Allergy Help

Allergies are a drag, literally. They leave you drained and miserable. Medications help, but don’t always give you relief or you may choose not to take them. Fortunately there are natural remedies out there. Speaking from experience the yoga poses do work. They aren’t however a long term fix. I’ve noticed after I do them that my symptoms lesson for a few hours.

Below are some of my favorite poses to do when my allergies are really bugging me. These poses will help with the sinus congestion and that heavy feeling you can get in your chest. I recommend you do them in the morning and evening or when your allergies are at their worst. As with anything, don't over do it.

Chest inversions: These are great for draining and opening the lungs. You’ll notice after you come out of these poses that you may cough a bit. That is your lungs trying to expel any gunk that is in there from your sinuses draining. Supported shoulder stand is my favorite. Take a yoga block and place it under your sacrum and lift your legs up into the air. Make sure to have a nice arch in the back and roll the shoulders under. If it is too intense having the legs up you can prop them against a wall or put them down which will put you into a supported bridge pose. Hold for 3-5 minutes or longer if you are more experienced with the pose and its affects. Another good chest inversion is down dog.

Word of caution with the inversions, depending on your congestion you may feel a lot of pressure in your sinuses when you are doing these. If the pressure is too much make sure to come out of the pose and only hold the poses for short periods till the pressure starts to release.

Chest openers: Our lungs breathe better when our chest is open. With bad allergies breathing is more difficult so we want to help out a bit. The bridge mentioned above is great, also plow and camel pose.

Doing deep yogic breathing while in these poses will also help to open up your airway. I personally like the Ujjayi breath. Deep even inhales and exhales. If you prolong the exhale it has a calming effect.

A nice complement to these poses is a neti. This is a form of sinus rinse. To learn more about it click this link. http://www.himalayaninstitute.org/products-publications/neti-pot-products/ Make sure to read all about it, especially the safety guide.