The world has been battling with coronavirus for more than a year now. We have seen how economies went down, how common people lost their jobs, and how daily laborer's were grappling for their daily bread. It won’t be wrong to say that the world was helpless for quite some time. However, with the impositions of lockdowns and social distancing rules, things have slowly started to come back to normal. While COVID has claimed many lives from us, our families, relatives and loved ones alike, it is a joyful thought to think many have recovered as well and are thus, covid warriors. Considering that Covid is such an infectious virus, it is only natural that it will take a toll on the health of even a healthy person. That is why taking utmost care of your boy after you battled Covid is of utmost importance. To do this, you can take help from the age-old sciences of Yoga and Ayurveda and you will gain back your strength in no time at all.
Why should you take care of your body after battling Covid?
Like most viruses, coronavirus targets and weakens your immunity system , that is, the body’s ability to fight against diseases and infections. Most covid warriors experience perpetual impact like body aches, headaches, respiratory problems, fatigue and muscle strains. Moreover, the experience of facing COVID is traumatic and thus affects not only your physiological well-being but your mental health as well.
The main symptoms of COVID are inflammation of the body’s immune system which causes struggle for oxygen, inability to breathe and in some cases, even ARDS, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. In ARDS, one feels stress in their lungs, brain and other systems in the body. These are the regions where the virus attaches itself in the host body and attacks.
Since Covid is primarily a respiratory disease, Covid warriors should mainly focus on breathing exercises to keep their lungs and respiratory system working smoothly. Practicing proper body movements and regulating your breathing through traditional Yoga practices will help you boost your immunity and create a natural resistance against further infections. Through different postures and breathing controls, Yoga aids in improving your blood circulation, mind cleansing, body purification and makes you aware of yourself. Yoga, being a spiritual quest, helps you achieve an outer and inner equilibrium. Yogic techniques that you should practice include Asanas, that is, body postures and Pranayama or controlled breathing. These help in opening up your joints and help your body stretch freely and help bolster your diaphragm. Besides yoga, you can also opt for Ayurvedic practices to follow after battling Covid to regain your health.
Yoga Asanas to regain your strength and boost your immunity post covid
Dr Sharad Chandra Bhalekar, Ayurvedacharya, Author and Principal of GS college of Yoga, says that whether or not your covid condition was mild or serious, you need to rehabilitate your body properly to boost your immunity and increase the efficiency of your respiratory organs. Symptoms like fatigue, weakness and loss of appetite may continue even after you have recovered thus you must change your lifestyle to facilitate rehabilitation of your body. You will regain your strength through three stages of management which are-
1. First stage management- In the two weeks after you recover from covid, you should avoid doing any dynamic exercises and mainly focus on regulating your breathing. You should do it for 15 to 20 minutes and can repeat it twice or thrice a day.
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Shavasana: First, you have to lie down in a supine position with appropriate distance between two legs. You have to keep your hands slightly away from your torso and keep breathing slowly and deeply. Follow it for 15 to 20 minutes, twice or thrice a day.
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Makarasana: After lying down in a prone position with appropriate distance between two legs, you need your hands bent at the elbows and keep your forearms in a way such that your forehead can rest on top of it easily. When you breathe deeply in this position, it opens all the segments of your lungs.
2.Second stage management-
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Bhujangasana: Slightly different from Makarasana, in Bhujangasana, keep both of your hands near your chest and lift your body from the abdomen. Breathe normally and repeat for 20 to 30 seconds and rest in makarasana pose.
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Uttan Mandukasana: Best for increasing the diameter of your chest and expanding your lungs, here is how you do this pose. First, sit in Vajrasana and distance your knees from the thighs. Then, you have to cross your palms on your upper back and slightly bend backward. Hold this pose for 30 to 40 seconds.
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Parvatasana: After being in a cross leg position, raise your hands upward, towards the floor, raise your hip and keep your legs stretched, such that your body is in a triangle or mountain shape. This helps in better ventilation as it expands your chest when you hold the posture everyday for 30 to 40 seconds and practice regularly.
Side bending chakrasana: After standing with an erect trunk and legs slightly apart, raise one hand at a time and bend sideways. Hold this posture on each side for 10 to 15 seconds. This pose increases lung capacity and increases the strength of your respiratory muscles.
3.Third stage management-
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Vrikshasana: This pose, also called the tree pose, is done by holding one foot on the thigh of your other leg with your hand in a namaskar posture. You should hold this posture for 20 to 30 seconds.
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Setubandhasana: Lying in a supine position, raise your hip and thighs, keeping your upper back on the ground. Hold this posture for 10 to 20 seconds.
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Katichakrasana: Standing erect, abduct both your hands to your shoulder level. Then twist your neck and turn to each side of your body. Continue on both sides for 10 to 20 seconds.
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Pranayama: This is one of the best postures to improve lung capacity and has many varieties like Ujjai, Bhramari or Anulom-Vilom.
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Kapalbhati: This posture helps clean the respiratory tract. With regular practice, you can avoid the congestion of mucus and consequently, reduce your chances of infection.
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Neti: This helps clean your respiratory track and must be learned from a certified yoga teacher.
Ayurvedic skin-care products for post-covid recovery
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Fair’e Mulethi-Khus Skin Brightening gel: When you have just started recovering from COVID, you may feel like your skin looks dull and does not have your natural radiance. This Ayurvedic brightening gel from Just Herbs consists of natural ingredients like wheatgerm, vetiver, mulethi, cucumber etc. and helps bring back the radiance in your skin while reducing dark patches.
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Instaglow Almond Complexion Pack: If you are looking for a face pack that helps add life and radiance to your dull skin post COVID, this Instaglow complexion pack would be a holy grail for you. It consists of the goodness of herbal ingredients like cold pressed almond, Indian madder, neem and more.
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Ayurvedic Glow Boosting Trial Kit: If you want the goodness of both of the above products, alongside Silksplash Rehydrant face wash, you can opt for this kit, to bring a beautiful glow in your post COVID recovering skin.
With the help of Yoga and Ayurveda , in the form of herbal body-care products, you can quickly recover your old strength after battling covid, in turn boosting your immunity as well.