Quarantine, lockdown and social distancing everything has taken its toll on all of us around the world. In Mumbai it has not been any different – Newyorkers were running to stock their toilet rolls, and Mumbaikars were busy trying to organise their rice, dal and pulses.
Life of a Mumbaikar is mostly running from pillar to post, It can be in their fancy cars, local trains or on foot. The most important thing about the city is its crazy energy and vibe that is on 24×7. And now due to the corona virus we are all locked in our homes and whether we like it or not, this is going to be the only space we are going to be allowed to roam freely for a few weeks maybe months!
So how do we get our stress levels and anxiety down and go through with these difficult times?!! Yes, you can watch Netflix, Hotstar, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, work from home, spend time with our loved ones, start face-timing, zoom or house-partying;
But the most important thing in this difficult time is to have a self care routine. Its about being physically and mentally fit and connected to the present moment.
Personally, I turn to Yoga Pilates, which is Yoga with loads of Kriyas and Meditation.
Joseph Pilates the founder of Pilates Training was quick to make the connection between one’s mind and body. This unique mind body approach that he started at his first proper Pilates Class in New York is what Pilates called “Contrology”.
In Pilates, focusing on proper breathing techniques encourages a sense of mindfulness, helping you stay in the moment and giving maximum value to the movements of your body. Pilates is also widely “prescribed” by medical professionals as a way to reduce and cope with stress. Yoga mixed with Pilates may therefore improve your ability to respond and cope with stress and can increase your resilience in the future. A regular Pilates routine can decrease stress hormones while increasing feel-good endorphins, giving your mind and body a boost.
Yoga Pilates, that includes a number of stretching and makes you actively engage both your mind and body simultaneously, be it learning a completely new exercise or a modification to a previous one, your brain aligns with your body.
A Yoga and Pilates training routine will also take care of any muscular imbalances by activating and recruiting the muscles. It plays a positive role during anxiety by providing a distraction from negative thoughts, reducing stress levels, enhancing mindfulness, and helping to create a self care routine.
The ancient philosophy of Yoga is also helping me during these trying times. Simplicity. Purity. Going back to our roots! By maintaining physical and mental hygiene that yoga prescribes and accompanying it with Pilates, we can definitely be the path to follow.
Being locked down in a limited space can make your body stiff and for some people that can be a painful way to be stuck indoors. Yoga and pilates training combined together can really help you by just giving stretching and contracting movement to the muscles. A good Pilates training can reset the body to perform the daily chores effortlessly. If you find it difficult to quiet down your mental thoughts during meditation, breathwork or kriyas, will help to achieve your goals.
Deep breathing increases the supply of oxygen to your brain and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes a state of calmness, and thus reduces anxiety and stress levels.
The best way to ease stress and calm my mind during the novel corona virus, is my Pilates Training and Yoga routines, what’s yours!!