Here is some advice that I’ve received this week from teachers, medical professionals and trusted mentors regarding how to best handle COVID-19 physically and mentally:

1. From my meditation teacher Yashoda Devi Ma: Chant “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha” 108 times. This helps to remove obstacles and fear. You can use a mala necklace to count the number of chants because there are 108 beads on a mala.

2. Go to bed earlier than you normally would. Sleep is the best way for our body to get out of fight-or-flight mode right now. Give your body a break from the news and a chance to recharge.

3. My teacher and mentor Ted Hall sent me a message yesterday and this part was very helpful for me to hear… “We need to carry the torch when everybody else is freaking out, and remember who we are. We have the larger perspective, we’ve put ourselves into this position to learn from it, maybe to see our fragility and to not rely so heavily on our false sense of security. We need to sincerely ask what we can learn, how we can best show up. Meditate extra and hold the space that needs to be held.”

4. Support your microbiome with probiotics and prebiotics to help fight any unwanted bugs that enter your system.

5. If you’re interested in using herbal medicine to help fight off the virus, Yu Ping Feng San & Yin Qiao San are two effective formulas that I carry at my clinic. Reach out if you are interested.

6. Hunter Cressman, a Vedic meditation teacher, mentioned two things in his group meditation this week that really stuck with me… “Letting go of the need to know allows us to get present with what is.” and “Think thoughts about how you are being healthy instead of thoughts about how you don’t want to get sick.” .

7. Lastly, FaceTime your friends and family, take an online course, put down your phone and pick up a book, take a walk and get some fresh air, be prepared but try not to panic. And most importantly be responsible with where you are going and what you are doing, because even if you aren’t in the group of people who are at risk, you could expose someone who is. We are all in this together.