Which routines are favourites of top doctors? ‘These give stamina to stand in OT for 8 hours’

A nine-hour surgery, emergency and bleeding on the table, anxious patients spilling out of the OPD and a dying patient's relative clinging on to hope — doctors have a tough time holding on to so many lifelines and processing collective anxiety.

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Little wonder then that a 2021 study showed that 75 per cent of doctors in India were under severe stress. And if there is one solution that takes care of both their physical and mental well-being without eating into their schedule, it is yoga. As a neurosurgeon, I have to be on my feet for about seven to eight hours at a stretch. And since there's little focus on ergonomics in neurosurgery, the operating room environment and surgical techniques aren't designed to minimise physical strain. So I cannot imagine any day without my morning yoga, which keeps my knee joints stable and my spine supple. In fact, if I go without yoga for a week, I get a neck pain so severe that I have to be on pain relievers and muscle relaxants.