yoga immune system

8 Ways to Boost Your Immune System with Yoga

Published on January 28, 2016

Nobody likes being sick, especially those of us who regularly practice yoga and make efforts to take care of our health. Every year as winter rolls around, I like to reevaluate my practice and implement a few changes and modifications to help keep the germs and bugs at bay. Yoga is one of the most effective ways to regulate and boost immunity through its known ability to reduce stress, increase blood flow, and improve digestion.

Here are eight ways to boost your immune system through yoga:

1. Breathe

Pranayama exercises increase the intake of oxygen to the blood and improve efficiency of the lungs, helping to build resistance to infection. Deep breathing, alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Sodhana), and breath of fire (Kapalabhati) bring oxygenated blood to various organs throughout the body to ensure optimal function.

2. Practice inversions

Inversion poses such as headstand, shoulder stand, and legs-up-the-wall help circulate lymph fluid through the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system filters toxins from the blood and transports immune cells throughout the body to fight off infection.

3. Meditate

When you focus in meditation, you’re removed from the daily stresses that take a toll on your body and mind. This gives the body time to recover and enter a positive healing state. Studies have shown that meditation builds antibodies, the body’s natural defense against bacteria and viruses.

4. Go outside

If weather permits, take your yoga practice outside and catch some UV rays. Vitamin D deficiency is a common cause of lowered immunity in northern climates that experience cold temperatures and shorter days during winter. Give your body a natural boost by doing a few sun salutations in the sunshine. Twenty minutes is all it takes.

5. Spice it up

Ayurvedic herbs and spices that stimulate blood flow and digestion include cardamom, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon. Sprinkle these on hot oatmeal or vegetables; or steep to make tea to keep the digestive system active and healthy throughout the winter.

6. Do the twist

Yoga poses that gently twist the spine and compress the belly, like Jathara Parivartanasana (Belly Twist) or Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes) improve poor digestion that could otherwise cause toxins to build up in the digestive tract and lead to illness and infection.

7. Clear out the sinuses

Nasal irrigation (Jala Neti) techniques such as the neti pot are used in ayurveda for basic daily hygiene and to relieve congestion and irritation from dry nasal passages. In combination with forward bends like Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog) or Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold), they can help clear mucus and congestion. Just remember to use purified water.

8. Bring a friend to yoga

Holing up at home may seem like the best way to avoid illness. But research suggests that socializing and engaging in positive interactions with others is good for your immune system. So grab a friend next time you head to yoga class; and give your immune system the ultimate care package.

How do you use yoga to boost your immune system?

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One response to “8 Ways to Boost Your Immune System with Yoga”

  1. The Yoga Institute Goa Avatar
    The Yoga Institute Goa

    Breathing has tremendous effects on building immunity. Practice all pranayamas and you yourself will see the difference.

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Elizabeth Hollis Hansen Avatar
About the author
Elizabeth Hansen is a writer, editor, and yogi with a sense of wanderlust. She took her first yoga class as a college elective and was hooked. The next semester she traveled to India to study yoga, philosophy, and Indian arts and culture. Several adventures later, Elizabeth landed on the West Coast, where she studied yoga with distinguished teachers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Elizabeth embraces the disciplined, classical styles of yoga as well as newer Western approaches that blend modernity with ancient tradition. You could find her silently practicing the primary series in morning Mysore or flying high and singing loud in a sweaty urban Bhakti flow. However she’s practicing, she hopes to meet you on the mat to share in this wild, beautiful, transformative experience we call yoga.
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