Yoga to the rescue.

 History has seen several pandemics. Nearly 500 million people have perished due to pandemics in the last 12 millenniums, says a study. The modern world with all its advancements in medicine and technology is beset with another problem now.  That is the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which will affect a considerable number of people even after the wave of virus recedes. People who themselves have suffered due to the virus attack; people who have learnt about the death of their dear ones but could not attend the funeral due to the restrictions in travel; people who have exposed themselves constantly to aversive details through social media; people who have first-hand experience of the suffering, e.g. Doctors, Hospital personnel. Health care workers etc, are bound to be affected by this problem.

Apart from this direct impact of the virus there are other causes which will also impair a person’s psyche in an enormous way, such as, social isolation, unemployment, economic losses etc. The fear of virus exposure may go away from the public memory, but the terrible experience due to the above mentioned reasons will have a lasting impact. This stress and depression will lead to many other health problems. Many studies are being undertaken throughout the world to gauge the psychological impact of this pandemic. 

We can take solace from the fact that the Humanity has bounced back to normalcy from the earlier pandemic attacks. This time too that will happen though with a little bit more difficulty. The very advancements in the fields of Medicine and Technology, which have made our life cozy and with more longevity, it will also be the one to impede our recovery. Because, the recovery essentially asks for a minimalistic life style, which is antithetical to the modern life style. But the bitter pill has to be swallowed nevertheless, in order to come out of this dreadful state.

This is where organizations like Vivekananda Kendra have a role to play in the society. The resultant mental fatigue of the Covid Pandemic can be tackled by switching over to the Yoga way of life. Though this is something which organizations like ours, do regularly, now there is a dire need to do this activity with more intensity and far wider outreach. Manah prasamanah upaya yoga- ityabhi dhiyate, It is a subtle technique to tackle the problems which arise in the Mind, says Yoga Vasishta. This is the purpose of Yoga too. This science is more needed now to Humanity than at any other point of time in the History.

V.V.Balasubramanian

YB-ET