As the seasons change, the chances of falling sick rise sharply and if you’re worried about the novel coronavirus that’s been raging all across the world, incorporating yoga into your routine during this COVID-19 pandemic can be helpful to improve physical as well as in maintaining a good mental state of mind. Experts advise people to do yoga regularly to improve immunity, which is considered be the medicine to fight the dreaded coronavirus until vaccination is out in the market for the mass. Daily yoga can help cope with stress better while promoting overall health and well-being.

Precaution is better than cure

Have a look at some of the yoga asanas to improve your immunity and fight coronavirus back.

SUKHASANA (EASY POSE):

Sukhasana or Pranayamam, is a simple cross-legged sitting asana in hatha yoga. Sukhasana is the traditional pose for meditation. Sometimes the simplest approach can be the most effective in such times. “Coronavirus is said to damage the respiratory system, Pranayamam, the breathing exercise, improves the functioning of lungs and helps pumping of oxygen-rich blood to all cells of the body. Plenty of online content is available to learn yoga,” says Mr. Kaleswara Rao,a retired teacher, and yoga guru , who trained nearly 1,000 people in Cheepurupalli. Sukhasana is the traditional pose for meditation.

Health benefits of Sukhasana:

1. Can help reduce stress and anxiety.
2. Improves concentration.
3. Heart rate and nervous system distress.

Give It A Try:

1. Find a comfortable seat and sit upright with your legs crossed.
2. Align your shoulders over your hips, head over your shoulders and to head
3. Inhale slowly lifting your chest, length up the entire spine
4. Hold for a while and exhale.

DHANURASANA (BOW POSE):

Dhanurasana, Bow pose, is a back-bending asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise. When it comes to a weight loss program, Dhanurasana is the most effective yoga posture. It is great in reducing belly fat.

Health benefits of Dhanurasana:

1.  Stretches the entire front of the body, ankles, thighs, abdomen, chest, and throat.
2.  Strengthens the back muscles.
3.  Improves posture.
4.  Stimulates the organs of the abdomen and neck.

Give It A Try:

1. Lie on your stomach with your feet hip-width apart and your arms by the side of your body.
2. Fold your knees and hold your ankles.
3. Breathing in, lift your chest off the ground and pull your legs up and back.
4. Look straight ahead with a smile on your face. Curve your lips to match the curve of your body!
5. Keep the pose stable while paying attention to your breath. Your body is now taut as a bow.
6. Continue to take long deep breaths as you relax in this pose. But don’t get carried away! Do not overdo the stretch.
7. After 15 -20 seconds, as you exhale, gently bring your legs and chest to the ground. Release the ankles and relax.

SHISHUASANA (CHILD POSE):

Shishuasana is especially helpful to induce relaxation after various inversions and backbends during a yoga routine. The name Shishuasana is derived from Sanskrit and was brought about by the way a baby sleeps (‘shishu’ means baby).

Health benefits of Shishuasana:

1. Shishuasana is an excellent pose to decongest the chest and relax the mind.
2. Child’s Pose helps to promote calm mentally as well as physically and is one of the restorative yoga poses that
promote gentle stretching of your hips, ankles, and thighs.
3. Helps to prevent and treat constipation.

Give It A Try:

1. Sit on your heels. Keeping your hips on the heels, bend forward, and lower your forehead to the floor.
2. Keep the arms alongside your body with hands on the floor, palms facing up.
3. Gently press your chest on the thighs.
4. Hold.
5. Slowly come up to sit on the heels, uncurling vertebra by vertebra and relax.

BHUJANGASAN (COBRA POSE):

Bhujangasana or Cobra Pose is a reclining back-bending asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise. This pose is inspired by the Cobra snake with his fangs wide open. It is commonly performed in a cycle of asanas in Surya Namaskar as an alternative to Urdhva Mukha Svanasana.

Health benefits of Bhujangasana:

1. It helps strengthens the spine.
2. Stretches chest and lungs, shoulders, and abdomen.
3. Opens the heart and lungs.
4. Tones the buttocks.

Give It A Try:

1. Lie on your stomach with your toes flat on the floor and forehead resting on your hands.
2. Keep your legs close together, with your feet and heels lightly touching each other.
3. Stretch your hands.
4. Now place your hands (palms downwards) under your shoulders, keeping your elbows parallel and close to your
torso.
5. Taking a deep breath in, slowly lift your head, chest, and abdomen while keeping your navel on the floor.
6. Keep breathing. If possible, straighten your arms by arching your back as much as possible; tilt your head back and lookup. Just like a cobra snake looking at his prey.
7. Ensure that your feet are still close together. Keep smiling and breathing.
8. Breathing out gently bring your abdomen, chest, and head back to your hands again.

SETU BANDHASANA (BRIDGE POSE):

The pose is entered from shoulder stand, the chest being held forwards by the hands and the feet lowered to the ground behind the back, the knees remaining bent; or more easily, by lifting the back from lying supine on the ground. The full pose has the knees bent and the ankles caught (Bandha) by the hands. The pose may be exited either by lying down or by jumping back up into shoulderstand. Shoulder supported bridge or simply Bridge, also called Setu Bandhasana, is an inverted back-bending asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise

Health Benefits of Setu Bandhasana:

1. Setu Bandhasana opens the heart and improves blood circulation, increasing energy in the body.
2. Improves digestion.
3. Stimulates the lungs, thyroid glands and abdominal organs.
4. Stretches the chest, neck, spine and hips.

Give It A Try:

1. Lie on your back.
2. Fold your knees and keep your feet hip-distance apart on the floor, with knees and ankles in a straight line.
3. Keep your arms beside your body, palms facing down.
4. Inhale, slowly lift your lower back, middle back, and upper back off the floor;  touch the chest to the chin
without bringing the chin down, supporting your weight with your shoulders, arms, and feet.
5. Keep breathing easily.
6. Hold the posture for a minute or two and exhale as you gently release the pose.

MATSYASANA (FISH POSE):

Matsyasana or Fish pose is a reclining back-bending asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise.The asana is a back bend, where the practitioner lies on his or her back and lifts the heart chakra by rising up on the elbows and drawing the shoulders back. The neck is lengthened, and the crown of the head chakra is “pointed” toward the ‘wall’ behind the practitioner. As the arch of the back deepens with practice, and the heart and throat open further, the top of the head may brush the ground, but no weight should rest upon it.

Health benefits of Matsyasana:

1. It allows stretching of the cervical and dorsal region of the spine.
2. It helps to eliminate blockages in the throat and neck area.
3. It enhances the chest facilitating deep and yogic breathing.
4. It free lungs from all types of inhibition and acquire a greater capacity to fill with air.
5. The fish posture reliefs chronic bronchitis and asthma.
6. Strengthens the arms.
7. Stimulates the parasympathetic system, which allows relaxation.
8. Increases the capacity of resistance and flexibility of the body.

Give It A Try:

1. Lie down and relax
2. Press your palms into the mat. You can tuck your hands under your butt if that feels like a more stable position
for them.
3. Inhale, lowering the crown (top) of your head back until it comes to the floor, opening your throat and chest.
4. Keep your legs engaged and your toes active throughout.
5. To come out, press strongly into your forearms and raise your head off the floor. Then release your upper body
to the mat.