Get ready to boost your immunity and conquer those pesky viral infections! Monsoons and the ever-changing weather can leave us feeling drained and vulnerable to sore throats, colds, and fevers. But fret not! Yoga Therapy comes to the rescue with its comprehensive approach.
How Does Yoga Therapy Help?
Yoga Therapy works on five different levels i.e. Physical Body, Energy Body, Mental, Intellectual, Emotional and Spiritual level. Let’s explore how it helps you!
1. Physical Body
Here are some Yoga Asanas you can practice to remove the physical symptoms of the infection.
A. Uttanasana
Helps in clearing out the sinus passages, thereby clearing out blockages and allowing for more complete breathing. It invigorates the nervous system and relieves stress and tension.
B. Setubandhaasana
Opens up the chest. It also sends fresh blood to the head, which helps open up the sinuses further. This asana also activates the thymus glands, one of the main organs of the immune system.
C. Viparit Karni 
The Legs Up the Wall Pose is a great pose to practice to counter respiratory ailments. When you practice this asana, you might find relief from headaches or backaches that accompany a cold. Practicing this asana calms the mind and makes you strong as your body deals with the cold and helps in reducing fatigue, which usually follows common cold. This asana helps the immune cells to move through your body.
D. Adho Mukha Svanasana
In this asana, your heart is placed higher than the head. There is a reverse pull of gravity that happens when you do that, and this aids in the proper circulation of the lymph and the blood. The mild inversion allows a free flow of white blood cells throughout the body and also helps to drain out the sinuses.
E. Ustrasana 
This asana opens up the chest and clears out all the passages. It is essential to try and breathe as much as you can while you are in this pose. This will help open up all the blocked areas that are causing the cold.
F. Matsyasana 
When you assume this asana, your chest is raised and your throat is opened up. This improves your breathing and might help alleviate a cold. During colds, one can support the upper thoracic back with a cushion, bolster, or yoga blocks, aiding optimal recovery.
2. Energy Body
Pranayama is practiced to eliminate mucus and any agitations in breathing. Practices for this are as follows:
- Kapalbhati Pranayama: Helps unclog the respiratory tract. Improves blood circulation and uplifts the mind. 2-3 rounds twice a day gives you renewed energy to combat common cold.
- Bhastrika Pranayama: Involves forceful exhalation that aids in clearing the nasal passage.
- Nadi Shodhan Pranayama: Helps open up a blocked nose. It also facilitates better flow of oxygen to the lungs and keeps your mind calm and peaceful.
- Ujjayi Pranayama: Helps increase lung capacity, as well as releases toxins with each exhalation.
3. Mental Level
Simple Dhyana Meditation is practiced to keep one relaxed in the physically stressful time. Just sitting in a quiet place with closed eyes for a few minutes and meditating can help boost the immune system and help fight any kind of infection.
4. Intellectual Level
Observing part of the self while practicing Yoga increases the awareness of self. This awareness eliminates agitations of mind, which brings self love and compassion
- Shavasana: This is a deep resting pose. Sometimes, when you have a cold, all you need to do is to rest your body. It energizes it and helps it fight better against the cold-causing viruses. It shifts the focus on oneself, and increases awareness, which helps relax the mind and body.
5. Spiritual Level
Mediation, Prayers and Chanting can help you boost your immunity and keep you mentally strong during the time when the body is suffering with an infection.
Practicing the yoga therapy based module for viral infections not only strengthens the immune system of the body, but it also improves mental health, which is very important to heal and recover. Staying strong mentally helps our body fight any infection better. Yoga Therapy works on our overall health. It gives one a strong body, a strong mind and a strong spirit to overcome most things.
If this article helped you, let us know in the comments below. Find more articles on Yoga here. You can also practice yoga safely under the guidance of an expert by joining a live, interactive GOQii PRO class. Book a class now through the GOQii App.
#BeTheForce
Many of us are worried about the impact of the ongoing pandemic on our elderly and physically vulnerable relatives. To top it off, the economic impact it has had around the world, right down to individuals being unable to work and ineligible for sick pay is huge. All this coupled with shortages in shops, cancellation of planned holidays and events have all caused some level of anxiety and distress. As these mental and emotional issues pile up, there’s a good chance that one might go over the edge. To avoid that, something must be done. During these trying times, there is something you can do to improve your mental and emotional wellbeing. That something is meditation! 
