Staying healthy during lockdown

A lot of us are finding ourselves in a lockdown yet again in this New Year. Staying at home more  with our movements restricted can leave us wondering how we can best keep in good health.

Luckily, we have Vaidya Rao, a Maharishi AyurVeda physician, on the MERU faculty on hand to give us tips on staying healthy while in lockdown.

Declan: What is your role in the TM organisation?

Vaidya Rao: I am a Maharishi Vaidya and member of faculty at Maharishi Vedic University and MERU. Also, I am the Chief Maharishi AyurVeda physician at the MERU Health Centre in the Netherlands.

Can you tell me about your background in Maharishi AyurVeda?

For over 30 years, I have been teaching Maharishi Ayurveda to different streams of people including physicians, technicians, consultants as well as courses for the general public. 

As well as teaching, I give individual consultations and Panchakarma for people who come to our clinic.

What can Maharishi AyurVeda teach us about handling pandemics, such as the one we’re seeing now with COVID-19?

Prevention is better than a cure. If we follow the basic principles of Maharishi Ayurveda such as daily routine, proper diet, proper rest, and exercise along with the regular practice of Transcendental Meditation or the TM-Sidhi programme, we will be living in a more balanced way, which will be helpful in this situation.

How can we stay healthy during a lockdown?

Proper diet and taking some Herbal Rasayanas. Herbal rasayanas are various combinations of herbs, adjusted to different situations/circumstances, which have supporting effects — for example for studying, digestion, and the immune system.

Editor’s note: Herbal rasayanas and other Maharishi AyurVeda products available at Maharishi AyurVeda Products Europe.

Several countries, including here in the Netherlands, are currently under curfew. How would you advise people who are working most of the day to stay physically fit?

Try to fit in regular exercise when you can and practise yoga asanas. Maharishi Yoga Asanas are the perfect indoor exercise, particularly when it’s cold in the winter, with numerous physical and mental health benefits.

Finally, what advice do you give to people once this pandemic ends?

My advice is to enjoy life in accordance with natural law. When we are doing things in accordance with natural law, it means that we follow intuitively what we know will have a positive effect on us — for example, going for a jog in the morning. On the other hand, if we know intuitively that something we do will have a negative effect, we should choose not to do that — for example, drinking too much alcohol. So do more positive things and fewer negative things, and we can enjoy life more.

Next step

Feel inspired to take control of your health this New Year and to receive more of Vaidya Rao’s wisdom?

Join our online Good Health through Prevention course, starting on 13 February!

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