you to adapt to your current situation more quickly. Keep your personal and professional life separate. It will also be ideal for making the distinction in the physical space as well. Find something that brings you joy that isn’t woodworking virus-related.
- Keep your expectations in check. The suggestion that periods of quarantine may result in unprecedented productivity implies that we should raise rather than lower the bar. Do not underestimate the cognitive and emotional toll that this pandemic will have on your productivity, at least in the short term. Concentration difficulties, low motivation, and a state of distraction are to be expected. It will take time to adjust. Take it easy on yourself.
- Maintain social connection because it helps us feel better overall. If you are always alone or rarely talk to or listen to friends and family members, you will feel stressed and frustrated. Try to seek out your social connection whenever possible.
Harvard doctor Herbert Benson pioneered the “relaxation response” meditation technique in the 1970s. The technique has gained acceptance among doctors and therapists all over the world as a means of alleviating symptoms of diseases ranging from cancer to AIDS.