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January 22, 2021

Importance Of Yoga During The Pandemic And Easy Yoga Asanas To Try

ApnaComplex is conducting a series of webinars in partnership with The Times of India. These webinars are exclusive only for members of societies using ApnaComplex. In these webinars, health experts speak on various health and wellness topics to increase awareness and impart knowledge.

In a webinar session conducted by ApnaComplex Dr. Hansaji Jayadeva, Director of The Yoga Institute, Mumbai and the President of International Board of Yoga and Senior Vice President Indian Yoga Association (IYA) spoke to us on Importance Of Yoga In Fighting The Pandemic. She is the leading face of householder yoga and has conducted over 1,00,000 theoretical and practical yoga sessions to date.

Yoga is a spiritual therapy that originated in India thousands of years ago. Yoga is called a spiritual therapy because it connects the mind and body. The word ‘yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj’ which means union, yoke, to join or to concentrate on one’s attention.

In the Western world, yoga is considered as a holistic approach to health and is classified by the National Institute of Health as a form of Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Yoga provides a number of mental and physical benefits, which includes lowering stress, promoting mental calmness, increasing self- confidence, reducing blood pressure, decreasing fatigue, improving blood circulation, reducing asthma and strengthening the immune system.

Practising yoga daily promotes endurance, strength, flexibility, and facilitates compassion and greater self-control, while bringing a sense of calmness and well-being.

Dr. Hansaji Jayadeva spoke about the importance of yoga and suggested some simple and easy yoga asanas that we should incorporate into our daily routine.

Here are some excerpts from the webinar:

How to boost immunity with yoga?

Immunity can be strengthened only through yoga because yoga is a holistic approach to life. Yoga keeps your body fit and flexible and handles the body and mind well. Practising yoga will generate balanced energy which is important for the functioning of the immune system. Regular practise of yoga asanas lowers the risk of chronic diseases and boosts the immune system.

What are the three fruits that are strongly recommended in yoga?

Coconut (Sriphala), banana (Kadali Phalam) and seasonal fruits (Rituphal) are strongly recommended in yoga and should be consumed during the day.

What is a proper diet to lead a healthy life?

Eat nuts for breakfast. You can consume 5-7 almonds that have been soaked overnight.
Consume dry fruits such as figs, dates, prunes and apricots.
Eat boiled groundnuts as it is rich in amino acids, fibre and antioxidants.
Drink lemon juice twice a day. Mix a spoonful of honey or jaggery to a glass of lemon juice.
Eat a variety of seasonal fruits during the day.
Eat vegetarian food.
If you are not hungry have liquids. Herbal tea such as ginger or lemongrass tea for breakfast, a glass of buttermilk for lunch, lemon juice in the evening, and soups, khichdi or dal for dinner.
Get a good night’s sleep.
Exercise regularly.

What are some easy yoga poses that you could practise during the day?

Yoga poses should be performed before having your meals or 2 hours after having your meals. These are some of the easy and simple yoga poses that you could try doing:

Stick pose (Yastikasana)
Hand to toe pose (Hasta Padangusthasana)
Wind-Relieving pose (Pavanamuktasana)
Gracious pose (Bhadrasana)
Mountain pose (Parvatasana)
Pranayam

Can you do forward bending exercise if you have back pain to strengthen the back muscles?

If your back pain is due to an accident or lifting weights you should avoid doing forward bending exercise and if you have normal back pain you can do the exercise.

The benefits of yoga are wonderful and once you start doing it you will feel a sense of calm and well-being. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your yoga mat and start practising the above-mentioned yoga asanas today.

ApnaComplex conducts informative webinars on different topics. So, stay tuned to emails from ApnaComplex and ApnaComplex social media pages for upcoming webinars.

Impact Of COVID-19 On Mental Health And Tips For Coping

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our daily lives as our movements were restricted that forced us to stay at home to curb the spread of the virus. And as we were all cooped up in our homes, we have been facing with new realities of working from home, job losses, online classes, and limited socialising. All of this had a disastrous effect on our mental health which further gave rise to mental health problems such as stress, depression, and anxiety, among others.

Several studies conducted by researchers showed that the major health problems reported were stress, depression, anxiety, insomnia, anger, denial and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even COVID-19 related suicides have also been increasingly common.

Highlighting on the issues concerning mental health and creating awareness about mental health problems Ms. Arti Shroff, a Psychologist who has specialized in Clinical Psychology spoke to us on Mental Health During These Trying Times.

Here are some important questions answered by her during the webinar.

How has the pandemic affected people of different demographics?

Different demographics have been affected very differently. Due to the pandemic and the restrictions imposed, children have not been able to have a healthy discharge for all the enormous amounts of energy that they have and as the schools are closed children are struggling to adapt to the new form of online learning. This adjustment has caused an increase in anger issues and disobedience among children.

Also, increased screen time is giving rise to mobile addiction and doesn’t help in managing stress levels and contributes to disturbed sleep and agitation among children.

Parents should provide a very healthy and constructive outlet to their children by providing a structured routine to help manage their emotions and stress. Parents should keep their children engaged in household chores instead of them playing violent video games.

Highlighting on the issues concerning mental health and creating awareness about mental health problems Ms. Arti Shroff, a Psychologist who has specialized in Clinical Psychology spoke to us on Mental Health During These Trying Times.

How has the pandemic affected adults?

For adults, it is the biggest challenge as juggling between working from home and managing the household has become tough. And finding difficulty in coping with it gives rise to increased feelings of depression and anxiety.

On the contrary, older adults, as called the geriatric population have not been negatively affected with mental health problems as compared to other age groups.

Have there been any peculiar observations regarding mental health problems among people during the pandemic?

People have reported high stress levels, sleep disturbances, vivid bizarre colourful dreams and nightmares, which has been linked to underlying mental health problems like anxiety.

Ms. Arti Shroff advised getting a good night’s sleep for minimum 7-8 hours, using less screen time at night, avoiding any psychotropic substances like drugs or alcohol consumption as it can aggravate the condition of having disturbed sleep or nightmares.

Common myths of COVID-19 and mental health

Getting excessive information from various sources may not necessarily be accurate. And an overload of this information leads to anxiety, uncertainty, and poor decision-making.

One of the common myths of COVID-19 related mental health is using mental health terms like anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, OCD very broadly. It is important to properly differentiate between a mental health condition and what we are adjusting to in the current situation in terms of the necessity of taking up the precautions.

How to deal with suicidal behaviours during the pandemic?

High mortality rates and rise in covid cases can create a lot of trauma among people and this can trigger suicidal behaviours in individuals. Job losses, sudden changes in circumstances, increased feelings of uncertainty, increased isolation, lack of support and engagement are other factors that can also trigger suicidal behaviours.

Bullying, abuse, grief, illness, prolonged injury, and perceived public humiliation can also trigger suicide.

Identification and prevention is the key in managing individuals who are suicidal which is why it is important to have an open conversation about it to someone whom you can trust.

There are suicide helpline numbers that are 24/7 that provide free services and access to mental health professionals. It is important to seek immediate assistance from a mental health professional if you or someone you know is showing signs of suicidal behaviour.

What are the signs of suicidal behaviour?

Withdrawal, sudden aggressiveness, consuming drugs or alcohol, causing self harm and being impulsive are some of the behavioural signs. Feeling of worthlessness, hopeless, sad, depressed, anxious, angry and numb and in some rare cases, feeling very happy and relieved are also some signs of suicide.

Saying negative statements like ‘I don’t want to be here’, ‘Life is not worth living anymore’, ‘Nobody cares about me’, ‘How would it matter if I’m here’, ‘Soon my problems will be over’, or ‘The world is better off without me’ and talking about death are some signs of suicidal behaviour.

Ways to reduce stress and keep yourself calm

There are some ways to reduce stress and keep yourself calm, these include:

Relaxation techniques like listening to music and meditation help lower stress levels.
A healthy daytime routine which includes having meals on time and exercising daily can help regulate the body’s biological clock.
If you are having a lot of nightmares, think of a happy ending or use visual imagery for positive things like colours or elements of nature or people that you like.
Avoid alcohol and other addictive substances.

You may experience stress, fear, depression or anxiety during this pandemic. Ms. Arti Shroff has suggested some tips to help us cope through difficult emotions and also built our resilience towards problems.

Tips to follow to cope with the pandemic

Regular physical activity to help manage stress and uplift your mood.
Greater connectedness. Staying socially engaged can reduce the risk of being in a prolonged state of isolation as being in isolation increases the risk of several mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, among others.
Practising compassion and awareness to ourselves and others.
Create healthy boundaries.
Engage yourself in a hobby or leisure activity such as listening to music, cooking, etc.

ApnaComplex conducts informative webinars on different topics. So, stay tuned to emails from ApnaComplex and ApnaComplex social media pages for upcoming webinars.

Stay safe. Stay happy

Expert Speaks On How To Co-exist With COVID-19

ApnaComplex is conducting a series of webinars in partnership with The Times of India. These webinars are exclusive only for members of Societies using ApnaComplex.

In these webinars, experts are speaking on important topics that focus on COVID-19. Since its advent in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused stress, fear and panic among people. And as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to loom and the lockdown restrictions have been eased in some parts of the state, life has somewhat gone back to normal (the new normal).

While the numbers of coronavirus cases are declining, the risk of infection is still prevalent as we get back to our new normal life. So, in this live webinar, Dr. Shashank Joshi, an Indian endocrinologist, diabetologist and medical researcher spoke to us on “How to co-exist with COVID“, where he shared the precautions to take in our daily routine as we start moving out.

In the first segment of the webinar, Dr. Joshi spoke about the history of coronavirus and how it emerged as a global pandemic. He further explained the difference between coronavirus and COVID-19; coronavirus is the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. He also spoke about the symptoms of COVID-19 which includes dry cough, high fever, shortness of breath, lack of smell and taste, secretions from the nose and sore throat.

Dr. Joshi also spoke about how COVID-19 is transmitted from one person to another. In fact, he mentioned that around 60-80% of people get coronavirus. He also stated that the different stages of COVID-19 are asymptomatic, mild, moderate, severe and critical COVID.

Dr. Joshi has shared a list of lifestyle protocols that we should implement into our daily routine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Have your meals on time.
Eat a large breakfast, moderate lunch and light dinner.
Keep your body hydrated.
Eat your meal slowly.
Try to eat Sattvic food.
Stay physically active.
Try to get 7 hours of sleep; try to sleep between 9.30 p.m to 4.30 a.m or 10 p.m to 5 a.m.
Quit smoking and avoid drinking alcohol.
Stay positive and happy.

Dr. Joshi also spoke about the types of COVID-19 tests – RT-PCR test and antigen test. These tests will help in diagnosing the coronavirus infection in the body.

The post-recovery for COVID-19 includes taking utmost care of yourself, eating nutritious foods, doing yoga, pranayam and breathing exercises and staying connected with your doctor to help with the recovery process.

These are the key points shared by Dr. Joshi in the webinar:

To prevent from getting infected from coronavirus, wear a well- fitted mask that covers your nose and mouth properly and a zero power or a regular spectacle.
Choose a proper mask which will not allow you to blow a candle or you can’t see a bright light source through it. These are the signs of a good quality mask.
Wearing a mask is important as it puts you at a lower risk of contracting the virus even if you are in close contact with a COVID-19 infected person. The chances of contracting are less than .5%.
Maintain physical distancing.
Ensure proper hand hygiene which involves washing your hands with soap and water or using a hand sanitizer.
Do not touch your nose, mouth and eyes with your hands.
The highest transmission risk occurs when you are eating out so ensure that you maintain physical distancing.
In India due to COVID-19, the mortality rate is high among people who are above 50 years.
People with diabetes, hypertensive, heart disease, chronic lung, kidney and liver disease and organ transplant survivors are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
People who are undergoing chemotherapy and who are on steroids and immunosuppressant medications are at a higher risk too. Also, people with AIDS and congenital immunodeficiency disorders are more susceptible to get coronavirus.
Avoid crowded places and poorly ventilated rooms.
Homeopathic, allopathic and Ayurveda medicine will not prevent COVID-19.
Children are less susceptible to COVID-19.
Women are also less susceptible to COVID-19 because of the female hormone oestrogen.
Men are more vulnerable to COVID-19 as compared to women.

Here are some excerpts from the webinar:

What should you do if you think you have COVID-19?

Check your body temperature, monitor respiratory rate and pulse rate, monitor your blood pressure levels and monitor blood glucose levels to help determine if you have contracted COVID-19.

What are the treatment options for COVID-19?

Antiviral drugs, supportive care and prone positioning are some of the treatment options for patients with COVID-19.

Will you get immunity if you contract the virus?

If you get COVID-19, you will generate antibodies and after usually 3-6 months the antibodies will go away and you will get some immunity. However, this does not signify that you are immune to COVID-19.

What foods should you eat to help boost your immunity?

Consume Sattvic foods which can help boost your immunity as it consists of fresh fruits and vegetables and essential spices and herbs.

What are the atypical symptoms of COVID-19?

Diarrhoea, abdominal pain, lack of smell and taste are the atypical symptoms of COVID-19.

ApnaComplex conducts informative webinars on different topics. So, stay tuned to emails from ApnaComplex and ApnaComplex social media pages for upcoming webinars.

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