Breathing, Diet, and Movement for Wellness in These Times of COVID-19 and Beyond
We hope this note finds everyone well and adjusting to the current lifestyle changes.
COVID19: A Time of Uncertainty
We recognize that we are still in uncharted times. However, we feel strongly that the attitude with which we continue to meet the circumstances associated with this situation is very important. So as our altered lifestyles continue, we encourage everyone to resist giving in to overwhelm or frustration, but instead take important measures to keep calm, healthy, and vibrant.
With this in mind, we would like to offer some suggestions that come from the Chinese medical tradition that we believe will help you maintain a strong and effective immune system. Of course, it is important that you continue to follow the measures recommended by the Center for Disease Control, such as frequent hand washing, social distancing, and mask wearing.
Maintain Vitality and Wellness
According to classical Chinese medicine, proper breathing, diet, and movement, are essential for the creation and maintenance of vitality and wellness. In what follows, we will make suggestions for what you can do in all three of these categories. These offerings are simple yet powerful.
Enjoy and Be Vital Now!
Breathing
According to Chinese medicine, the daily practice of focusing on your breath can not only help you to center and calm your mind in times of stress and worry, but it also can nourish your organs, improve body functions (such as digestion), and regulate the flow of energy through the body, which, in turn, improves your overall health.
Daily Breathing Practice
You can sit, stand, or work while doing this practice. If you lay down, you are likely to fall asleep (however, if you are having trouble sleeping, then by all means, try this practice laying down. It could be just what you need to help you sleep). If you choose to sit in a chair, sit at the edge of the chair with your feet flat on the ground. In any position you take, keep your spine as straight as possible while relaxing your shoulders.
Your eyes can be closed or kept half-open. If you keep them open, blur your vision so that you are not looking at anything in particular. If you are doing this while you are working, simply incorporate the three steps for proper breathing below, while you are moving, siting, etc.
1. Focus your attention on your breath, regulating it to be slow, smooth, deep, and even.
2. Breathe fully into your belly.
3. Visualize the breath entering your nose and traveling down the body to your lower belly.
If you are able, add in some holding of your breath; that is, breathe in slowly. At the end of your in-breath, hold for the count of three, then breathe out slowly. Again, at the end of the out-breath, hold for the count of three. Once you are comfortable holding your breath for the three count, you can increase the count to whatever is comfortable for you. Do not rush this: it’s not a competition.
If holding your breath is too difficult, then don’t do it. Just breathe in and out as described above. Do this practice for five or ten minutes a day, as a practice, or throughout the day, as you work. You can gradually increase the time to make proper breathing your breathing habit.
Diet
In the classical tradition, food and drink can either contribute to a strong immune system, or it can compromise it. We feel that being mindful of what you eat and drink is particularly important right now, during this COVID-19 outbreak.
We suggest that you:
Refrain from overeating. Eat only until 80% full at each meal, and leave several hours between eating dinner and breakfast.
Decrease your consumption of foods and beverages with high sugar content.
Decrease your dairy intake.
Increase your daily intake of vegetables and fruits (especially vegetables).
Make sure you are drinking adequate water daily (but do not over drink).
Drink at least one cup of Ginger Root Tea daily.
Include the following Garlic Greens dish as part of your meals at least once/week (though we encourage eating leafy greens steamed or sauteed daily—especially with breakfast!).
Fresh Ginger Root Tea
A tasty and powerful boost for your immunity and digestion!
Fresh Ginger Root Tea
Ingredients:
3-5 one inch pieces of fresh ginger root washed and sliced into thin rounds
4 cups fresh water
Honey to taste
Directions:
Wash and slice ginger (no need to peel the ginger)
In a saucepan, combine ginger and fresh water
Bring to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer
Simmer for 5 minutes (up to 10 minutes for a stronger brew)
Strain the tea
Add honey to your taste
Sip and enjoy
Ginger is considered a warming herb that nourishes your lungs, spleen and stomach. It is an immune tonic that promotes circulation and helps to clear phlegm in the lungs accompanied by a cough as well as aids in digestion.
Garlic Greens
(Kale or Collards)
A fast and easy immune power boost!
Garlic Greens
You can eat this dish alone, beside other dishes, or add it to other dishes (great in soup). We recommend having it for breakfast! Try it atop oatmeal, where sugar and cinnamon are replaced with garlic and kale. Yum! Add a little kimchee or sauerkraut for gut heath, and your immune system will buzz.
Ingredients:
2 bunches of kale ripped, washed, and dried
4 garlic cloves sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, tamari, soy sauce, or liquid amino’s
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Heat oil in large saute pan on medium. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Turn heat up to medium high and add kale, mixing it with tongs to coat it with olive oil and garlic.
Saute until kale wilts and turns a deep green, approximately 3–5 minutes. Season with salt, give another good mix, and serve.
Leafy greens are packed with immune-boosting vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C for immunity and folate for stress reduction, as well as antioxidants to support your inflammatory response. Garlic enhances the immune systems by energizing the lungs, spleen, and stomach. It circulates energy, warms channels, kills parasites, and relieves cough.
Movement
In Chinese medicine, movement generally refers to the movement of energy in the body. This can be done by literally moving the body in certain ways such as in the practice of Taiji (commonly written as Tai Chi), or it can be done in static postures without physically moving. In either case, the idea is that energy (known in Chinese as Qi or Chi) moves through certain pathways in the body called meridians. Sickness occurs when this energy is obstructed or blocked along these pathways. The postures and movements (collectively known as qigong practices) facilitate the movement of energy through the body, keeping you physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy.
We would like to share with you a practice taught to us by our teacher, Zhongxian Wu, which we are currently doing to maintain our health. He recently suggested this practice for keeping healthy in the face of the COVID-19 virus.
The following is Master Zhongxian Wu’s description of the practice:
Qigong for the Lungs
Posture
Stand with feet parallel, shoulder width apart.
Grip the ground with the toes.
Feel the body root deep into the earth.
Knees are slightly bent and open so that your thighs and crotch form an arch.
The chest is open.
The shoulders are down and relaxed.
Both forearms and hands are at chest level, with fingers pointing towards each other, as if you are hugging a giant tree.
The lower abdomen is tucked in
The neck is straight.
The head and upper body are in an upright position.
Your body is held in an empty and relaxed manner.
Breath
Adjust your breath to be slow, smooth, deep, and even.
Envision golden light Qi (energy) entering your body through all the pores of your skin with each inhale, and nourishing your lungs and large intestines with each exhale.
Visualization
Imagine you are hugging a giant tree, which is rooted deep into the earth and reaches way up into the sky.
Feel that you are surrounded by golden light Qi (energy)
Practice Tips
Try this practice in the morning and/or evening.
Do your best to build up to the point where you can hold the form for at least 30 minutes.
If you have any difficulty with standing, you are welcome to modify the form and taking a seated position.
It is totally normal to feel challenged holding the posture, with either pains in your physical body and/or by experiencing uncomfortable emotions during your first few days of practice. Stick with it, this will shift after a few days of unbroken practice!