Iyengar yoga for immunity

As Iyengar yoga teachers, we are constantly supported by the local, global and international Iyengar yoga community and this includes lots of peer-sharing and continued learning from other people's experiences. 

Rachel Overton and I were fortunate enough to be involved in the long covid research programme back in 2021. I say fortunate - we'd all rather it needn't have happened at all - but given the situation it was amazing to be able to help people with their symptoms through a targeted series of yoga poses and breathwork. 

I remember at the time advice being given within the NHS that turning patients on their front would help with breathing. This is something we'd already learned as Iyengar teachers, for example offering a supported, prone (lying face down) savasana option for people with asthma or other respiratory conditions during regular classes. 

Over many years of practice and student observation, starting with Mr Iyengar and then with many other teachers and researchers, sequences have been developed that can help strengthen the immune system and improve recovery and resilience. 

Some of these are shared on the Iyengar Yoga UK & Ireland website, with further links to other sites: https://iyengaryoga.org.uk/yoga-sequences-for-recovery-and-resilience/

You might well find Rachel, Louise, Annamarie and myself teaching some of these poses in yoga classes over the next few months! 

As ever, check with your medical support (GP etc) if you have been ill about what might be suitable. Listen to your own body and pay attention to the effects of poses on you - if you feel dizzy, breathless or weak then stop and rest and recognise that not all poses are suitable for everyone. Practice with a qualified yoga teacher. 

And yoga asanas and pranayama don't rule out taking medication when you need to!  For NHS advice on the common cold (with links to other illnesses) click here.