A leading medical school in the US has recommended yoga, meditation and controlled breathing to address anxiety issues related to the novel coronavirus.
The Harvard Medical School said in its latest health guideline that, yoga, meditation and controlled breathing are “some tried and true ways to relax”.
The article ‘Coping with coronavirus anxiety’ was published this week. The article says that:
- Regular meditation is very calming. Many apps teach simple forms of meditation, such as Headspace or Calm.
- It stresses on the need to try something new things and discovering new activities.
- It has recommended to use apps like Yoga Studio and Pocket Yoga.
- On controlled breathing, it said, one simple technique is called square breathing. Visualise your breath travelling along a square. As you follow the instructions to inhale, hold your breath, or exhale, count slowly to three on each side. Try it now.
- Inhale up the first side of the square. Slowly count one, two, three. Hold your breath across the top. One, two, three. Exhale down the other side of the square. One, two, three. Then hold your breath across the bottom. One, two, three. After a few minutes of this you should be feeling calmer and more centered,” article said.
- Take sensible steps that can help us all: get your bearings, practice good hygiene, use calming strategies that work for you — and maybe try something new. Making healthy, reasonable choices about what to do and what not to do will make a big difference in being able to stay as safe and as well as possible,” it said.