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Yoga Teachings to Defend Against Swine Flu and More from Saraswati
Yoga and Yoga teachers help students prevent catching what is going around. Ideally, Yoga intends to prevent all disease and illness. A few nights ago, in response to a broad media buzz about swine flu, I reminded my students of yoga techniques designed to keep immune systems strong and ward off illness at its first signs. The next day, I received a query about what people can do to stay healthier in the face of swine flu and other bugs. As I was writing what I hoped were some helpful tips, it occurred to me that visitors to our Yoga2You.us Web site may find this information helpful too.
First, practicing Yoga, even once a week, boosts your immune system. The deep yogic breathing alone keeps students healthier, but new research shows that the deep relaxation part of Yoga also boosts the immune system.
Special Yoga Breathing Exercises
For those willing to learn special Yoga breathing exercises or techniques, the Kapalabhati breath is incredibly dynamic for boosting the immune system and healing what ails us, as well as strengthening the diaphragm to guard against COPD as we age. This breathing exercise power cleanses the lungs, helping the body to literally exhale toxins from the blood stream. Another excellent breathing exercise for the sinuses and central nervous system is Alternate Nostril Breathing, or Anuloma viloma. It is good to learn these special breathing exercises from a Yoga teacher, but Anuloma viloma is simple enough that you could teach yourself from a book or video. The Kapalabhati Breath (a diaphragmatic exercise) is not hard, but it can easily be done incorrectly, or sometimes should be modified for certain health conditions. So while you may be able to find resources that explain how to do it, I strongly encourage that you find a class that teaches it.
For those who have a Yoga practice and know how to do these Yoga breathing exercises already, doing them daily or after you've been in highly populated places, can be very helpful in staying healthy. Also, for those willing to buy and use a Neti Pot, cleaning the sinus cavity helps to flush bugs that are so attracted to our sinuses because of the mucus in this part of the body.
 Use a Neti Pot
Using a Neti Pot flushes these microbes before they can take hold and breed. When Dr. Oz first talked about Neti Pots on Oprah, I thought for sure everyone would start using them. So I am surprised when I still run into people who have never heard of them. Neti Pots, designed for nasal cleansing, are available at several stores and pharmacies. Walgreens has its own brand and includes saline packets which are gentler than using salt, but Whole Foods and most pharmacies carry them as well. They can take a little getting used to for some (I still don't always tilt my head quite right), but it is worth the effort because they flush out germs that readily embed themselves in the mucus-rich sinus cavity or nasal area. Yoga teaches to do this cleansing daily, but even using a Neti Pot strategically, when you feel something coming on, to prevent bugs from taking hold, is a good thing.
Drink Healing Teas
In addition to Yoga practices, I like to suggest that students prepare teas they can drink all day, as a water alternative. There are many teas filled with herbs like hibiscus, a natural source of vitamin C. There is a green tea by Celestial Seasonings that has pomegranate and goji berry—so I like to make that, chill it, and drink it during the day. There are so many choices of teas! Roobis tea is also loaded with polyphenols (immune system boosting) and is very tasty as a cold tea. I brew lots of roobis and so use a loose tea. Sometimes I add dried lavender to the roobis brew—very tasty. Many tea companies, such as Tulsi Organic Teas (available through our gift shop) and Traditional Medicinals make healthy and tasty herbal blends. Just so you know, I am a bit of a coffee addict, and yet drinking teas this way, for me, can be very satisfying. So, even if you prefer coffee or soda, find a way to get healing herbal teas into your system. I like to serve warm healing tea blends at the end of Yoga class to help students flush toxins from their organs and systems.
By the way, Teas are great for both the immune defense properties and strategic healing. Dandelion root tea is very kind to the liver. Our liver is really the workhorse of the body and the immune system. A healthy liver is a healthy body, so periodically treating it to a good herbal tea like dandelion root is an easy way to be kind to your liver. Dandelion root is not a sweet tea, more like a coffee, but excellent to drink at least once a week (if not more). Ayurvedic teas help to balance your dosha, or energy. A blend of coriander, fennel and cumin is a standard tri-doshic Ayurvedic tea that can be brewed from your spice cabinet.
Avoid Plastic
Also, in case you missed this in the mass media, stay away from plastic containers! They leak carcinogens into your liquids. I save and clean glass bottles from juices and other store-bought bottles. I also use smaller recycled-glass-from-other-teas-and-juice-bottles and pour the brewed teas once they’ve cooled into them to grab and go. For optimal health, find glass or steel bottles that you can use and reuse, and stay away from plastic bottles whenever and as much as you can! They are bad for the environment and bad for you.
FYI, I have been without health insurance for several years, and aside from a few injuries, I remain fairly healthy (at least as far as I can tell ;-). But, I am an allergy person, and that plus certain vices (coffee, milk and sweets!) attract bugs to my body like flies to fly paper, really. So, depending what is going on in my environment, I may need to do some of these more than others—as would anyone.
Alternative Medicines
In addition to Yoga, special Yoga breathing techniques and strategically drinking teas and using the neti pot, three products I turn to at the first signs of illness are Kold Kare (tablets), Oil of Oregano (drops), and Colloidial Silver (available in several forms—I use the small spray). These can each be looked up in any search engine, and people can use them accordingly—I am not a doctor and don't want to "prescribe" BUT they have helped me and may be worth a look before turning to antibiotics, which are extremely hard on the liver and the body's good defenses.
Probiotics
And one other thing--probiotics. Try to eat yoga, real yoga with a variety of cultures (read the labels!), every day. I make my own salad dressing from plain yogurt, oil and/or lemon and/or apple cider vinegar, and spices! I also love the taste of plain yogurt with any greens--raw or cooked. Adding it to smoothies or soups is good too, BUT, if added to soup, you have to let the soup cool a bit or the heat kills the probiotics. If you just don't like yogurt, try other fermented products like sauerkraut or miso. Through the sister science of Yoga, Ayurveda teaches to regularly using immune boosting herbs and spices in cooking too.
10 Minutes of Stress Relief
I feel I would fall short if I did not also mention 10 Minutes of Stress Relief, a Yoga breathing and relaxation CD (and now Digital Download Series). These relaxation therapies guide listeners to that healing, immune boosting place of deep relaxation in just ten minutes.
I generally say that I am not your guru-type of Yoga teacher, just a regular person dealing with the day-to-day stresses and challenges that we all have. When I transitioned from being a Yoga student to becoming a Yoga teacher, I found the physical explanations about how Yoga works to be enlightening. I also found the number of people who regularly breath short, shallow breaths and were actually a little uncomfortable with full deep breathing remarkable. That plus a convergence of other factors led to producing the 10 Minutes of Stress Relief Relaxation CD.
It is such a simple thing anyone can do to be healthier in any situation: breathe deeply and relax completely. And yet, it is something that is so hard for so many of us, especially when under stress. So the guided relaxation therapies serve as a kind of Breathing and Relaxation Coach at your fingertips.
I hope some part of this information is of help. Please let me know if you have questions, or share your thoughts and suggestions by clicking on “comments” below. Namaste.
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“Health is wealth, peace of mind is happiness. Yoga shows the way.”
