This is a segment from a YouTube video (part 2 of a 4-part course) by Ashok Gupta about managing anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The speakers explain how chronic worry harms immunity and present meditation as a proven, low-cost tool to reduce stress and improve immune function. The segment cites studies (including a 2015 Harvard study of ~2,000 people) claiming large benefits — up to ~50% reduction in infection risk and shorter illness duration — and offers practical meditation guidance (10–20 minute sessions, a 30-day experiment, posture, habit tips).
Questions this video answers
Up to 50%.
It can halve the number of days you're ill (about 50% reduction).
A 2015 Harvard study of over 2,000 people (claimed ~50% fewer doctor/hospital visits).
10–20 minutes per session (20 minutes is specifically endorsed).
A minimum of 30 days.
Chapters
Sam.
And many of you might be experiencing some challenging emotions right now, some anxious thoughts, which is totally understandable. So much is going on and this can be made worse by the 24 hour news cycle, which we're often glued to. And I suggest switching off the news as much as possible. Obviously, find out what you need to know practically, but then let it go. Don't buy into the drama. Fear, anxiety and these other emotions can, over time, compromise our immune systems. So strengthening our immune system also means looking for ways of calming and centering our minds. And we'll cover some great ideas over the next few days. But today we'll be covering the simplest technique, which is to do absolutely nothing. Do nothing, you might say. That's easy.
That's what I've been doing.
Many of us have had to spend a lot of time at home, pretty much doing nothing. But physically we might not be busy, but mentally and emotionally in the mind we may be very busy. Mind may be overactive, full of worries. And today's challenge is a new invitation to take this idea of doing nothing to a deeper level, a deeper peace of mind to improve your immunity. Meditation is probably the best way of training our minds to be calm. And meditation has been proven in many studies listed below to boost the effectiveness of our immune system. Studies have shown that meditation can reduce the chance of getting an infection from a virus like a cold or a flu, by up to 50%. And if you do get that virus, meditation can halve the number of days that you're ill. Like many other aspects of the challenge, meditation has been shown to boost our health overall. In fact, its impacts are truly miraculous.
If it were a pill, it would be hailed as a miracle drug. For instance, a 2015 Harvard study on.
Over 2,000 people found that people who learnt to meditate, they cut the amount of times they visited a doctor or a hospital by almost 50%. And after this situation blows over, as.
More of us shift to a healthy lifestyle, I hope there will be a.
Sea change in healthcare where proven preventative tools like meditation will become part of our health service. Meditation is a fantastic way to overcome the stress, feel centered, feel calmer and happier. And during this time, you might be around a lot of other people with.
Little space to yourself.
So meditation is a great way of going within. They also say that families that meditate together stay together, so why not make it a regular family activity? We've provided lots of free guided meditations for you on the website. So now let's find out more about what meditation is and how we can do it.
Sometimes I'm amazed at what my mind does all day. Have you ever watched your mind? It's incredible. It's constantly worrying about the future or angry or regretting the past. And it uses up so much of our energy all day.
And neuroscientists say that our minds are more likely to focus on our negative experiences. So the first characteristic of our mind is that it keeps going into the past and future. And the second characteristic is that the mind defaults to worry if it isn't engaged in something. This not only creates ongoing stress, negative thinking can cause fatigue, anxiety, depression, and even physical illness. For example, heart disease and high blood pressure have been heavily linked to stress. So how can we reduce the stress in our minds? Meditation is a weight loss program for the mind. It helps you take the weight off your mind. We take a shower every day, don't we, to cleanse our outer bodies. But how often do we cleanse our minds? Just like our bodies get dirty, our minds also get dirty each day from worrying, thinking, and all those emotions. Regular meditation is like taking a shower for the mind every morning. It's deep rest for the mind, and it gives us more physical and mental energy, and it heals us.
Meditation has been scientifically proven again and again to have so many benefits. For example, a better immune system, better concentration. There are so many physical, mental, and emotional benefits. If meditation was a pain, it would have been hailed as a miracle drug. Yet it's available to us for free every day. It just requires a small bit of our time.
There are so many ways of looking at meditation. But simply put, for me, meditation is not being your thoughts and reacting to them, but instead being the observer of your thoughts. Now, normally, when a thought comes along, we think that we are that thought. We associate with it, we identify with it. We have one thought, then we have another, and then another, and so on. I need to call that person up. I hope he takes my call. Actually, I do need a new phone. Maybe I'll get that new model. I feel like some chocolate cake. We get lost in trains of thinking, and we reinforce the thinking by getting carried away with it. We become emotionally hijacked by our minds. The mind owns us. Imagine that thoughts and emotions are like clouds. Meditation is a process of watching the clouds come and go, but we remain still, like the sky, the space within which the thoughts come and go. Meditation often involves focusing, let's say, on a part of the body, or a sound or a word, or even a chant. That focus takes us away from a Scattered mind. As you practice being the observer, the thoughts begin to exhaust themselves. They begin to get released so our mind is clearer. Eventually there are fewer and fewer clouds in the sky. And then some glimpses of our inner silence can enter. Meditation is the gap between our thoughts, the space when we associate more with the witnessing awareness. Now you might say, how is meditation different from just relaxing like I do at the end of the day or when I go to sleep? Well, meditation is much more impactful than sleep because it's deep rest whilst you are conscious. And with practice you can experience more energy and more creativity over time, more enthusiasm and joy. Some people describe profound feelings of love, compassion, peace and joy. Although really it's indescribable, you have to experience it yourself to know the feeling. We might think. I didn't have time to meditate today. I've got to do the laundry. I need to check my email. Often we wait for all the other things in our lives to be sorted out before we give ourselves time to meditate. But if we make meditation our priority, then those other things amazingly will sort themselves out in ways you can't possibly imagine. You have 14, 40 minutes in a day. 20 minutes is nothing. Yet it will enhance all the other minutes of your day.
Be patient with yourself. When I started meditating, I also had a really busy mind. Or sometimes I've had a very sleepy, drowsy meditation. But my teacher told me that whatever happens during your meditation is perfect for you right then and there. So whatever you experience, just accept it, let it go and it will all come together. You may suddenly feel calm and then a random emotion may come up. Now you have to stay calm and centered, the observer. As these emotions come up and they get relieved and released from your system. This is the healing of the mind for it to feel freer, energized and more calm.
It's like cleaning your house. When you first clean your house, you have to remove all the dirt from all those hidden places. So initially your house looks even dirtier. But once you hold that dirt in your hand, then you can throw it away. Engaging in meditation is our self effort. In the same way we can purify our minds by not getting carried away with the gushing emotional tides of our minds, but instead choosing to be the observer.
I really hope that you enjoy the meditations and just commit to experimenting with them for a minimum of 30 days and see what happens.
Here are some practical tips to make sure you have the best meditation experience. Find a place for 10 or 20 minutes where you won't be disturbed. And please let go of your to do list. This is your time to enjoy the gift that you're giving yourself. You can switch off your phones and tell others that you don't want to be interrupted for that period. Ideally, you would meditate in a quiet place, but don't worry, you can meditate even if there is background noise. You could even be on a train or in a car as long as you feel comfortable. It would be great to meditate in the same place and time each day as then it becomes a habit, but you do what works for you. You can sit cross legged on the floor or on a chair with some back support to keep your back as straight as possible. However, you don't have to have your back too rigid and it can help to have a cushion behind your lower back. Consciously relax your body if you can.
You can have your hands loosely in.
Your lap with palms facing upwards. Please don't listen to the meditations whilst driving or operating any kind of machinery. During a meditation, you don't actively have to visualize or imagine anything. You can simply flow with the instructions effortlessly. Meditating every day is the best way of training your mind. At the same time, don't worry if you miss a day or a few days, it's okay. You can pick up from where you left. Finally, please let go of any expectations. Expectations can keep us tense and make us think that we're not doing it right. Instead, we can simply accept whatever happens and enjoy the space and time to ourselves. Our inner sanctuary of peace.
