As the month of March approaches us rapidly, it is understandable that the pandemic will soon complete imprisoning us for two whole years. Within this long period, we have faced various kinds of problems that had possibly never occurred before. Certainly, years back in history, our ancestors might have tackled conditions of similar kind, but the current generation has never.
As a yoga professional, I interact with a lot of people with different backgrounds. What I’ve observed is that scholars of various ages, students, small businessmen, almost everybody, is now suffering from physical and psychological problems that are indeed worth our worry. Most college students find online classes to be tedious and are more indolent than unable to join these classes. Due to financial crises, lower and middle class people undergo diverse adversities just to manage their day-to-day lives. Many children are turning out to be violent, the result of the impact that the pandemic has left them with. Teens are now highly addicted to internet surfing and glued to their mobile phones with earphones plugged in ears. On one hand, the financial crises haunt us; and on the other, there are these teenagers’ demands; a constant source of indignation indeed. These kids are becoming slothful with each passing day, reluctant to even lend a hand to their parents in managing the household chores. In fact, this is one of the majorly contributing reasons for familial uproars and parents’ bewilderment. This is leading to both the parents and the ward taking irrevocable steps that one can’t turn right such as cases of suicide that have risen noticeably high in the last one and a half years.
With a new morrow approaching us, we’re stepping back into the despair of the shutdown after a few months of liberty and are going to struggle against the third wave of the pandemic, emphatically nature’s warning for the wayward humankind. The State and Central Governments, scientists, researchers, health experts, doctors, all are engaged in lending ample hands to overcome this deadly parasite for humankind. However, the fact to note here is that this is neither an earthquake nor a flood that it is easy enough to determine when this death-dealing pandemic shall end. As our Covid warriors give their best trying to restore normalcy once again, we can’t just lay back and enjoy the view from inside our homes. Humans were born free but, indeed, are in chains; and that’s what nature, in the form of the pandemic, has proved to us again.
The doctors, researchers, scientists, all are toiling towards creating a safe and healthy environment for our physical being to survive, but the pandemic has indubitably taken a serious toll on our mental wellbeing as well. We can’t go on with the rotten headspaces that we’ve begun harbouring endlessly and then dare to dream of a utopian perfect earth for ourselves. It is high time for us all to take these trivial matters into our own hands and resolve these minor issues before they enlarge enough to haunt the existence of life on earth once more. The first steps begin from within our closest surroundings. Parents and teachers must channelise the energy in a positive direction in students when they have absolutely nothing to be inspired from within the closed barriers of their homes. Teachers, professors and educationists have to think of ways to steer the students in a productive manner. We have to assign them physically-strengthening tasks and give them the same importance as the core subjects of a student’s career. Students can be indulged in a couple of simple breathing practices, physical exercises and meditation in their leisure periods to break the limits of the average student mind.
As mentioned in all my previous articles, simple practices that can be performed within a 6 x 4 feet area are the most compatible practices for us at the moment. Asanas like Surya Namaskar, a couple of forward and backward bending, spinal twisting and pranayamas like Nadi Shodhan, Kapalbhati and Bhastrika can do wonders for us in the midst of the pandemic while we have absolutely nothing to rely on when it comes to keeping fit. Yoga Nidra and meditation are highly-recommended practices that help bring mental balance and peace. These simple yet effective practices can divert us from our torpid lifestyles and morph us into more constructive minds. This teaches us how to maintain our inner equilibrium irrespective of external circumstances like pleasure and pain; success and failure; joy and sorrow; optimism and pessimism in such a trying time. As a result, it develops our intrinsic abilities.
The pandemic is nothing more and nothing less but nature’s way of reminding us that it’s not us that all-powerful and we too are replaceable. For us to maintain our identities and existence, we must prove ourselves worthy of it. This pandemic is a final call for as we step into newer times and what the pandemic aims for is prosperity in the end; and it can be with or without us. The pandemic is nature’s search for a better world. The prerequisite for our survival is the construction of a better world.
What we seek is seeking us. Therein, we must work harder in this direction and shape the future with our own actions. It is alright to hope for the best but we ourselves have no idea of what the worst can manifest into. So, it is for the better that we’re prepared to overcome all of this. This is no longer the time to ponder over things as matters get worse every day. This is indeed high time for us to take matters into our hands and let go of our benighted selves. The future is ours to build and ours to live for.
(Dr Swain is Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health and Wellness, Sri Sri University. dinesh@srisriuniversity.edu.in )
Phone: 77894424506
