Why health experts recommend yoga for immunity boosting?

From time immemorial, yoga has solved the challenging problems that have plagued the mankind. From fighting debilitating ailments to treating mental health conditions, yoga has proved effective and has been a top of the mind recall for people suffering from health conditions. These aren’t old wives’ tale as even you must have seen medical journals’ archived files sprouting slogans on how yoga produces effective healing. If yoga can fight diseases, yoga for immunity boost routine can block the diseases by stimulating and fortifying the immune system in your body.  

In this article:

• What is immunity?
• Yoga and immunity
• Benefits of yoga for immunity boost 
• Yoga poses to build immunity 
• FAQs related to yoga for immunity boost 

What is immunity?

If you have fallen ill due to common cold and surged back to life with full force in 3 days, without medicines or any home remedies, that is because your immune system acted as a soldier to combat your illness. Your immune system plays an important role in fighting against run-of -the-mill cold to deadly health threats, meaning diseases do not get to hang around for a longer period of time if your body is enabled with high immunity. Immunity produces antibodies that fights and restricts harmful pathogens that cause bacterial and viral infections in your body. 

Yoga and immunity:

Studies say regular yoga and fitness activities boost your immune system. A healthy yoga routine stimulates the immune cells and pushes them to move, thereby waking them from inert state and making them more active. Yoga for immunity boost practices helps in decimating inflammation in your body which is the root cause of weakened immune system. A weak immune system doesn’t respond well to the external bacteria and infections. That is where yoga for immunity increase puts forth its foot and becomes a robust pillar of support for your immune system.  

Benefits of yoga for immunity boost:

• Reduces stress - Heightened stress is responsible for lower immunity. With stress hormones at peak, many lifestyle conditions also follow. Yoga brings peace to your unrest mind and helps redeem your immunity.  Stress triggers mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Yoga makes forays into crucial and often ignored mental health issues which is closely linked with stress hormones in your body. It still your mind and relaxes tension in your body. Hence, when stress is low, automatically you have a better hold on your immunity.  
• Fights cardiovascular diseases –  Yoga is synonymous to breathing. Breathing practices and poses of yoga see to it that your heart pumps actively without any block in the pathway. Deep breathing stimulates blood flow, brings peace to your mind and increases your lung capacity. Follow yoga for immunity boost practices regularly to better your cardiovascular health.  
• Increases efficiency in joints and muscles –  Aging rusts your joints and muscles drawing in more pain while you walk or do any movement. Yoga for immunity boost has some of the asanas that makes your muscles and joints more agile. Lack of exercise can deteriorate your bone health. Yoga strengthens your frail bone and ensures good bone health.  

Yoga poses to build immunity:

Yoga has been orbiting for ages now to up the immunity levels. Though it is not a freshly minted idea or solution or a contemporary phenomenon, knowing what asanas or yoga postures help to increase immunity matters.  

Bhujangasana: Bhujangasana or cobra pose is an effective asana or yoga for immune system as it boosts flexibility in your back and relieves you from stress. 

• Lie flat on your stomach
• Place your legs together and keep your palms rested on floor
• Your elbows should be near to your torso
• Breathe deeply and lift your head, chest and abdomen
• Exhale and get your chest, head and abdomen back to the floor
• Relax and repeat the pose for about 5 times 

Balasana: Balasana is a child pose, used mainly to stretch your body parts and give your relief from back pain. 

• Gently come down on your knees  
• Like your prostrate, bend your head and place your forehead on the floor 
• While you are doing that, place your hands on the floor 
• Relax your shoulders and close your eyes
• Spread your knees wide so that your toes touch the floor 
• Let your stomach find place between your thighs 
• Stay in this pose for few minutes
• Repeat for best results 

Dhanurasana: Dhanurasana or bow pose adds flexibility to your spine, strengthens your muscles and relieves you from menstrual discomfort. 

• Lie flat on your stomach and place your feet away from each other  
• Let both arms rest on each side of your body 
• Gently move your hands backward 
• Fold your knees and hold your ankles with your hands 
• Slowly lift your chest from the floor
• Hold your ankles and pull your legs up as much as possible
• Breathe in and out while you are doing the movements
• Stay in this pose for few seconds before you drop your legs on the floor
• Relax and repeat the pose  

Nadishodhana Pranayama: Alternate nostril breathing is nothing but Nadishodhana Pranayama. This breathing technique is used to clear blockages and relax your mind from stress. Also called as Anulom Vilom, it acts as a cathartic process in healing fatigued and distressed mind. 

• Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight 
• With your left hand on the left knee, fold your index finger so that it touches the thumb 
• Gently raise your right hand and place your right hand’s index finger in between the eyebrows 
• Let the ring finger and little finger touch your left nostril and the thumb stay on the right 
• With each inhale and exhale, open and close the nostrils alternatively
• This sums up Nadishodhan Pranayama
• Repeat this breathing practice for 10 counts and take a break 

Trikonasana: Full body asana or Triangle pose strengthens chest, legs, arms and digestive track 

• Stand with your body straight and feet wide 
• Place your right foot at 90 degrees
• Rest your right hand on floor or your shin
• Move your left hand up with palm facing in the front
• Gaze up towards your left hand 
• Inhale and exhale deeply 
• Relax and repeat on the other side 

FAQs related to yoga for immunity boost:

Can I practice yoga for immunity boost exercises at home? 

You can practice yoga for immunity boost exercises but if you are a beginner, it is best to join a yoga program or have a yoga guru with you while you are practicing asanas. Trying any new asana without any proper guidance can prove harmful as wrong movement can put pressure on your body and lead to unproductive results. 

Can yoga alone tackle immunity issues? 

Even if research says yoga pays dividends and good for building immunity, remember that it is not an alternative to medicine. If your symptoms occur frequently and you do not get any relief even after trying yoga for immunity boost and other mechanisms to increase your immunity, then you should definitely see a doctor for evaluation and guidance. There are several other factors which can be linked to lack of immunity. Here is the bottom line: While yoga acts as a preventive measure and manages symptoms, a through diagnosis and treatment plan provided by your health expert will help alleviate the risk associated with lower immunity.