8 Tips to Boost Your Immune System
“A joyful, sensible, and responsible human being can deal with situations much better than those who are dead serious about everything.”
—Sadhguru
As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across nations, the world is grappling with containing the virus and stopping its spread. Doctors agree that people with stronger immune systems are better equipped to handle the novel coronavirus. Sadhguru shares a few ways to naturally boost immunity over time.
Sadhguru: Viruses are not a new entry into our lives. We literally live an ocean of bacteria and viruses. The important thing is that this particular virus is new to our system, so our bodies are struggling with it. To see that we can produce the necessary antibodies and become capable of handling it - as we have become capable of handling everything else - there are a few things we can do. It is not that this is a cure for coronavirus, but if these simple things can be practiced, you will see in six to eight weeks' time, your immune system will be at least a few percentage points higher. This is what you need to go through this situation without causing fatality to yourself and people around you.
1. Neem and Turmeric
Neem leaf is available all across India, except in the mountainous areas, and turmeric is anyway available. Now they are making what is called as nano-turmeric, where the absorption rate is way higher than the normal turmeric
One simple thing that you could do every day is to consume eight to ten leaves of neem and a little bit of turmeric in warm water. If you drink this on an empty stomach, your ability to fight external organisms is greatly enhanced. Not that it will immediately work, but in three to six weeks’ time, there could be some difference. This is something that everyone can bring into their homes. It is already there in most homes in southern India but maybe not in other parts of the country, so we must bring this in.
2. Jeeva Legium and Raw Mango
There are traditional offerings like Jeeva Legium or chyawanprash that also build the immune system. If you have old people at home, beyond sixty years of age, it is good to start them on chyawanprash. This is also the beginning of the raw mango season. Do not wait for it to ripen, eat the raw mango. It is not a preventive for coronavirus, but it can up boost the immune system a little bit.
3. Amla with Honey and Peppercorns
Soak amla (gooseberry, or nellikai) in honey overnight, along with some broken black or green peppercorns. Have about three spoons three times a day. It works best if that is the first thing that you take, when you are on an empty stomach. If you do this, in four to eight weeks, one can see significant betterment of one's immune system.
4. Mahavilva Leaves
There is something called mahavilva leaves which are available in the Western Ghats region. If you can eat about three to five leaves a day in the morning, that will also enhance your immune system.
5. Get Enough Physical Activity
Now people are at home. If they just sit around, and through the day if they are eating something or drinking alcohol, they will make themselves much more susceptible. One simple thing is to stay physically active. This is a good time for us to use these few weeks to get fit. If you do not know anything else, at least simply jog on the spot every day at different times - maybe fifteen minutes at a time, five to six times a day. The body will try to handle things better.
6. Chanting to Generate Ushna
The “Yoga Yoga Yogeshwaraya” chant is about generating samat prana or ushna in the system. There is something called as ushna and sheeta, which in the English language translates into heat and cold, but that is not what it exactly means. It indicates that direction, but it does not mean that. If you generate enough samat prana and create ushna in the system, your immune system will function much better. This chant will generate a certain amount of strength in the immune system, because it generates heat.
Here is the link to the sadhana offering
Let this be very clear that this is not treatment for coronavirus, nor is it a prevention. "I did my chant, so I can go and do irresponsible things" - it is not going to work like that. These are things you do over a period of time to strengthen your system, so that when the next virus comes, you may be in a little better place to handle it.
7. Keep Yourself Joyful
Mental distress is definitely one way of putting down the immune system. To stay fully spirited, joyful, and exuberant is also a simple way of making your immune system and the body to function much better.
A joyful, sensible, and responsible human being can deal with situations much better than those who are dead serious about everything. Especially if you are in panic, you are paralyzed. It is very important that all your faculties are in place, that your body and your brain function and respond the way they need to.
8. Practice Isha Kriya
The basic mistake we have made is that we have no distinction between what is “me” and what is “mine.” What I gather can be mine, we are not disputing that right now, but it cannot be me. If I say this piece of clothing is me, then obviously, I have lost it. Similarly, if I say that this body and the content of this mind that I accumulated - what I know and do not know - is myself, then I have a problem. Well, it is playing havoc with your life on a daily basis, but in moments of crisis like this, it may show up in a strong way. For this we have a simple solution: Isha Kriya, a simple way of separating what is you and what is not you. It is available free for everyone to make use of. If you bring this much consciousness into you, as to what is me, what is not me, it will be very easy to ride through times like this.
Editor’s Note: In this unprecedented time of crisis, Sadhguru is making himself available via live web-stream for a series of Q&A sessions where one has the opportunity to get their questions answered.
