“Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional”, this olden and golden saying is so meaningful that its relevance pervades time and space. As we go through self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s actually our perspective that can help us in winning the race against coronavirus.
To contain the spread of the virus, the Indian government has announced a 21-day lockdown. Life has suddenly come to a halt as people who earlier had a habit of going out for jobs, classes or for and other purposes find it quite hard to pass time in their rooms, having to maintain social distance.
Now, if we just change our perspective towards it, the same boring period of the lockdown can become an opportunity to advance our skills, learn new things, take care of our physical as well as mental health, and completely transform ourselves in 21 days.
People often used to complain that they don’t get time to do physical exercise or read their favourite books. Now, they have got this opportunity. The lockdown period can be a blessing in disguise if we do the following things:
- Yoga: You might not be able to go to your nearby gyms or parks, but you can certainly do yoga at home. Yoga consists of asanas, which comprise physical movements, and Pranayam, comprising breathing exercises. While asanas work great in giving flexibility to the body, pranayama gives a boost to mental health by treating psychosomatic diseases. So, you can start your day with yoga. If you don’t know how to do yoga, then you can take help of Youtube videos.
- Reading spiritual and motivational books: We think what we read. Good books are like treasures that can’t be measured in terms of money. Books give skills and intelligence to live better lives.
Some of the books I would like to suggest:
- ‘Power of Now’ by Ekhart Tolle: This bestseller spiritual book will make you fall in love with life.
- ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ by Robert Kiyosaki: The true nature of money and the mindset to become wealthy has been well explained in this book.
- ‘The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind’ by Joseph Murphy: How the programming of our subconscious mind can help us achieve anything in life. Through this book, one can learn the technique of programming your subconscious mind to become successful.
- ‘I Am That’ by Nisargadatta Maharaj: Nisargadatta was a layperson who attained enlightenment. His talks are direct and simple, but very profound. This book is a must-read if you want to know the truth of life.
- Meditation: The word ‘Meditation’ is used in many contexts. While Western intellectuals use it in the sense of contemplation, Indian Yogis call it the state of “no mind”. The main purpose of most meditation techniques is to make the mind focus on one point. One of the most acceptable and widely known technique is Anapana-sati, which means observing the breath as it is. This technique has been suggested by Patanjali, Buddha and many other sages. Meditation brings freshness in life, and a better understanding of dealing with problems.