Yoga for Allergies
I visited my parents this weekend in New York's Hudson Valley, aka Ground Zero for allergies. Immediately, I noticed that my throat felt scratchy and my eyes were itchy. My mom is like an assembly line of sneezes-- they just keep coming and she just keeps producing. For a longer term solution, I've heard that acupuncture and eating a bit of local, raw honey every day really help prevent a nasty allergy season (and don't make you drowsy like many traditional meds). In the meantime, here's a yoga sequence to boost your immune system and give a gentle massage to the sinuses. And, if this doesn't work, there's no place like Zyrtec.
- Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
- Bring hands to face and draw gentle, small circles around the sinuses or wherever you feel congestion/pressure
- Three sets of Kapalabhati (Skull-shining breath)-- if you can!
- Garbasana (Child's pose). Hold for one minute
- Gentle Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
- Move between Bhujanasana to Garbasana
- Gomukhasana (Face of Light Pose)
- Cat/Cow spine in table
- Downward Dog
- Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I), focus on opening chest
- Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
- Parsvottanasana (Intense Stretch Pose)
- Anjaneyasana (Kneeling Lunge Pose)
- Vinyasa to repeat 9-13 on other side
- Upavistha Konasana (Seated Wide Angle)
- Supta Pavana Muktasana (Reclined Wind Relieving Pose)
- Repeat other side
- Take both knees into chest and gentle rock side to side
- Taking hands behind hand, 20 abdominal crunches exhaling as you gently lift using core strength
- Supta Madhyasana (Reclined Twist Pose)
- Repeat other side
- Viparita Karani (Legs up the Wall Pose)
- End with 20 minutes of seated meditation
