Separation of loved ones and social distancing have led humanity to be lonely and isolated like never before. Mental health experts predict a rise in incidence of depression, anxiety, panic, insomnia, post-traumatic stress and obsessive compulsive disorders.

The world has been in an unprecedented grip of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), over a semester now. Besides public health getting affected globally and people all around living in fear, uncertainty and panic: lives and livelihood have both undergone massive change, which will probably need years to come back to normalcy again. A microscopic virus made the so-called ‘evolved civilization’ realize is its vulnerability, mutual prejudice and most importantly, the need for collectivism, care and empathy. The way our mind works is much more complex than our physique, however they act in synchrony and at times of stress, the psychological effects are as profound as the physical ones. Hence, over the last few months, there have been plethora of research around the world indicating increase in prevalence of mental disorders, chronic stress and sleep problems. Most people are not suffering from ‘mental illnesses’ per se, but rather from impairment of peace, mental wellbeing and quality of life. Separation of loved ones and social distancing have led humanity to be lonely and isolated like never before. Mental health experts predict that this is just the tip of the iceberg and over months to come, especially during the post-pandemic aftermath, the incidence of depression, anxiety, panic, insomnia, post-traumatic stress and obsessive compulsive disorders might rise. When the world is facing such unique challenges in health and wellbeing, let us have a look a simple modality of lifestyle that can help anchor human lives, both to deal with as well as prevent stress.

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The Tradition of Yoga: From Spirituality to a Lifestyle

Yoga (from the Sanskrit word, ‘Yog’), is a group of physical, mental and spiritual practices that originated in Ancient India. Mentioned in the texts of Upanishads and Rig Veda (sacred texts of Hinduism), the Yogic Sutras of Patanjali have been documented as early as the 2^nd Century B.C. The literal meaning of Yoga, comes from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’ which means to “attach or harness”. It is in line with the English word ‘yoke’ and essentially has been interpreted either as ‘connecting the consciousness with its roots’ (in spiritual sense) or ‘connecting the mind-body axis’ (in the scientific sense as a modality of exercise). Though often considered to be a spiritual practice of Hinduism, Yoga has evolved much beyond being just a part of a particular religion to a holistic practice of stress-relief, physical and emotional fitness and relaxation techniques, irrespective of religious ideologies or beliefs. Hence the practice of Yoga can be advocated beyond boundaries of religion, faith, caste, creed, ethnicity or race, as it has been an evidence-based therapeutic technique for preventing chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, gastro-intestinal problems as well as psychiatric disorders. Though classified variously as Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Tantric Yoga, Jnana Yoga, etc. and having different connotations in Buddhism and Jainism, the essential background remains the same as mentioned by the Bhagwad Gita, “Equanimity (calmness of mind), stability (ability to withstand the functions of mind and body through stress), harmony (synchronizing the various physiological functions), balance (in various aspects of life) and equipoise (equilibrium between the various positives and negatives). In essence, it is a set of exercises or ‘Asanas’ to physically train the body and psychologically anchor the mind (and consciousness) to achieve a state of composure and stability, as well as to ensure proper functioning of life and foster happiness in living. It can be practiced in varied ways, and it is totally dependent on the individual whether he or she wants to take it to a spiritual level. But even at a very ‘physical ground of practice’, it is immensely helpful to health and complements the effect of other exercises and medications.

The Multi-dimensional benefits

National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), houses the National Integrated Centre for Yoga (NICY), which is a state-of-the-art ‘one of its kind’ centre for Yoga training and practice both for healthy individuals as well as people with mental illness. Various modules have been designed for depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, dementia, etc. which have shown to cause symptomatic improvement. This does not imply that Yoga alone can treat the mental health conditions. But just like Diabetes can be managed with both medicines and diet restriction as well as exercise, and hypertension needs medications as well as restriction of salt intake and cardiac fitness lifestyle, psychiatric disorders too are best treated with a combination of medicines, psychotherapy (or counselling) and practices of Yoga. The simple ‘Surya Namaskara’ (Salute to the Sun) is a 12-step exercise of various body-positions, that is the most commonly practiced Yogic module in daily life. In that sense, Yoga is not just a tradition, a religious practice or an exercise, but more of a lifestyle or habit, which if inculcated in daily schedule and practiced regularly can yield lasting benefits. It does not act like an analgesic pill which can cure the headache within hours of taking it, however the cumulative effect of sincere and motivated sessions practiced regularly can create a sense of ‘fitness of body and peace of mind’ which can definitely be felt and cherished by the individual. Eventually if one wants, they can also practice it at a deeper level of meditation, which can be related with mindfulness and consciousness.

Simple, easy and effective

Research has shown that gamma oscillations (particular form of brain waves that represent synchronisation of large-scale brain activity and are linked to memory, attention and perception), can be increased during meditation and Yogic practices. Heart-rate and blood pressure variations, which are measures of stress-related response and predictors of long-term mortality, are affected by Yoga. Scheduled sessions of Asanas have shown to improve immunity and stress-tolerance. Imaging studies of the brain showed increase in volumes of the brain areas related to working memory and executive functions (i.e. judgement, selective attention, social response, processing speed) in professional Yoga practitioners. Yoga helps in delaying memory problems in elderly, cholesterol regulation, cardiac fitness, aids in prevention of strokes and has been shown to promote healthy ageing and reduce all-cause mortality (or deaths). As the world struggles through the pandemic and science strives towards a biological cure, let us all benefit from this age-old and scientifically proven practice of Yoga, irrespective of our faith or religion. It can help resilience, boost immunity and enhance happiness, the three most important requirements of humankind, pandemic or not.

(Dr. Debanjan is a Psychiatrist, NIMHANS, Bengaluru, India)