For the past few months, the entire world has been reeling under the attack of the virus that we call COVID-19. And we don’t know how long it will take to get back to normal; or is this the new normal?
Since March, most of the world has been under lockdown – hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives and many more have also lost their livelihoods. Economic activity has come to a standstill and people don’t know where their next job is going to come from. The pandemonium would definitely have affected me as well but thanks to Yoga, I have remained calm and have not been phased by the goings on around me. I suppose that is the main benefit of doing Yoga – being unfazed by all that is happening around you, especially when it seems that the world is coming to an end and maintaining the inner peace and balance.
During this period, I have intensified my Yoga practices. Prior to the lockdown, I would do my practices 3 to 4 times a week. However, ever since the lockdown, I have not missed a single day. Also, the time spent in doing the practices and meditation is atleast 2 to 2.5 hours daily.
One of the practices that I have fallen in love with is ‘Surya Shakti’. For the uninitiated, Surya Shakti is similar to Surya Namaskar with a little difference – it has 20 steps. I had been practicing Surya Shakti twice or thrice in the week prior to the lockdown. However, in the past three months, I have intensified my Surya Shakti practice and have been doing it daily. Also, on a daily basis I am doing 108 cycles. The experience of doing 108 cycles is simply amazing. I can also feel that my energy levels have shot up in the last few months. My concentration power has also improved considerably. This has led to more focus in the activities that I am doing. My body and mind are at much more ease than earlier. Physically, I feel much more strength in the system. As Sadhguru rightly said: ‘if you do 108 Surya Shaktis daily, you will not require any other exercise. You will not only be physically fit but in a different energy state altogether’. And definitely, by his Grace, I can feel that effect in me.
Surya Shakti is so intoxicating that I excitedly look forward to it daily and go all out when I am doing it. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sadhguru for initiating me into such a wonderful practice and the tremendous benefits that I am deriving from it.