Role of yoga in life during the pandemic
We discuss briefly the potential of yoga as a powerful tool to combat the stresses caused by this time and some exercises that you can use to deal with feelings of worthlessness, guilt, forgiveness, worries and tensions, thoughts, build immunity, recover and heal if impacted. Yoga is, in essence, a way to be one with the entire existence, which starts with us. At the individual level, it is an integration of our mind-body-soul, as a single entity. At the realization of this very first level, the mind and body may temporarily appear to dissolve in merger with the soul, in deep meditation, in a realization of the self. This is the stage of connection with the inner self, by dropping acquired and perceived identities [1].
Once a connection with the inner self is achieved, then we can embark on a journey to encompass the family, community, nation, world, and entire existence on the planet, including flora and fauna into this all encompassed unified oneness, and then let this oneness expand to engulf the entire universe. It is important to realize that we are an integral part of the manifested universe, and inseparable from it.
Connection from the inner self to this connected super- self can only be achieved through the bridge of interconnecting with entire existence, allowing ourselves to drop baggage of ill-feelings, anger, anxiety, hatred, jealousy, prejudice, judgement, and worries that keep us confined to our egos and spirals of suffering. Without unloading, as long as we keep carrying this unnecessary baggage, it burdens and binds us to stay where we are. It is easy to get rid of it through a practice of meditation focusing on kindness and forgiveness towards oneself, including one’s thoughts and body, and to others, the world, and circumstances. Once we achieve that, we are on the journey to improve our health, increase the level of happiness, contentment with life, help others, serve the humanity, and connect with the super self.
Before we connect, it is important to know as to who the super self is. The super self is collective consciousness of the universe – of which each one of us and the entire existence is a part, since nothing can exist without an element of consciousness. A realization of this fact is empowering and humbling at the same time.
Empowering that each one of our thoughts, speech, and actions, at any time, directly shape the future of this universe, and in its inter-connectedness, all beings are touched by it. Humbling that an enormous empowerment dawns upon us a great sense of responsibility.
A responsibility that spiritually inspired thoughts are aspirations to engage in noble deeds and projects. A realization that we can’t engage in noble projects and deeds happily with an attitude to serve humanity effectively if we are sick. This is what leads us to the practice of breathing and posture exercises, in a realization of our responsibility to do good for all, we need to become first good ourselves by housing a sound mind in a sound body.
A regular practice of meditation, breathing exercises (pranayama) and postures (hatha yoga) is required to stay connected with the inner self, maintain good health, achieve happiness, serve humanity, and acquire the ability to participate in noble projects.
In the times of pandemic, yoga practice is of utmost importance. As specific geographies gradually open up economies and more widespread testing becomes available, number of cases tested positive spike, and more than ever before draw home a realization that the major line of defense is strong immunity of the self. Let’s prepare the world to brace for a situation where everyone has tested positive but has a strong immunity to deal with Covid-19.
As people deal with job losses resulting from the lock-down, the feelings of being worthless, fear, uncertainty, and losing human touch through isolation are all too obvious outcomes. There is a need for realization that now is the opportunity window for humanity to turn this adversity to re-imagine life and co-create a future that is not driven by our past experiences, but through a positive visualization.
Creative visualization is within reach of all of us, as soon as we can overcome the feelings of being worthless, fear, and uncertainty. These feelings are often a cover for some more fundamental underlying issues that we face. The issues that have been imprinted in our psyche from the past experiences and interactions and need to be dealt with. To that end, some specific exercises and meditations have been designed and given below.
Meditations to deal with worthlessness
Let’s first understand the meaning of worth – it is value to someone. When we think of our value to others, we stop evaluating the worth of ‘who I am’ to ‘myself.’ While it can be a set of meditations and exercises by themselves to get to know the true ‘inner self,’ cutting through the chase and putting it simply, let’s first accept ourselves ‘as we are,’ right in the here and now of it. Acceptance of ourselves and our current circumstances and situation ‘as-is’ is of utmost importance and gives us some space to deal with it. The current situation is inevitable and denying it by not accepting is unnatural. One can be continually stuck with the denial and that would only prevent us from moving forward. We are unable to rewind our life in time and relive it from a point in the past. Whatever experiences we had, were essential and a necessary part of shaping ‘who we are’ individually as well as collectively as a family, community, and society, to give us a realization to make the change by re-imagining life and co-creating a brighter future.
Now, pick a pencil and paper, and draw four columns on a page. In the first, write down all the feelings that are making you think worthless about yourself. In the second, the consequences of that feeling. In the third, what or who is causing that feeling – it can be someone’s rude behavior or the tone in their talk, and in the fourth, what’s the positive learning experience coming out of this feeling – it can be how not to repeat it or indulge in such behavior when it comes to dealing with others, what needs to be changed and how to change it, correlation to other feelings that are rising from this feeling, and how we can change the bigger picture whole by addressing parts of it, or anything else that comes to your mind.
Next, pick first item on the list – read it, close your eyes. Imagine yourself to be in role of the person/s who gave you that feeling and visualize their situation and circumstances at the moment when they behaved as such, your own retaliation that may have led to fueling the already fragile situation to make it worst. With a cool mind, think of how you would have behaved in the same situation – and draw parallels to your own behavior versus theirs. You may come to a realization that your own behavior under similar circumstances and situations might have been either the same, or marginally better, and occasionally even the worst. At this point, you can develop an empathy for them, and transform your anger to compassion towards them. At this time, forgive them and send feelings to goodwill and healing to them, directing your thought and intention towards them.
If it was a situation, not people, then you are the main person in that event. You didn’t get called for a job interview you applied for, you didn’t get admitted to a college you aspired for, you got laid off, your start up business is not taking off, it becomes all about changing the old paradigm’s 3Cs of comparing, competing, and complaining to the new paradigm’s 3Cs of consulting, collaborating, and co-creating. While this is a larger task for the entire humanity, there is a role in it that starts with the self as an individual. Imagine and take mental note of a few action items that you can do in the here and now to cause that change. Eventually, all the grounds of inequality, unfairness, and discrimination would be levelled through compassion and a shift in collective consciousness. Starting with the self means causing that shift in our own consciousness, before expecting it to happen anywhere else.
While in the this meditative state, still with your eyes closed, continue with causing a shift in your consciousness, knowing that the world around us is a collective creation of all of us, and we are also the ones who can change it, and visualize a few initiatives you can create to make that change. Feel empowered that you are ‘one person’ who can change the world. Continue this meditation for as long as you feel comfortable and rub your palms when you are ready to exit, put your palms on your eyes, gradually half-open your eyes within the palms, and slowly come out of the meditation.
Next, on a fresh page, create 4 columns. On the first, write down name of the initiative you would like to undertake, in the second a list of realizable projects in the here and now of this world, in the third a list of folks whom you can collaborate or consult with to refine the projects, and in the fourth a time line with action items to complete the project. Thinking of your initiative as a program, there is likely a list of projects here. Your next step is to call these people to set up a time and get on an online or phone meeting to discuss with them the concepts of your initiative program and its projects.
Create one more column on the previous page and write down some role-model behaviors that you would like to set for yourself as objectives. These are the behaviors that would lead to prevention of such situations from arising in first place. Whether through observing the one who caused this situation for you, or how your own reactions led to it, there are lessons to be learnt from each that can define the role model behaviors.
Examples can be getting rid of the ego, calm reaction to an angry tone, turning a negative situation to a positive one by keeping your mind open, developing a positive attitude, listening ‘as-is’ with patience and no self-interpretations, staying calm in the middle of a crisis, looking upon situation as inevitable and giving yourself space by accepting it, or anything that comes to mind. You can have multiple positive ‘role-model behaviors’ that are the net outcome of this exercise, across each situation or feeling of worthlessness.
Next, make an affirmation to yourself to make these role-model behaviors a part of your life. Before retiring to bed each night, reflect on the day and observe as to whether you actually were able to keep up with role-model behaviors. It is very natural that our past habits keep drifting us back to old patterns, and it’s only through reflection and observation of the self that we can reaffirm and feel further empowered to a continued commitment.
Now, pick a fresh page, and write down as to how you can transform the old paradigm’s 3Cs of comparing, competing, and complaining to the new paradigm’s 3Cs of consulting, collaborating, and cocreating. Write down some action items for yourself to achieve that transformation and commit to taking those actions. Reaffirm through periodic reflection.
Meditations for forgiveness
To forgive and forget, we need to begin with the self. We can take a paper and pencil and jot down everything that’s bothering us – from all feelings of guilt, worries, tensions, and thoughts. After we have jotted these down, let’s categorize guilt feelings and bunch these together. Next, worries and tensions. And last, the thoughts. For each category, create some columns, and write your list on the left column.
Meditation to deal with the guilt
Let’s first deal with guilt: on the right column of each item in this list, write as to how this feeling of guilt has given you a realization not to repeat the action that created this guilt. Next, close your eyes to celebrate the lesson by repeating an affirmation “I will not indulge in this irresponsible behavior again, would consciously observe the pattern and sequence of events that led up to it, recognize that pattern, make conscious and determined effort to take action that prevents repeating the same behavior.” Now, still with your eyes closed, go back to a time in memory of life events to when that event happened, erase the guilt from the memory, and fast forward to today, celebrating the lesson this experience has taught you. Stay in meditative closed eyes state as long as you like, then rub your palms, place palms on the eyes, and slowly open the eyes within the palms. Now, pick the next item from the guilt list, and repeat the process. One by one, complete the list.
Meditation to deal with worries and tensions
Next, move on to worries and tensions. Create 4 columns on this page, and list all worries / tensions in the first column. In the second, list all the persons associated with that specific line item worry / tension. In the third column, list all the objects associated with it. In the last column, write down as to what this worry / tension is causing you, and what would be the eventual consequence if issue related to it is not addressed. Now, pick up first row on the list, read its all the columns, and close your eyes. Meditate on the first line item and imagine what stress it is causing you, and what difference would be in your life if you simply didn’t have this worry to deal with, and ask yourself, if you are empowered right here and now to flip a switch that would turn this worry off, would you? Connect with your inner self in the meditative state and draw that empowerment to flip the switch right at this instance. Once you have flipped the switch, that worry is gone. Keep on flipping the switches on one worry after the other and exhaust the list.
Meditation to deal with thoughts
Next, move on to thoughts. Create 4 columns on this page and list all thoughts in the first column. In the second, list all the persons associated with that specific line item thought. In the third column, list all the objects associated with it. In the last column, write down as to what this thought is causing you, and what would be the eventual consequence if issue related to it is not addressed. Now, pick up first row on the list, read its all the columns, and close your eyes. Let the thoughts along with associated objects and persons and consequences come and go, in any random order, and believe it or not, suddenly you will find that all the thoughts are gone, one by one, and now you are left with absolutely no thoughts. This is truly the state of bliss – thoughtless awareness. Enjoy and stay in this state for as long as feasible and convenient. To come out of any meditative state, rub your palms, place palms on the eyes, and very slowly widening your fingers, gradually open eyes within the palms.
Meditation to forgive everyone, send good wishes, and healing
On a piece of paper, write down all the names of folks that have hurt you and those hurts are bothering you. Create 3 columns – in the first one, name of the person, in the second one what the hurt is that they caused you, and in the third, how life would be if that hurt would not be there and is actually transformed to mutual goodwill. Close your eyes and pick the first name and its associated hurt and other details. Connect to your inner self and draw the empowerment to first forgive completely, then role play to connect with them at their thought level, cleanse the thoughts of negative imprints, delete the ill-wills from both your and their minds, create good wills, sow good wills, let the goodwill grow and flourish, radiate the goodwill as a ray of light that you emit and let that light travel to touch them instantly. After being done with the first row, move on to then second and subsequent rows, till you are done with all of them, and stay in the meditative state as long as it seems feasible and enjoyable.
To keep this article from becoming the size of a book, readers are requested to refer to following immediately available resources and IIIHHH section at www.1world1nation.com
[1] ‘Pandemic – Connector of Humanity’ www.amazon.com/author/abhinavaggarwal
[2] Healing and Prevention for Covid-19 youtu.be/yaVwzV3_dq8
[3] Pyramid Yoga youtu.be/gFNefFPmIMY
[3] Self-instruction do it yourself exercises https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE4JLLx5v9g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF76gAqGa6M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwbuN6lYcbA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUslCjEG4KA