Features

Keep calm & boost your immunity!

Young woman meditating on wooden platform

Body knows only to do what is good for the body.
Mind knows only to do what is good for the mind.
However, what mind considers as good is most often not good for the body.

The mind is the culprit for practically almost all diseases, other than those that come from food, water and air. External causes amount to only about 10 per cent of all diseases. The Coronavirus is an outside invader.

Make it hard for the ‘invader’ to conquer your internal defence system

Do whatever you can to stay mentally calm. If you are looking for bodily healing, reduce your mental speed to 8-12 cycles per second, known as ‘alpha pace’. (Meditations are the best I know so far to achieve that speed.) So, the mind will stop interfering with bodily intelligence. The body becomes free to activate the self-healing system that is inbuilt into our biological system. Healing is a passive activity; we do not actively heal anyone or ourselves. Healing happens. It is done to us without even asking for it. That’s the way our bodies are wired.

4 techniques to strengthen your immune system

Left thumb marked in red to denote pressure point for pituitary gland activation

1. Activating the pituitary gland
Pay attention to the ‘master gland’ known as the pituitary gland, fitted in the brain. Since you have no way of getting inside your brain, you can do a simple and easy exercise to activate both the pituitary and pineal glands. How? In the illustration, the portion of the thumb marked in red connects to your brain. Whatever you do there affects the brain.

a. Keep pressing the left thumb with the right thumb and the index finger of the right hand, holding it to the right and left side of the left thumb. Keep on pressing it hard for 60 seconds; keep a mental count of one to sixty. Then do the same with the right thumb with the left thumb and the index finger for 60 seconds.

b. Hold both the thumbs together facing each other; use the index and midfingers, let us say first of the right hand and press with them the back of the left thumb hard for 60 seconds while the right thumb is pressing the front portion of the left thumb (the frontal lobe of the brain). Exchange the hands; give the right thumb a chance now; another 60 seconds.

While doing this you are activating both the pituitary and pineal glands and the entire brain. The master gland wakes up all others (particularly the Thymus gland) into action for self-protection and they get ready to fight the aggressor. (2 minutes)

Illustration of upper body showing location of thymus gland

2. Activating the thymus gland
You can see the thymus gland in the picture. Use your index, mid and ring fingertips together to tap/thump the left and the right side of thymus gland 1 minute each, three times a day. Thymosin, produced by the thymus gland, will start fighting antibodies and strengthen the immune system. This is the most important gland to fight viruses. (2 minutes)

Hands showing the prana mudra gesture

3. Prana Mudra (Energy-enhancing hand gesture)
This is a gesture recommended by the Mudra Shastra (science of hand gestures) to enhance our immune system, to activate vital energy and fight allergies. You do not have to press the fingers together; they need to be in touch with each other. You may hold this position, the way you see it in the illustration, for 45 minutes, if possible. You can keep holding them while watching a movie or while having a stroll, etc. The three fingers bring together three elemental energies of fire, earth and water together.

4. Pranayama (Science of breathing)
One of the sad life-realities is that very few of us breathe properly; once again the culprit is the mind. We need to breathe in the way the lungs were originally designed for. Whatever the method you have learnt; do it for 15-20 minutes, twice a day. The more oxygen you supply to your lungs, the merrier they will be! With poor lung capacity, you are prone to asthma, allergies, pneumonia, etc. Breathe well and you will be well.

If you are interested, you may check out the videos on the YouTube channel of Dhyan Kutir, Andheri (E), Mumbai, showing two different types of breathing and some simple exercises to rid yourself of negative energy.

The Coronavirus is inviting us to take quality time for ourselves. Remain calm. Keep on blessing the universe; allow blessings to flow towards you and into you!

Ittoop Panikulam, SVD, is a trained counsellor, psychotherapist and spiritual guide. Having healed himself of asthma, he conducts workshops for asthma and allergy patients psychotherapeutically and without medicines. He guides bi-weekly holistic meditations for people of all religions at Dhyan Kutir. The Higher Consciousness Circle (HiCoC), composed of professionals from various fields, was formed there three years ago.

Ittoop Panikulam

Ittoop Panikulam, SVD, is a trained counsellor, psychotherapist and spiritual guide. Having healed himself of asthma, he conducts workshops for asthma and allergy patients psychotherapeutically and without medicines. He guides bi-weekly holistic meditations for people of all religions at Dhyan Kutir. The Higher Consciousness Circle (HiCoC), composed of professionals from various fields, was formed there three years ago.