My COVID-19 Yoga Breathing Practice

What did I do when I was diagnosed with COVID-19? There isn’t much I could do, except breathe.

A week ago, one parent at my daughter’s daycare found out he was positive. I got the call an hour or so after my throat grew scratchy. There are so many blossoms out at the moment, I hoped, prayed, it was allergies, but as the hours went by and I awoke in the middle of the night full of anxiety, I scheduled a test for the next morning.

The test came back positive. For a year the members our family have practiced social distancing, always wore masks, and kept to our house—and yet the virus still found us.

The diagnosis has been a good reminder that I can only control so much—myself. I am largely at the mercy of those around me. Just walking around the neighborhood opens me up to some sort of risk. It reminded me of how much we all are connected, even at a time when we are trying to be less so.

Since contracting COVID-19, I have faced thoughts of fear and anxiety, in addition to feeling fatigue and just plain sick. A big help in dealing with all of this has been yoga. And I don’t mean asana (poses). My motto has been “just breathe.” The fundamental aspect of any life or yoga practice is connecting to the breath. It is our life force.

There are several reasons I focused on my breath: It is calming, it helps me connect with my body, and it helps show me whether I am having difficulty breathing, a common symptom of COVID-19.  As long as I could continue to breathe, I would be here—present in body and mind.

The pranayama (breath control) that I have relied on has been Sama Vritti (Equal or Box Breath).

In this breathing technique, you inhale and exhale for equal counts. I mainly stick with a 4-count inhale and a 4-count exhale. There are variations that include holding or retaining your breath, but I didn’t and don’t recommend practicing that when you are sick (or pregnant). Keeping my breath even and steady has helped ground my mind to the present moment and reduce my anxiety. It is hard to focus on your worries when you are counting every breath.

However, because of severe nasal congestion, I couldn’t breathe through my nose and had to breathe through my mouth. This provided different sensations from my usual Sama Vritti practice. Also, my COVID-induced lack of taste and smell removed additional sensations that I am used to experiencing when I breathe. Even so, each breathe provided me an opportunity to focus my mind, verify that I could still in fact breathe, and feel some sensations of life. If attempting this yourself, try focusing on the texture and temperature of the air. I practiced this outside in the brisk winter night staring at the moon and in a steamy shower. The cold made me feel more alive and the steam helped me feel calm. You can try this breath technique in multiple locations, temperatures, and body positions to find which one is easiest or makes you feel most grounded.

Not everyone who is sick will be able to do this—even for me, it felt like a blessing to take each breath. Some were harder than others. There were times that I had to take big gulps of air or stop because breathing felt harder than it should be. But I would take note. Could I still breathe? And could I still get enough breath? Yes.

Sama Vritti is often practiced with 8-count inhales and exhales. Though I generally don’t follow these counts, a couple times a day I would check in with these bigger breaths. Could I take a longer, controlled inhale and exhale? Doing so gave me confidence in my lung capacity and my ability to breathe.

It has been a week since my first COVID-19 symptom, and I am starting to improve. I can breathe through my nose again and I don’t have many bouts of shortness of breath. I have so much gratitude for my breath and the slow but noticeable improvements in my—and my family’s—health.

For those in the midst of sickness or suffering, I wish you well. Being sick is hard. From my mask-covered face to yours, I remind you to “just breathe.”