10 Yoga Asanas That Can Strengthen Your Immunity!

A common pattern that scientists observed during COVID-19 is that people who had a stronger immune system had better chances of overcoming the disease! With the onset of winters, it makes all the more sense to work on our immunity to protect ourselves from contracting infections. Apart from a healthy diet and nutritional supplements, you can also practise Yoga to increase your immune power.

Many studies show that Yoga can strengthen immunity by reducing psychological stress, increasing blood circulation to our organs and conditioning the respiratory tract through asanas and breathing. In this article, we shall learn about 10 Poses in Yoga to boost immunity naturally

10 Best Yoga Poses To Strengthen Immune System:

Here are the best exercises in Yoga to boost immune power:

1. Pranayama:

Pranayama is a deep breathing exercise in Yoga that offers numerous benefits to our body. Firstly, in reduces stress hormones and calms down the nervous system, which is very important to support a healthy immune system. Pranayama can also condition and maximize the lungs' breathing capability, along with activating the lymphatic system. This helps in increasing the overall resistance, along with fostering a healthy body and mind.

Steps to Do Pranayama:

• Sit comfortably with your legs crossed and spine straight
• Close your eyes
• Now close your right nostril with your right thumb
• Inhale deeply until your lungs are filled with air
• Remove the thumb from the right nostril
• Now the ring finger, close the left nostril and exhale through right nostril
• Repeat the process for about ten times

2. Shalabhasana:

The Shalabhasana or Locust pose is one of the best Yoga asana to strengthen immunity. The pose involves lying down on the stomach and lifting up the legs, while pushing the arms behind. This process helps in increasing the blood circulation to your intestines and rectal muscles, which is important for better digestion and in turn, a stronger immune system. Also, the pose can allievate backaches caused due to prolonged working hours.

Steps to Do Shalabhasana:

• Lie down on your stomach
• Place your arms behind, parallel to the body and your feet together
• Inhale deeply and push your legs upwards
• Simultaneously, lift up your arms without bending them
• Lift up your chest as much as possible away from the ground
• Hold it for a 10 count
• Relax and go back to the original position
• Repeat again for 10 times

Also Read: Surya Mudra Meaning And Image

3. Tadasana:

Tadasana or Mountain Pose is an easy asana that can support a better immune system. The asana helps in correcting your posture and strengthening your spinal column. It can also improve the flexibility of your lower body along with boosting your mental awareness. By combining the asana with synchronized breathing, your lung capacity can be improved greatly. You can also notice an instant kick in energy levels after performing this asana.

Steps to Do Tadasana:

• Place a Yoga mat and stand on it
• Keep your feet slightly apart from each other
• Maintain your hands alongside the body
• Take a deep inhalation and raise your arms, stand on your toes
• Go all the way up and interlock your fingers above the head
• Hold this pose for 10 seconds
• Breathe out and come back to the original position
• Repeat this for about 10 times

4. Shishuasana:

Shishuasana or Child Pose is a beginner asana that can help in strengthening the defense system. It is a resting pose which involves forward bending on the knees. The asana works by reducing the feelings of stress and anxiety. Also, the gentle stretching involved in this exercise can relax the bosy muscles and allievate any pain. It also opens up the hips, promote better breathing and also helps in better digestion.

Steps to Do Shishuasana:

• Place a Yoga mat and sit on your knees
• Bend forward until the forehead touches the ground
• Place your arms along the side of the body and face your palms upwards
• Press your chest towards your thighs and hold it for 10 seconds while breathing slowly
• Now return to the original position and restart the asana

5. Bhujangasana:

Bhujangasana or the Cobra Pose offers impressive health benefits to the body and mind, including boosting the immune system. Firstly, the asana helps in stretching the spinal column and the abdominal region. This helps in correction of posture and also in stimulating the digestive organs in the stomach. It can also open the heart and lungs, allowing better flow of oxygen to the system. This makes Bhujangasana particularly beneficial for Asthma patients.

Steps to Do Bhujangasana:

• Sleep on your belly and place your palms on the ground
• Make sure that the shoulders are above the palms and the elbows are bent
• Your feet should be straight and parallel to the ground
• Now inhale deeply and lift up your upper body and balance the weight on the palms
• Straighten the elbows and look straight
• Maintain the pose for 10 seconds
• Slowly exhale and go back to the original position
• Repeat for 10 times

Also Read: Advantages Of Surya Namaskar

6. Setu Bandhasana:

Another Yoga asana for immunity is Setu Bandhasana or the Bridge Pose. It involves stretching of the neck, spinal column, hips and chest. With regular practise, the asana can strengthen these parts, along with increasing the blood circulation and digestion. Also, Setu Bandhasana can calm down your nervous system and allievate feelings of pain and depression which negatively effects your immune system.

Steps to Do Setu Bandhasana:

• Lie down on your back
• Bend your knees and place your legs wide apart
• Now put your hands next to the body with palms firmly on the ground
• Inhale deeply and lift up the upper body by taking support of the hands
• Your chin must almost touch the chest, the torso should be up.
• The knees and ankles should in a straight line.
• Maintain the position for a few seconds, exhale and go back to the original position
• Repeat the asana for 10 times

7. Matyasana:

Matyasana or Fish pose is another excellent Yoga pose to improve the health of your respiratory tract and treat breathing problems like Asthma. It involves stretching the neck and the mid-section backwards, which can result in reducing the pain in these areas, along with strengthening them. Also, the exercise expands the chest capacity and allows you to take better oxygen. It stimulates the thyroid gland which stimulates the better production of hormones required to maintain a healthy body.

Steps to Do Matyasana:

• Lie down on a Yoga mat and place your feet apart from each other.
• Put your palms under your hips
• Inhale and lift up the upper body taking support of your hands and shoulders
• Make sure the center of the head touches the ground
• Breathe slowly
• Release the position for 10 seconds
• Straighten your head and come back to the original position
• Repeat for 5-10 times

8. Ustrasana:

Ustrasana or Camel pose is highly recommended for those who experience respiratory problems due to weather changes. Along with giving a good stretch to your back, Ustrasana opens up the heart chakra that can help in preventing many cardiovascular diseases. Also, the exercise involves pushing out the chest muscles that allows better breathing. It also improves the overall nervous, digestive and endocrinal systems.

Steps to Do Ustrasana:

• Place a Yoga mat on the floor
• Sit on your knees and place your hands on your hips
• Point your toes towards the ceiling and feet place against the ground
• Slowly inhale and bend backwards
• Place your palms on the feet and raise your head facing the sky
• Maintain the position for 10-15 seconds
• Exhale and come back to the original position slowly
• Repeat it for 5-10 times

Also Read: Simple Meditation Tips

9. Dhanurasana:

Dhanurasana or Bow pose is an advanced level Yoga asana that can offer numerous health benefits to our body. By stretching the abdominal muscles, the asana can stimulate the digestive system, helping in faster breakdown of food particles and better absorption of nutrition. Dhanurasana can also expand the chest area and promote better breathing, which is very important to strengthen the immune system.

Steps to Do Dhanurasana:

• Lie down on your stomach and place your feet wide apart
• Now place your hands parallel to the body
• Fold your knees and hold the ankles with your hands
• Inhale deeply and lift up your chest from the ground
• Try to pull your legs up and stretch as much as you can
• Exhale and return to the normal position
• Repeat for 10 times

10. Adho Mukha Svanasana:

The Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward Dog Pose can strengthen your bones and your immune system as well. It improves blood circulation in the body and alleviates mind-related problems like depression, anxiety etc. The asana can energize the body by speeding up the digestive process and improving the metabolic rate. It can be particularly beneficial for those who have asthma, high blood pressure and other chronic problems.

Steps to Do Adho Mukha Svanasana:

• Kneel down on the floor and widen your hips
• Press your hands firmly on the ground
• Inhale deeply
• Straighten your elbows and knees and position your head downwards
• Make sure your arms touch your ears
• Now slowly lift up the head, bend your knees and go back to the original position

Those are some of the best Yoga poses to boost immunity. If you are new to Yoga or have chronic medical conditions, pregnant or on certain long-term medications, please consult a doctor before trying them at home. Also, consume a healthy balanced diet, along with a positive mindset to keep infections and diseases at bay!

DISCLAIMER: This article is written purely for the informational purpose(s) only. Before trying out any new exercise, including Yoga asana mentioned in this article, you must consult a health care professional. Also, you must perform these asanas within the body limits. We take no responsibility towards any unwanted side effects caused due to trying these asanas at home without proper knowledge or experience.