“Lockdown’’ has become a common term in today’s world.

As everyone is home and finding ways to be busy, here are my 5 habits that will benefit you during the lockdown.

1. Meditation

I start my day with a peaceful and relaxing meditation session.

I start with a few pranayams like:

Bhastrika – a few deep breathes (10 to 15)

Anulom vilom –  7 to 10 times

Kapalbhati – 108 counts.

Then I concentrate on my breathe for a few minutes. This makes me feel relaxed and energized.

2. Gardening

I have started growing plants in my balcony.

The plants give a relaxing feel and a serene view to the balcony.

Looking at the plants also gives a relaxing feeling.

Tulsi plant is my favourite plant. It has spiritual and medicinal significances to it.

I even have flowering plants in my balcony –

Hibiscus, Krishna Kamal and Jasmine.

When the buds grow into beautiful colourful flowers, it enhances the serene view of the balcony.

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3. Cooking

I am learning to cook new dishes everyday.

Home cooked food is always hygienic.

It helps me utilize my time wisely. It also helps me to cook a proper balanced diet.

Cooking boosts the 5 senses – touch, sound, smell, sight and taste.

Touch – Kneading the dough, cleaning and cutting the vegetables, sprinkling of salt and coriander.

Sound – the crackling of spices – cumin seeds, mustard seeds and the spluttering of curry leaves and
frying of onions.

Smell – the aroma of the masalas (spice powders) makes the mouth water.

Sight – using colourful food items makes the dish look appealing and presentable.

Taste –  The smell and sight enhances the taste of the dish. Sweet, sour, spicy …enhance your taste buds!

I have a sweet tooth and love eating sweets.

4. Reading

I love reading mythological books. It gives me a view of old world.

Being an English teacher, I read school English textbooks, childrens’ story books and novels.

“Merchant of Venice ” by William Shakespeare is one of my favourite novels.

I even love reading blogs – which developed my interest in being a blogger.

Reading increases my imagination power and boosts my creativity in writing blogs.

5. Painting

I love paints. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty in paints.

As I started gardening, I had many pots. I started painting my pots.

I bought “Mandala” colouring books, I colour it listening to music. It is very relaxing and a
soothing experience for me.

Every coin has two sides. So “lockdown” too has its own benefits.
It gives you the chance to bond with your family members and the most important
is with “yourself”.