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Life in the times of lockdown: Ludhiana hospital consultant helping people beat anxiety with online yoga classes
Yoga consultant says performing asanas can activate neurons that alleviate stress and also relax body muscles
“During the ongoing curfew, I noticed a surge in cardiac and hypertension patients at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) and even the hospital staff complained of high level of stress and anxiety, prompting me to start yoga sessions online,” says Dr Sanjeev Singh Rawat, senior yoga consultant, DMCH, Ludhiana.
Dr Rawat, who has been conducting online yoga classes through DMCH’s official website since April, says he has so far taken three sessions of 30 to 40 minutes each comprising 39 asanas.
“In my next class that will possibly go live within a week, I will largely focus on the lifestyle changes that one needs to adopt for leading a stress free and calm life,” he informs.
The senior consultant says yoga asanas activate neurons that alleviate stress and also relax body muscles that tighten because of stress.
He says while yoga nidra (also known as shavasana) helps in cases with cardiac disease, stress and hypertension by relaxing body tissues, asanas such as katichakraasana, udarakarshanasana, surya namaskar, vajrasana, mandukaasana and pawanmuktaasana help in enhancing overall strength and flexibility and are also effective in healing pulmonary diseases.
“Pranayama that are practised after yoga nidra and other asanas are also important aspects of yoga. Pranayama like nadi shodhana helps in removing blockages in all 72,000 nerves in the body,” he adds.
Dr Rawat suggests ‘dhai ghadi’, 35 minutes before and after sunrise, as the perfect time for performing yoga as nostrils are most active during these times allowing breathing exercises effectively.
