What if we were really strong?
By Leticia Trejo
Like many people, I have a chat room made up of high school classmates, all of us between 54 and 55 years old. Our childhoods and teenage years were very similar: same economic group, same family environment, similar education and lifestyle. However, five of these classmates died of Covid-19, some in a very painful and distressing way, and others fared very poorly during the illness. They were apparently healthy before they became infected, but I am sure that was not true.
If anything has become clear to us with this virus, it is that the vast majority of people who became very ill had one or more latent ailments that had not yet manifested themselves. If we translate as STRENGTH the resistance of the immune system, then, in reality, people who do badly or very badly with this illness are not strong.
In the physical practice of hatha yoga there is a small group of asanas (postures) that are called Warriors 1, 2 and 3. In Sanskrit they are Virabadrasana, honoring a respected and admired Warrior named Virabadra. These asanas are challenging on a muscular and endurance level; the mind begins to despair at the physical challenge and becomes agitated and restless, struggling to get out of the posture. With perseverance and discipline, we can realize that the mind struggles less and less and concentrates more, and that the muscles respond better, achieving states of mindfulness. The person feels this and knows that he/she has developed integral strength, mind and body in synchrony.
I tell my students that warriors or soldiers, in real life, are always prepared, even if there is no war, even if there is no conflict. They continually train, physically and mentally, to have an efficient command and be ready in case it is necessary to confront the enemy. Avoiding physical pain while training the muscles, avoiding what they do not like, has no place in the thinking of a warrior. On the contrary, entering into the discomfort of discipline, transcending the restlessness of the mind and achieving good emotional and physical governance lead to guaranteed success in facing challenges.
The discipline of physical activity is a test of self-mastery; if we add to that the component of self-reflection and recognition of our thought patterns, then we are warriors and we are strong. If we were really strong, if we would get Covid-19 there would be a much better chance of staying alive and avoiding the devastation that we can see in the bodies of a large number of people who have suffered from this condition.
Up to what age can you be a Warrior?
When I started the Classes for the Tercer Edad (Third Age – people 60+ years old) project, this discipline was not taught in any gym in Guadalajara, so I had no reference to the success or failure that could result from these activities. I was scared to death when I received my first student, Don Pedro. He was 82 years old and had eleven children. He sent all of them to university and also took care of his sick wife for ten years. He came to the class with a cane and could hardly do any of the exercises I taught him. But thanks to his discipline and good spirit, a year after starting this activity, Don Pedro left the cane, eliminated his abdominal fat, became more agile and became independent (when I met him he lived at the house of one of his daughters who did not let him do anything, because he was so «old»).
So I invite you, dear reader, to ask yourself the question: What if you were really strong? And in answering, may you find areas of opportunity that will give a positive turn to your health and well-being.
Translated by Sandy Britton
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