Yoga, Meditation Help People to Reconnect with the Outside World: Experts

"The problem is that many humans take themselves out of that and create divisions, groups, and start disconnecting — from themselves, from others, from the world around them. Once we stop this disconnect, we can overcome crises together."

'We are part of nature'

He, like others who practice regularly, sees meditation and yoga as a means of slowing down, emptying our minds, and calming our thoughts. And that, so the thinking goes, facilitates the connection not only to ourselves but to the world around us.

"Every human being is intrinsically connected to every other human being and also to nature, animals, plants, everything on this planet. But you are often not aware of it because you are too busy with too many things. When that stops for a moment, when you calm down, you realize these connections," said A.G. Ramakrishnan, a professor for electrical engineering at the Indian Institute of Science, who also researches in the fields of meditation and breathing exercises.

"The concept of yoga, for instance, is holistic. It teaches you that we can't live without others, we cannot live without animals, we cannot live without nature," Ramakrishnan continued.

Yet that, says Bütow, is not in keeping with the way many of us live.

"It has become a bad habit these days that we take ourselves out of nature. We are part of nature way more than we pretend to be. Nature is where we came from. But we have totally detached ourselves from that."

He says breathing exercises can help us reconnect because through our breath we are in constant contact with the outside world.

Also read: Plan a Hassle-Free Staycation in Bali at This Canggu Beachfront Hotel

"We just have to remember this connection, which will help us to see ourselves as part of nature."

Slowing down to help the planet

Shutterstock/Luna Vandoorne A yogi is practicing childs pose.

For many, the pandemic has brought our mortality into sharp relief, serving as a reminder that there are no guarantees.

Restricting what we can do, where we can go, and how we can keep ourselves occupied, has also made our worlds smaller, forced us not only to adopt a less hectic pace but in many cases to take a genuine pause. And that, says Jenny White, can reap rewards.

"Once you give yourself that time to pause and breathe, you will become kinder and softer and more understanding when it comes to your own shortcomings and difficulties. And this will make you more compassionate and understanding when it comes to other people and their needs, and ultimately also our planet's needs."