How do you keep your mind when all around you, people are losing theirs? The current Covid 19 coronavirus health crisis is unleashing unprecedented levels of stress on humanity, as we collectively deal with illness, loss, fear, stress, change, uncertainty and bewilderment. A daily dose of yoga, mindfulness and meditation is just what the doctor ordered.  Blog: Louise Cook-Edwards

The devastating health crisis caused by coronavirus currently spreading across the globe, has seen enforced “lockdown” in many countries in a bid to contain the virus which is sweeping like wild fire through towns and cities and destroying many lives in its wake.

Yoga Studio Classes Online at Home

The good news is that, during lockdown, Radiant Yoga Marbella has taken its entire schedule (link) of classes online, so you can still enjoy your practice at home… We’ll come back to the details later. Meanwhile, read on to see why continuing to practice yoga at home is highly recommended for your overall health and wellbeing.

Thankfully, the yoga community has a head start on coping with confinement, as yoga, mindfulness and meditation prove valuable in helping us to remain calm and collected, boost immunity and exercise our minds, bodies and spirits from the stillness of the yoga mat.

Not only are we being forced to stay in our homes – to avoid cross-infection of the virus, many of us are facing the sudden, heart-wrenching loss of family members, sudden loss of work or unemployment, ill-health, and fear and worry about the future outcome. All of this quickly spirals into anxiety and depression, which in turn, bring down our immunity.

According to Harvard educated Professor Basu-Ray of Memphis Hospital, “There is accumulated evidence that point to the fact that yoga and meditation practice boosts immunity working at many levels including neural. Thus, it is important to practice a daily dose of postures (asanas) and meditation to keep away anxiety, depression and attendant decrease in immunity,” he said.

A Yoga Practice A Day Keeps the Doctor Away 

It is proven that just 15 minutes of yoga a day can boost your levels of serotonin, the happiness hormone. This in turn changes the chemistry of your brain, and leads to a better mood – something we all need in enforced confinement.

Similarly, regular yoga practice reduces the build up of cortisol, the stress hormone… These two wellbeing promoting facts are incentive enough for keeping up your yoga practice, but there are many other health benefits of practicing yoga, among these are burning fat, and boosting energy – both very welcome factors during the current lethargy inducing lockdown.

Radiant Yoga Marbella have quickly responded to the needs of their yoga community and are offering a full schedule of online classes via YouTube, so that you can continue your regular yoga practice in the safety and tranquility of your own home. You can even take up yoga as a complete beginner, or experiment with new yoga styles and teachers to help stave off the monotony of being cooped up without outdoor exercise.

The online studio classes at Radiant Yoga Marbella are also more cost effective, meaning you can continue your practice during these testing times of lockdown when work and income may be more scarce.

Simply log onto the website, choose your class from the schedule, click book and follow the instructions for payment details. You can also choose to buy a pass for multiple classes – also at special lockdown rates.

Mindful not Mind Full

Owing to the coronavirus health crisis, we have been plunged into a “State of Emergency” which has, in turn, created shock waves of stress across the entire planet. With work and much economic activity grinding to a halt, this has brought with it much fear and uncertainty over our futures, and an attendant wave of stress and anxiety.

One of the best tools we have at our disposal for dealing with anxiety is mindfulness, the practice of bringing our mind back to the present, to avoid us living in imaginary scenarios of worry in the future.

Mindfulness is when we are centered and living in the present moment . With regular practice of mindfulness, just 10 minutes a day, after a few weeks, significant reduction in anxiety can be seen. Mindfulness meditation can be found at Radiant Yoga Marbella, but various phone applications – which you can access at any time – can also be an effective aid in controlling stress and anxiety by bringing you back to the here and now.

Meditation for Self Mastery

A mighty tool in the self-actualization toolkit, meditation has multiple benefits that will particularly help people cope with confinement, change, anxiety and lack of human connection  – just some of the unexpected stressors brought into our lives during the Covid19 lockdown period.

As a recent article in the London Evening Standard newspaper affirms. “Meditation can help fill the void left by a lack of human contact that comes with social distancing, he adds. “We’re tribal creatures who are used to bonding and there’s obviously now a drop in tactile interactions, so using meditation to connect with yourself is absolutely vital right now.”

Importantly, yoga, mindfulness and meditation all incorporate breathing techniques designed to slow down our breathing which in turn reduces stress, promotes better heart health, and better sleep. Then you can wake up feeling energized, which is very important to keep your spirits up, particularly if you are isolated during lockdown.

Meditation has the added advantage of boosting our creativity, stimulating ideas for activities from looking after ourselves, cooking, writing, painting, making music or any other pursuit which feeds your soul in these especially testing times.

It is vitally important to stay connected to friends and family during lockdown, so aim to talk to friends and family, or hobby and activity groups on the phone or video call for at least 30 minutes a day. At Radiant Yoga Marbella, we are here for you, and very happy to talk to you and connect in person or online.

Stay safe, healthy and strong, and keep up your yoga practice!

 Radiant Yoga Marbella offers a variety of yoga classes in our Marbella studio including Hot Strala Yoga, Yin Yoga, Ashtanga & Vinyasa Yoga Flow, Anusara Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Kids Yoga, Pilates and Aerial Yoga. Please email us on info@yoga-in-marbella.net if you need to talk and we will get back to you.  Keep an eye on our Facebook page where you’ll find up-to-date information about our classes, workshops and other yoga information.

During the current lockdown for the coronavirus health crisis, with the studio closed, Radiant Yoga Marbella is offering all of its regular scheduled classes online. Click here for the complete schedule and easy booking system.

ENDS