Written by Aviva Tulasi
The tools of yoga have helped me breathe freely this spring despite my numerous allergies to pollen from pine, ragweed, mold and grass. In the past, I have had to avoid walking near the grass seed aisles in big box stores otherwise I would start crying. I also found that I would get a sinus infection whenever the season changed and I didn’t take allergy medicine. But now I can work in my yard without an allergic reaction. I attribute the reduction in allergic reactions to my yogic practice of saucha (cleanliness or purity).
One of the guiding ethical principles of yoga is saucha. When you practice saucha, you make an effort to be pure inside and out. You clean your house, you take care to clear your nasal passage including your mouth and you think positive thoughts. For me, the biggest shift in my saucha practice was to take practices that I did when my congestion was really bad (such as using a neti pot) and do them every day.
On a more subtle level, yoga has made me more aware of how I breathe. I have learned to breathe deeply through my nose. Breathing through your nostrils uses the body’s structure to naturally filter air. And when I breathe deeply through my nostrils, I often find I force out mucus.
Yoga promotes breathing freely in two main ways: 1) yoga practices help break up congestion and 2) breath awareness to help reduce negative stress. Changing your orientation in postures such as Downward Facing Dog increases pressure in the head, but when you come out of the posture, inflammation and mucus is released. Breathing exercises such as alternate nostril breathing activate the parasympathetic nervous system so you can actively relax. When the body is not in a heightened state of awareness, your body can face challenges such as allergens without many symptoms.
You may enjoy our blog that briefly covers the balance that is needed between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, Yoga Linked to Reduced Negative Stress.
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Aviva Tulasi is a registered yoga instructor (RYT) who is currently enrolled in a IYAT certified 800 hour yoga therapy program. If you would like support from her, you can sign up to meet with her privately for free as part of her practicum hours. For more information email yogawithtulasi@gmail.com
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SAM Sather, a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT), individualizes the yoga practice with appropriate modifications for participants’ unique bodies and medical histories with a focus on finding calm and improving health. She offers several live, online class in yoga as well as weekly recorded On Demand classes. SAM also offers private sessions so you can focus on your needs one-on-one.