Corona Exercise
Something important is missing!
Experts and the government in Belgium are encouraging the healthy population to keep on exercising despite the Corona lockdown. More in general they also have been stating that the population will have to play a big role in getting through this crisis. I agree. And the advice about exercising is extremely useful as well.
But this particular article is also saying this:
“Mensen die een loopneus hebben, niezen, hoesten of koorts maken, mogen niet sporten en moeten zoveel mogelijk in afzondering uitzieken”
That is, people who have symptoms should not exercise, and instead “lay down flat in their bed, sit still in a chair (being a couch potato), basically do nothing or more generally wait till they get better, hopefully.”
The quoted text is mine — not the article’s — and it may not entirely be what the authors wanted to convey but it represents how the advice will likely will be taken by most readers.
So what is the deal? Should people with symptoms be passively waiting till their Corona symptoms are over?!
They should be staying indoors, yes. And they should give their bodies maximal rest, yes!
But should they sit still and just wait? NO!!
Because if they’re doing that — i.e. “doing nothing” — they’d be giving the virus a free pass to develop symptoms in full force.
[Warning: the advice will not be that you should go out and start running or even walking, either.
Stay inside! But feel free to read on :)
Spoiler alert: also valuable information for people without symptoms]
We are likely not aware of it, but our (adult) bodies are too tense and too stressed if we let them be as they are right now — and illness thrives in such toxic environments.
So we want to “melt down” our bodies and make them “juicy and fluid” again. In a gentle, soothing but nevertheless active way — through some kind of “exercise”. Only then will we give them a better capacity to self-heal.
What you see in the clip may look deceptively simple. And it is simple.
What you do not see is what powerful effects it can generate. To get a sense of that you’ll have to try it for yourself. Or perhaps, in Corona times we do not need to be convinced of the power of the invisible?
Regardless, the clip shows a type of exercise that can start making a difference (see here for another example). Because it is so simple you may not want to call this an “exercise” but neither is it “plain sitting” nor “plain lying down” — although it can be seen as a combination of both. Neither is it “doing nothing.” It is indeed fundamentally different.
Here’s why:
(1) The body position is fundamentally different in that it relieves the psoas in a natural way. The psoas is the deepest core muscle in our body. It is chronically exhausted because we (unknowingly) hardly give it a break, if at all. In that exhausted state it is compromising our innate capacity for self-healing. This exercise helps to make the psoas juicy and vibrant again.
(2) There is also body movement. It is subtle, gentle and soothing, as it should for people who have to rest their bodies. The movement is not taxing but it is actively induced.
Together, the body position and the movement are slowing down the breathing, easily, naturally ánd comfortably — compared to just sitting down or laying flat down.
This is key:
“lowering the breath rate compared to our regular mode of “doing nothing” or being in regular relax mode.”
Yes, just like there are exercises to increase the breath rate and heart rate (for those without symptoms) there are exercises to slow down the breath rate and heart rate (for those with symptoms) (*). And they can be equally necessary for their own purpose: soothing, healing or alleviating symptoms.
Slowing down the breathing is especially essential given that shortness of breath is a major Corona symptom and given that virtually all Corona symptoms are related to our respiratory system. This should be enough of a reason for anyone to familiarise themselves with this type of exercise. Right now. If you do not have symptoms yet, you want to get ahead of the game. We know we each are more likely to get infected than to get not infected.
Some of the people I work with and who experienced shortness of breath have been helped greatly. Others without Corona symptoms reported substantial stress release and increased mental clarity — which might be equally important in these turbulent times.
From my personal experience I can add that this type of exercise has helped to actually stay symptom free—as long as I kept doing them on a regular basis: no blocked or running nose, no sneezing, no or only mild irritation in the throat but no coughing. The difference was rather extreme at times: waking up to a sour throat, a blocked nose and urges to cough or sneeze. 30-60 minutes of exercise later I was totally newborn. From highly congested traffic to an open highway and clear skies.
“From highly congested traffic to an open highway and clear skies. ”
The claim is obviously not that this type of exercise will cure a severe Corona flue. It might alleviate (mild) symptoms (which can be especially powerful given that some of those symptoms can be induced by stress, too: e.g. shortness of breath).
It is possible that other people with mild symptoms would not get such strong positive effect. It’s also possible they’d get stronger effects. Fact is that these exercises have been documented and that the underlying mechanism has been recognised, by contemporary experts as well as ancient traditions.
The broader perspective is this: as I mentioned in the intro, I agree with the government that citizens will have to play an important role in tackling the current health crisis.
But we citizens can do more than just getting out of the way to avoid infecting others (kind of the point of the article, and crucially important of course). We can take our own healing more in our own hands, during this crisis ánd after. With all due respect for our medical care system. If there’s one thing we should take away from the Corona crisis it is that we have alienated from our capacity to self-heal, and that our current mainstream channels cannot always do the trick either.
“In fact, the crisis is an invitation to do exactly that, and to start reclaiming the self-healing capacity that is already within each of us. Now is the time to start empowering ourselves. ”
Key in developing that self-healing capacity is the core of our body. Unfortunately, societal norms and habits have been steering us away from that core, and thus from our self-healing capacity. The aim of this website is to redirect our attention in the appropriate direction.
This particular post wanted to share the most accessible type of exercise that can be applied by the widest range of people possible. The elder and the more vulnerable can give it a shot as well. No equipment required. No skill required — not even the ability to walk. No effort required. No financial cost involved. No physical assistance of others required. To be explored in the comfort of your own living room.
And thus valuable in times when we are so dependent on one another and when freely sharing over the web is sometimes the best we can do. You, too, feel free to pass on the favour to people you feel can benefit.
There are ways in which I can physically assist but that would be something for after the lockdown. Yet, if this resonates with you now and you desire assistance, I remain available for elaboration and further guidance through email or zoom.
Finally, it is imperative that everyone does their own research and finds out what works for them and what doesn’t. What I wanted to do is add another piece to the puzzle of recommendations: “exercise” for those with (mild) symptoms. And as such complement the article from our national newspaper.
Additional resources: work by Liz Koch, Jo Ann Staugaard-Jones
(*) Of course, other articles recommend meditation, yoga etc which is good but those recommendations seem mostly addressed, again, to the healthy people, not to the people with symptoms.
Disclaimer: I am trained in our mainstream educational system (PhD) but I am not a medical Doctor. Always follow advice from your own healthcare physician.
