RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Summer's end is approaching, and soon September will soon be in full swing. And with the new season comes more stress: Work intensity ramps up, vacations are long over, and all those kids back in school means more germs get spread from family to family. And this year, of course, the threat of swine flu has us all extra concerned.
So along with searching the basement for the storm windows and shopping for the kids' back-to-school clothes, now's the time to start prepping your immune system for cold-and-flu season. Higher stress levels are directly correlated with lower immunity: Remember how exam week always seemed to end with some vicious cold? In fact, the National Academy of Sciences studied a group of caregivers for six years. The result—under the ongoing strain of caring for people with serious health problems, the group's 55-year-old immune systems looked like they were 90!
Fortunately, the fix for an overstressed immune system is as easy as a little breathing and movement. To give your body the best chance of resisting cold germs, flu germs, and whatever other microbes come your way, try doing this 15-minute yoga routine every other day. Click the title of each pose for a description and video. Once you've learned the simple techniques, do the movements at a comfortable pace, holding each of the five poses for three minutes. Use a kitchen timer to keep time so you can focus on your breathing, not the clock.
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Pose 1: Ujjayi Breathing. This move increases your overall circulation, which causes fresh oxygen to be pumped throughout your body. The technique lowers blood pressure and soothes the body's stress instincts by taking you far away from the fight-or-flight response that's triggered by tension. |
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Pose 2: Sun Salutation A. This sequence increases blood flow to the extremities, increases your heart rate, and works as a total-body conditioner. By using your own body as resistance, you can tone your legs, abs, arms, and back, strengthening you for your daily activities. The energizing sequence wards off fatigue, too. Though there are a lot of movements in this pose, with a little practice you'll get the hang of it in no time. |
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Pose 3: Cow Face Pose. As a forward bend, this pose causes the mind to quiet the body down, diminishing any stress you may have from an amped-up day (or from anticipating an amped-up day). Bonus: The cow face pose also works to stretch the hips and break up fat in the hip area. |
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Pose 4: Bow Pose. As a backbend, this pose is potent for the spine, helping it to stay supple even as it tones and massages your stress-tightened back muscles. Give this rocking backbend a try and see just how open your chest, back, and shoulders will feel—and how energized you’ll become. |
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Pose 5: Corpse Pose. Don’t be put off by the macabre name: The corpse pose is a relaxing, rejuvenating way to end a yoga session. Simply lie down on the floor for a full three minutes, breathing naturally. Slowly come to a seated position and you'll feel refreshed and energized. And whatever else happens in your busy day, at least you had three minutes to remain still! |
Kristen Schultz Dollard is a New York City yoga teacher and the coauthor of the forthcoming book The Yoga Body Diet.
