The second phase of the national lockdown has already started. Clearly, Coronavirus turned out to be a bigger threat than expected. This blog post presents some simple postures of yoga and Ayurveda home remedies that will help you heighten your immunity and act as a preventive measure from the pandemic. The early symptoms of COVID-19 are cough and cold (with fever), and practicing yoga along with following these below-mentioned tips will prove beneficial towards catching a cold. Antibiotics will certainly help you recover from the disease, but will not enhance your immunity. Rather, prolonged use of such medicines may have adverse effects on the body. In an earlier post about the guidelines from the Ministry of AYUSH, several guidelines were mentioned that have been proven effective in boosting the immune system of our body. In addition, following the tips mentioned in this blog post is going to surely help you at this time of crisis.
Yoga for your immunity
The most important pieces of equipment you need for doing yoga are your body and your mind.
- Setu Bandhasana: This body posture dilates the heart and improves blood circulation, thus improving body immunity.
- Sukhasana: Sukhasana is the traditional posture for meditation. It allows one to relax and reduce stress hormones, nervous system distress and heart rate.
- Pranayam: These are simple breathing exercises that enhance the respiratory system. The yoga pose may be any simple deep breathing poses like Kapalbhati or Anulom-Vilom.
- Matsyasana: This is great to practice for boosting one’s immunity. It hikes one’s energy levels while targeting the lungs to relieve congestion.
- Viparita Karani: This is one of the most beneficial postures for the whole body. It helps in proper blood circulation, while relaxing the nervous system.
- Garudasana: This yoga posture enhances blood flow and releases toxins. Consequently, the amplification in breath during the body position helps to release tension and stress.
- Bhujangasana: This yoga pose stimulates the digestive system while dilating heart and lungs, thus relieving stress. It boosts the energy level and elevates one’s mood.
- Ustrasana: This yoga pose expands the chest and opens the heart while protecting the body from lung infection. It also ensures proper blood circulation, thus nourishing the immune system.
- Uttanasana: Refresh your immune system with this inverted pose of Uttanasana. It clears chest congestion, thus improving immunity.
Note: One must practice the above body postures only after proper training from a yoga instructor.
Common Ayurvedic remedies to improve immunity at home
Ayurveda teaches us to cherish our innate nature – ‘to love and honour who we are’, not as what people think or tell us, who we should be.
- Maintain a green diet (lots of green vegetables and fruits) and a green tea or lemon ginger tea with natural sugar (or no sugar). Some of the foods that help to improve our immune system lists turmeric, broccoli, sweet potatoes, ginger, spinach, and dark chocolate (WOW).
- Avoid foods that are packaged, frozen or processed. Some people also call them ‘dumb foods’, because they are actually “dumb” (no useful ingredients).
- While cooking, make sure you have a proper blend of spices. Different spices possess particular immune-boosting properties. For example, you can use spices like turmeric, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, basil and black pepper. Avoid over-cooking of food and ensure that you eat your meal at proper times.
- Try to take warm baths in the evening with Epsom salts and essential oils like rosemary, basil, eucalyptus and cedar.
- Vitamin C plays an important role in increasing body immunity. You can go for vitamin C-rich fruits like mango, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, orange and grapes. You can also have Chawanprash (one teaspoonful daily).
- Some other coom measures include avoiding smoking and drinking, washing your hands thoroughly and frequently and drinking plenty of water (6-8 litres) daily.
STAY HOME, STAY SAFE!