Cold is a common illness that we all suffer from at some point of time during different seasons. Did you know that there exists yoga poses for cold relief? Yes, you heard it right. You can now beat cold and work on the immunity of your system through these hot yoga poses. The yoga poses help to get rid of toxins from the body, stay positive, and work on supporting your entire immune system in the stage of illness.
Now read how this hot yoga for cold allergy can be useful and positive at the same time. Yoga and wellness go hand in hand, and yoga helps effectively to work on issues such as common cold, headache, and sinus.
What Is Cold?
Before we get into yoga for the common cold, first, do we really know what common cold is? The common cold, or called as cold, is nothing but a viral infection that affects the upper respiratory tract involving the nose and the throat. It is generally considered harmless but causes discomfort. Several kinds of viruses can cause the common cold, and one does typically improve from this condition within a week or ten days.
How Does The Common Cold Begin?
Common cold begins when viruses such as influenza and rhinoviruses attack the body. They enter the body, and the effect of cold generally begins in 2-3 days because of the reduced immunity of the body. It leads to a bad throat and a runny nose. However, one must remember that not everyone has a similar start with the beginning of the common cold, and it can vary from person to person. It depends on the virus and state of the body’s immune system. Hence, it is always important to keep ourselves healthy!
Can Yoga Help To Cure A Cold?
Understandably, most of us are wondering how does yoga to cure cold help! Yoga does simple things to our body – It fights the illness by keeping us positive and fit. The yoga activity fights the response given to the body through a virus and helps to keep our body relaxed. While we do not completely tell you that yoga to get rid of cold is totally effective, it surely helps one to work on the virus and general health of the body.
What Causes Cold, And What Are The Symptoms?
Before we get into the yoga poses for cold relief, let us briefly consider what may be the causes and symptoms of a cold.
Causes:
While we discuss how cold is caused, it is mostly due to the virus, which infects the body leading to the common cold. The most common culprit virus is rhinovirus, which enters the body through areas such as mouth, eyes, or nose. When someone around you is sick or sneezes, the droplets in the air can enter your body and cause you to catch a cold. Alternatively, hand contact or sharing objects with those who have cold may also lead to catching the virus.
Symptoms:
The symptoms for common cold differ from person to person. Here are a few common ones.
- Runny nose or bad nose with discharge
- Cough
- Sore throat issue
- Congestion near lungs
- Sneezing
- Low fever
Yoga Asanas To Reduce Cold:
Given these, let us now get into how best yoga to reduce cold works and how to do them for the best results.
1. Standing Forward And Bend Pose:
The stand forward bend pose, also known as Uttanasana, is popular and works great during common cold and other lack of immunity illnesses. The yoga asana helps to work with improving blood flow to the head and clearing sinus infections. This yoga for cold and cough brings in energy effectively and clears up the respiratory area, in turn, bringing in relaxation to the entire body. Here is how to do it for the best results.
- Stand straight on the mat
- Keep feet apart at hip-width
- Stretch your forearms and bring down your head bending towards the feet
- Hold for 2-3 minutes and repeat.
- Ensure that you keep a 3-hour gap between the time of consuming food and performing the asana.
2. Bridge Pose:
The bridge pose, also known as Setu Bandhasana helps greatly to stretch several areas of the body like chest, neck, and spine areas. It helps to relax the nervous system, open up the lungs. In case you are also suffering from cough and bad asthma, this yoga for cold and flu works great to reduce the effects, bring in immunity, and work on sinusitis.
- Lie on the floor
- Push your tailbone upwards gradually
- Support with hands intertwined and feet together
- Firm the buttocks and lift them up to the floor
- Keep thigs and feet parallel
- Hold for 1-2 minutes and relax.
3. Legs Up The Wall Pose:
Also known as the Viparita Karani, the legs up the wall pose are popular among many for improving the blood flow effectively and also give relaxation to the entire body and mind. Any case of headache, cold, and cough improves and in turn, clears the chest area to facilitate breathing. It helps further to build up immunity as well.
- Stay around five to six inches away from the wall
- Swing the legs up parallel to the wall
- Stretch your hands on the ground on either side and legs against the wall
- Hold this position for at least five minutes
- Avoid this pose during menstruation or back injury
4. Fish Pose:
The fish pose, known as Matsyasana, is well known for its effect on the lungs and respiratory system. This pose regularly helps to stretch the area around the chest, and the neck area works on providing relief from any of respiratory disorders like cold and sinus. Given that the pose allows the body to relax and pose like a fish, the name is henceforth matsyasana. This is good yoga for cold and sore throat.
- Lie flat on your back
- Keep hands relaxed on either side and feet together
- Breathe in slowly tilting the head and chest upward
- Make sure the chest is elevated and lower the head
- Tilt and touch the head to the ground
- Now with the support of elbows, press thighs to the floor and remain in the pose
- Hold the pose as much as you can and relax.
- If you have abnormal blood pressure and neck issues, please do not attempt this pose.
5. Bow Pose:
The bow pose in yoga is Dhanurasana. It is named thus because the body takes the shape of a bow while performing this asana. This, in turn, helps not just to strengthen the back but also works on opening up the chest, neck, and shoulders. This helps to work on the respiratory system through chest flexibility, as well. This is a popular yoga for cold and fever.
- Lie on your stomach
- Place feet hip-width apart
- Bend knees backwards and grab your ankles
- Inhale and slowly lift the chest up
- Look straight while performing this step
- Breathe well while posing and ensure that your body is curved like a bow.
- Hold the pose for 30 seconds, relax, and repeat.
- Do not practice this asana if you have high BP, neck injury, or pregnancy.
6. Alternate Nostril Breathing Yoga:
Most of us already know this popular form of breathing exercise, the alternate breathing technique. This is also called as Nadi shodhan pranayama, where the yoga helps to clear up blocked energy lines and gives relaxation to the mind. Those who have cold and breathing issues should not miss doing this technique as it helps greatly to clear lungs. This is great yoga for colds and sinus.
- Sit down comfortably
- Keep the spine erect, let your shoulders be relaxed
- Place left hand on the knee and make sure palms face upwards
- Place the tip of the index finger and middle finger of the right hand near nose at first making sure the thumb comes near the nostril.
- The ring finger, as well as little finger, should be used to open or close left nostril whereas thumb to close the right nostril.
- Now breathe in and out slowly in a similar fashion. Breathe from left nostril and press left nostril with the ring finger, remove right nostril finger and breathe out
- Its Do the same and repeat nine rounds.
- Do not force breathing and keep the flow natural and good.
- Do not apply any pressure.
7. Widespread Forward Bend:
The widespread forward bend pose yoga, also known as upavistha konasana yoga, is not popular among yoga enthusiasts. This pose, however, is quite proven to bring in benefits with not just relaxing the mind and body, but helps to quiet down internal organs and works amazingly with clearing up lung areas. It is an amazing yoga for cold and headache.
- Sit on floor down
- Straighten your legs both sides in front of you and separate them apart as much as you can
- Rest your upper torso comfortably
- Hold this yoga pose for three to four minutes
- Repeat
- Do not do this yoga when you are out from back operation or leg injury.
8. Skull Shining Breathing Technique:
This technique is famously known by the name Kapalbhati Pranayama. This is a powerful and popular breathing exercise, which helps you greatly to relax your entire system, ease up, and clear the respiratory tract and bring breathing in order. It clears the tracts and also improves the blood circulation greatly.
- Sit down comfortably and make sure you sit straight with your spine erect
- Take deep inhalation
- Then while exhaling contract your abdomen and allow air to flow out naturally
- Take 20 such breaths and relax your mind
- Do a total of two rounds per day.
9. Cobra Pose:
Also known as Bhujangasana, this pose resembles a cobra posture and hence the name. This pose not only helps the shoulders and back, but also works a great extent to expand the chest, improve breathing, and relax body and mind by reducing fatigue and stress. If you have respiratory disorders, this yoga pose is recommended to mainly clear channels. Do not do this yoga for cold and headache during any respiratory attack time
- Lie on your stomach and keep toes pointing to the ground
- Keep legs both together
- Lift your body by using your hands for support and take a deep breath in
- Pull torso back
- Remain in the pose for 2 minutes
- Breath in and out gently
- Do not overdo this exercise and do not practice if you have fractured ribs or undergone surgeries.
Given this yoga for cold relief poses, we now know how to keep our health and immunity in check. Performing these yoga asanas regularly certainly will help in the overall well-being and improvement of the immunity system. Do let us know your thoughts and share your experiences with us on how best these asanas helped you.
Make sure you always consult your physician or health care provider for any medical concerns. These yoga poses are merely indicative and effective ones for the overall well-being. In case you are suffering from any kind of ailment or illness, do consult your doctor for medication and therapies, including cautions.
Frequency Asked Questions And Answers:
Q1. How to Do Yoga During Sickness?
Ans: Yoga can be a help to anyone for the overall well-being and can aid in reducing illness, including issues such as common cold and cough. Doing pranayama and meditation before yoga poses can help.
Q2. Can Yoga Totally Cure Cold Allergies?
Ans: Yoga certainly helps to reduce stress and in clearing the lung tracts. Further yoga helps to prevent and manage allergy symptoms effectively and stabilize the immune system to a large extent.
Q3. Can I Perform This Yoga Regularly?
Ans: The benefits of yoga is best enjoyed when it is performed regularly, but in case you have any underlying medical condition or disorder, then please do consult your health care provider before performing these asanas.
Q4. What Yoga is Best for Cold and Allergies for Older Age People?
Ans: Pranayama and other breathing exercises are universally recommended for best results and healthy breathing techniques for all age groups. Hence, this breathing yoga asana can be done by old people too.
Q5. Does Yoga Require a Specific Diet to Be Followed While Doing This Routine?
Ans: Generally, healthy food and nutritious intake is recommended in order to have an active lifestyle. Hence, we would always recommend eating nutritious food for a healthy body and mind.
