Lockdown fitness: Ganesh venkatram

Chennai

Usually, people limit fitness to the body, but that’s not how I approach fitness. For me, fitness should be holistic that includes physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. In a time like this, there is a high chance for negative thoughts, fear and anxiety. It becomes all the more important to keep our mind focussed and keep energy levels high.

If you have an integrated body, mind and energy system, you will not lose inner stability. Yoga is the best way to control your mind. I practise yoga daily for one hour in the morning. During this one hour, I dedicate more time for breathing exercises and meditation. Breathing exercises can make the lungs function more efficiently and you will feel energetic throughout the day. I do Shambhavi Mahamudra kriya. It begins with pranayama (controlled yogic breathing) called Sukha Kriya or Nadi Shodhana. We focus on slow and fast breathing. I also chant Om mantras. These breathing practices have given me calmness and also I have started to approach things in a different way.

  -  ( As told to Merin James)