Strengthen your immunity: Power of yoga, breathing, mindfulness

Raghavendra Rao

In contemporary times, with an increasingly fast-paced lifestyle and a modern approach to healing tactics, we unknowingly keep accumulating micro assaults on our immune system without allowing our bodies to address them. Here’s how the ancient albeit simple practices of yoga can be utilized to boost our immunity and lead healthier lives.

The human body, to a great extent, is a self-regulating, preserving, repairing and maintaining entity. Nature has designed this wonderful machinery with an inherent capability to heal; provided the natural laws of healing are allowed to operate, our health is, in its entirety, a natural outcome of all the encounters we have in life. This healing capacity that we are endowed with is called vitality or immunity. Our body has a self-reliant system of protecting tissues against assaults by bacteria, viruses, harmful proteins and oxidative stress through an interplay of nervous, endocrine and immune systems.

In today’s world, these systems are constantly challenged by our fast-paced lifestyle, stress, unhealthy eating habits and exposure to pathogens. Yoga asanas and Pranayama can reduce stress and improve the body’s immune response to fight infections and allergies. Yogic practices have been known to improve the human body’s immunity.

Yoga, immunity

Yoga can help to modulate this immune response appropriately. Yoga as a mind-body intervention has been used globally to combat these lifestyle-related diseases where stress is believed to play a role. Yoga helps calm the mind, bring stability and balance vital energies. Studies have shown that yoga improves the immunity of the population during influenza epidemics. Yoga is a system of holistic living, having its roots in Indian traditions and culture. It is a discipline to develop one’s inherent power in a balanced manner. Now, it is being practiced as a part of a healthy lifestyle. Yoga is popular globally because of its spiritual values, therapeutic credentials, its role in the prevention of diseases, promotion of health and management of lifestyle-related disorders.

One of the most useful and popular modes of yogic exercises, which provides the benefits of Asanas, Pranayama and Mudras altogether, is the Surya Namaskar. It consists of a series of 12 postures, which are performed early in the morning, facing the rising sun. Each step of Surya Namaskar is accompanied by the regulation of breath. Its regular practice energizes all systems of the body and ensures perfect harmony between them. It makes the body flexible and improves immunity. Our body has its own set of immuno-responses; among them, inflammation is the most common. A natural counter that is often helpful when it comes to healing injuries and infections, inflammation often becomes chronic under constant psychological and physical stress, thereby weakening our immune system. Most asanas involve systematic stretching that alleviates inflammation and increases flexibility. The immunity-boosting capabilities of even basic yogic practices are also mentioned in new research published in the Journal of Behavioural Medicine. Today, even Western researchers vouch for yoga’s benefits. “The Harvard Medical School Guide to Yoga: 8 Weeks to Strength, Awareness and Flexibility” says regular yoga can lead to more significant muscle and bone strength, improved sleep, better stress management and resilience, strengthened immune system and enriched brain health.

Nadi Shodhana Pranayama

The main characteristic feature of Nadi Shodhana Pranayama is alternate breathing through the left and right nostrils without or with retention of breath (kumbhaka). Sit in a comfortable posture. Keep the spine and head straight with your eyes closed. Relax the body with a few deep breaths. Keep the left palm on the left knee in Jnana mudra and the right palm should be in Nasagra mudra. Place the ring and small fingers on the left nostril and fold the middle and index finger. Place the right thumb on the right nostril. Open the left nostril, breathe in from the left nostril, close the left nostril with the small and ring fingers and release the thumb from the right nostril; exhale through the right nostril. Next, inhale through the right nostril. At the end of inhalation, close the right nostril, open the left nostril and exhale through it. This completes one round of the Nadi Shodhana Pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breathing). Repeat for another four rounds. The duration of inhalation and exhalation should be equal for beginners. Breathing should be slow, steady, controlled, and not forced or restricted.

Benefits of Pranayama

The main goal of Pranayama is to nourish the body as a whole by cleansing the main channels that distribute energy throughout it. In addition to boosting vitality and lowering stress and anxiety levels, this technique promotes calmness and improves focus. Pranayama can also help with coughing, mental calmness and concentration. Its advantages go beyond boosting immunity, making it a comprehensive strategy for general health.

Cleansing with kriyas

Cleansing techniques called kriyas also help remove excess mucous and restore mucosal immunity. Shatkriyas are yogic cleansing techniques used to purge the internal organs and systems of the body. These are a part of the process of detoxification. These techniques are classified into six divisions as under: Neti (nasal washing); Dhauti (stomach washing); Basti (colon washing); Kapalbhati (purificatory yogic breathing); Nauli (isolation of abdominal recti muscles) and Trataka (yogic visual gaze).

These kriyas cleanse, activate and revitalize organs and develop deep internal awareness. The practice of Surya Namaskara, deep breathing exercises, Pranayama, meditation and deep relaxation are also highly beneficial. Pranayama is the fourth constituent of Ashtanga yoga, which regulates Prana and energy, grossly translated as breath. It is a practice that helps to regulate vital energies through the regulation of breathing. The main purpose of Pranayama is to gain control over the autonomous nervous system and, through it, to influence mental functions. Regular practice of Pranayama makes the mind calm.

Understanding immunity

Though exposure to pathogens helps build adaptive immunity, surviving such exposure may sometimes become fatal. Research has shown that there is a heterogeneity in susceptibility to infections during a flu epidemic. Psychologic stress, fitness and physical activity, nutrition, sleep, comorbid conditions and lifestyle play a vital role in shaping this immune response. A growing body of evidence identifies stress as a co-factor in infectious disease susceptibility and outcomes. It has been suggested that the effects of stress on the immune system may mediate the relationship between stress and infectious disease. Stress increases stress hormones that dampen the immune response and also reduce the ability of the cells to repair the damage caused due to infections.

Meditate on wellness

The process of keeping one’s attention focused with a sustained concentration on an object is commonly known as meditation. It is an integral part of all yogic practices and is beneficial for psychological and spiritual growth. Over the years, the stress-relieving benefits of regular meditation have been known to achieve a sense of calm, which has a positive impact on an individual’s health and promotes a healthy lifestyle. It has been known to be beneficial when it comes to overcoming addictions to tranquilizers, reducing hypertension, insomnia, migraines, depression, anxiety and other psychosomatic illnesses. It stabilizes the mind and increases awareness, concentration, and willpower while simultaneously improving memory and alertness. It is an effective tool for rejuvenating the mind, body, and soul, and it helps people cope with stressful situations in everyday life.

Courtesy: Dailysabah