Guest Post: Yoga for Allergies

I'm so excited to have Be Luecke with us again! Be is an-all star yoga teacher from Chicago and will be sharing part two on her series dealing with allergies in the spring through natural therapies and yoga--I'm so grateful to her for sharing her wisdom with all of us! If you didn't get a chance to read part 1, you can here: 3 Little Known Techniques to Help with Allergies. [gallery type="rectangular" ids="11114,11113,11121,11119,11117,11116,11112,11111,11120,11115,11118"]

Yoga for Allergies

6 Asanas to Help You Through Allergy Season

By Be Luecke, Yoga Teacher Extraordinaire

Last week I shared some tips on things one can do to fight the annoying side effect of spring allergies. And as promised, here is the sequence of yoga poses that will expand your chest and upper back, allowing you to bring more air into your lungs. Practice the poses often, by themselves or in a sequence, as a part of your self-care routine during allergy season.You can start by warming up with some Sun Salutations, a couple of rounds will do the trick.

1. Downdog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

This pose helps to drain the sinuses, but sometimes it can put too much pressure on the head, so stay here only for a couple of breaths and then move on to another pose, coming back later to it, if needed.From hands and knees: Tuck your toes under, lift your knees and press the mat away from you with your hands, lifting your hips toward the ceiling. Broaden your chest to get a sense of openness and relax your shoulders, moving your shoulder blades away from one another.*Downdog can be a very challenging pose for beginners, bending the knees and keeping the heels off the mat can make this pose easier so you can feel more comfortable here. Remember: push the mat away from you, soften your shoulders and broaden your chest.[gallery type="rectangular" size="medium" ids="11114,11113"] 

2. Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I) – Dynamic movement

This pose stretches the chest and lungs, improving breathing capacity. I recommend moving with the breath first before staying still in the pose.From the top of your mat: Step your left foot back, about your leg’s length in distance, and turn your left foot slightly to face the front left corner of your mat. Keep your right toes pointing forward; chest and hips also facing the front of the mat. On the inhale, raise your arms up toward the ceiling and on the exhale bend your right knee keeping it right on top of your ankle. On your next exhale: straighten your knee and bring your arms down; inhale and bring your arms up while you bend the front knee. Repeat this sequence 4-5 times and finally stay still with your knee bent, arms overhead for about 5 breaths.Step your left foot to the front of the mat, and repeat on the left leg.[gallery type="rectangular" size="medium" ids="11121,11119"] 

3. Low lunge (Anjaneyasana) and side stretch

This is another great pose to stretch the chest and lungs; very similar to Warrior I pose.From hands and knees: Step your right foot forward between your hands, keep the knee on top of the ankle. On an inhale lift your body resting your hand on your knee, find your balance and on the next inhale lift the arms overhead, lifting and broadening the chest. Allow your shoulders to soften, keeping your neck relaxed. Then, interlace your fingers and turn your palms to face up toward the ceiling; take a deep inhale here and on the exhale lean your body to the right, keeping your left hip heavy, moving down toward the mat. You can look up, straight ahead or down. This pose stretches the side body, the intercostal muscles that get tight from so much sneezing and sniffing. Inhale to come back to center, exhale and bring your hands down to the mat and place the right knee back down. Repeat on the left side. 

4. Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

This pose is a great chest opener, helping to expand chest and lungs to welcome more air in.Lie on your back, knees bent, placing the feet parallel with each other and about hip width apart. Press your lower back on your mat and on an inhale lift the hips, the ribcage and the chest; slightly tuck your shoulders and lower your chin to your chest; press your arms down firmly on the mat (you can also interlace your fingers and press the arms down.) Be sure that the only points of contact with the mat are the feet, the arms, the shoulders and the back of the head; your neck should be free and relaxed.              And if you prefer a more relaxed approach to this pose, you can place a block under your sacrum and allow your body to calm down and soften.            And for even MORE relaxation, you can lift your legs, keeping your feet facing the ceiling, softening shoulders and neck. 

5. Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

This pose is wonderful for your respiratory system; when you are in this pose, your chest is stretched open, ribcage expanding to encourage you to breathe more deeply.Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor. Inhale, lift your pelvis slightly off the floor and slide your hands, palms down, below your buttocks. Then rest your buttocks on the backs of your hands. Tuck your forearms and elbows close to the sides of your torso.Inhale and press your forearms and elbows firmly on the mat, then bring your shoulder blades closer to one another; on the next inhalation lift your upper torso and head away from the floor, drop your head back (slowly and carefully) and rest the top of the head on the mat. Do not put too much pressure on the head; instead lift through the forearms and elbows. 

6. Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Sodana)

This breathing technique will be helpful for you but only if your nasal passages are open, if you are too congested, just practice the breathing exercise given on last week’s post. But, if after practicing the poses you find yourself with clear breathing passages, try alternate nostril breathing to calm and balance your breath.How to do: You can sit on a chair or on the mat, lengthening youre spine and relaxing the shoulders and neck; bring your right hand toward your face. You can bend the index and middle fingers or softly place them between your eye brows (as in the picture). With the thumb you cover the right nostril and with the ring finger, the left nostril. Exhale all the air out, take a deep inhale, cover your left nostril and exhale through the right, inhale deeply through the right nostril, cover it and then exhale through the left. And so you go on alternating breathing through each nostril and changing sides on every exhalation. Repeat for a minute or so and then when you are ready, finish your last round on the left side, exhaling through both nostrils and staying still for a minute or two, just feeling and noticing the sensations that arise in your body. Finish lying down on your back to take everything in and check in with your body: feel your breath, notice if anything changed. Stay here for a couple of minutes before resuming your daily activities.Remember that yoga is not the cure for your allergies, but with time, practice and patience, it can help you to temporarily relieve and lessen the symptoms, allowing you to relax and appreciate more the moments when you are allergy free.

Happy practicing!

ABOUT BE

Be Luecke is a Mexican born, 200 hr Registered Yoga Teacher currently residing in Chicago, IL. Her classes are all-inclusive, welcoming you on your mat and in your body, and inspiring you to connect with that aspect of yourself that you have forgotten: your own light, your own unconditional love. Having suffered from depression and body image issues, she likes helping others heal in a more meaningful, lasting and loving way by sharing the practices that have supported her on her journey to self-love.CONNECT W/ BE:Website + Blog | Instagram | Facebook