Yoga exercises to boost your immune system
Tracy Adshead is a yoga teacher specialising in yoga for seniors. She is passionate about bringing healing and healthy ageing to the community.
Seasonal changes bring challenges to the immune system, the thought of winter ailments often sees us reaching for an extra dose of vitamin C. If you’re living in a place that becomes cold and dark in the winter months you might like to add a few simple yoga practices to your daily routine to boost immunity.
The immune system is made up of many components including the tonsils, thymus gland, digestive tract, lymphatic and circulatory systems. Each of these systems plays an important role in helping your body to fight off invaders like bacteria and viruses. The immune system changes with age, it becomes slower to respond so if you’re thinking that ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ read on:
1. Do the twist
All of your internal organs have their nerve endings in your spine and nerves control the body’s functions, including sensation and movement. Moving the spine with gentle twisting is extremely beneficial for the internal organs.
Gentle daily twist: Before you get up in the morning, draw your knees up towards your chest. Take a breath in and as you exhale let both legs relax over to the right. Inhale the knees back to the centre, exhale them over to the left. Add on: turn your head away from your knees with each twist to move the whole spine.
3 to 5 times to each side.
2. Practice inversions
Inversions, such as legs up the wall, help to circulate lymph fluid through the lymphatic system - this is your body’s ‘rubbish collection’ service. It rids the body of toxins and other unwanted materials and transports immune cells around the body to fight off infection, significantly contributing to the workings of immunity in the body.
Here’s a couple of ways to practice inversions from reclining on your back.
- Place your calf muscles on to the seat of a chair
- In bed place 3 or 4 pillows underneath your lower legs and ankles
- On the floor, sit with your right hip against the wall and as you lie back swings your legs up on to the wall. Stay here for 5 deep breaths.
Remember when you come out of an inversion pay attention to your blood pressure, roll on to your side and stay here for a few deep breaths. If there is pounding between your ears stay here a little longer. Sit up slowly.
3. Use your breath
Look after your lungs through winter with this easy yoga practice to increase the intake of oxygen, helping to build resistance to infection. A study from 1992 (yes, 1992) assessed whether arm positions affects air intake and oxygen consumption. The researchers found that when subjects held their arms at shoulder height whilst breathing, their oxygen consumption was higher compared to when subjects held their arms by their sides. These benefits continued for two minutes after their arms were lowered. It makes you wonder why we don’t all do this!
From standing or seated: Inhale, count to 4, lift your arms up level with your shoulders, as you exhale count the breath out for 8 and lower your arms down. Repeat 3 to 5 times.
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