Sit straight, deep breaths: Easy ways to meditate for COVID-19 patients

Last month, a COVID-19 patient from Oman named Muhammad Mubarak Ali recovered from the disease in just one week. And he credited just one thing for the quick recovery; it was meditation. His doctor Dr Arun Pradhan asked Ali to meditate twice, every day ever since he was tested positive, and it took at least a week fewer than what it normally takes before one tests negative for coronavirus, reported India.com.

Like for many ailments, many experts across the world have recommended meditation to be an effective remedy for COVID patients for good health. But with an illness as serious as COVID-19, where the breathing and physical movements of the patients are compromised, meditation might not be as easy as it otherwise is.

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Here is how a COVID-19 patient can meditate:

Sit in an upright position for a few minutes: This might not be the easiest thing to do if you are feeling weak or if you have body aches. Try to get assistance from others if needed, so that you can place your back on a backrest. Make sure the backrest is in an upright position. Sit in that position for a few minutes until you feel alright.

Clear your head: It can be difficult to relax with so much going on with your body. With the stress of symptoms you are experiencing, it can easily be forgotten to keep a clear mind. But it is worth a reminder.

Take deep breaths: It is a phrase we hear so often when it comes to meditation. And it is a technique that has been effective for years together to ease breathing difficulties. Try to take slow and deep breaths. It might not be seamless, but when you can not inhale any further, hold your breath for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly.

Count as you breathe:  One of the fundamental things in meditation is focus. It is important to focus on one thing and remove everything else from your mind. Counting your breaths can be a good distraction from all your body aches and other ailments, while also having only one thing to focus on.

Do not get fixated on whether or not you are doing it right. The key is get used to what you are doing, down the line. Try to keep this going for at least ten minutes. And it is important that you do this every day.