THE recent spate of chikungunya cases that swept across the island, affecting the young, old as well as the able-bodied, has been a humbling experience for many. Some are still reeling from the effect the virus has had on joints, with pain lingering even after the virus has supposedly left the body.

The Jamaica Observer last week visited Afya Yoga Studios on Bamboo Avenue in Kingston 6 and three yoga teachers: Sonita Morin Abrahams, Vitra Gopee and Janellé Oswald, walked the team through different yoga postures that might aid the process for those recovering from the chikungunya virus.

Both Morin Abrahams and Gopee said CHIKV was quite the humbling experience that forced them to go back to basics.

“Back to the basics is where CHIKV took all of us, as Sonita mentioned, it was extremely humbling,” Gopee said.

She sais what she tells people is instead of being ruled by ego and wanting to do advanced yoga postures that look great and magazine-like, to take time with their bodies and go back to basics. Gopee insisted that the worse thing to do if recovering from CHIKV is to do nothing.

Gopee, who is a certified vinyasa teacher, said people should start from their upper bodies and work their way down, but to remember to keep it basic.

“Basic bends, basic stretches, elbows, knees, wrists, toes, ankle, everything,” she declared.

Every day, Gopee said people, whether after getting out of bed or while sitting at their desks at work, should bend your knees, bend their elbows, rotate their wrists, stretch their hands.

“We really cannot take CHIKV for granted, it’s really done a number on most of us,” Gopee said. “And mobility is what you really want.

“Mobility doesn’t mean aggressive mobility, simple joint movements will help. As simple as opening your hands if the joints on your hands are affected.

“Just keep moving and move in a gentle, non-aggressive, non-violent way,” Gopee insisted.

The yoga teachers demonstrated several postures with numerous benefits that can also help with those lingering joint pains, among them were twist yoga poses, child’s pose, bridge posture, fish pose, dancer’s pose, forward bends, the lunge position, and downward dog.

Your Health Your Wealth will feature detailed benefits of each posture in future publications.