A fun cartoon of the fantastic Zerocalcare illustrates the "evil" par excellence of the spring season: allergies. The mix of pollens and pollution triggers an annoying syndrome that can have a significant impact on people's quality of life.
Unfortunately, no asanas and no meditation will put antihistamines back in the drawer, we'll tell you right away. The good news is, however, that there are yogic devices that will help you live more serenely with the very unpleasant allergies.
Do you practice yoga and allergies? Yes, with a little more attention
As those who live the problem know well, allergies can greatly disturb the practice of yoga: first of all because rhinitis prevents a wide and deep breathing so that, in the most serious cases, they come to completely prevent it.
Even in less extreme situations, practicing some breathing exercises - for example those with alternate nostrils - can be really problematic. Likewise, some limitations also emerge in bodily practice when one notices that all forward bending and sometimes lying positions can be more difficult to maintain.
Is it necessary therefore to abandon our course of yoga until the summer? Absolutely not, here are some tips:
1) If the severity of your allergy is manageable, yoga may be disturbed but not impeded. Maybe you will arm yourself with handkerchiefs, you will avoid some asanas or you will use some props, but you can still benefit from the lesson both physically and mentally.
2) Various researches are showing how yoga can be a valuable supplement in the management of asthma. During this time the symptoms of this problem could get worse, so why give up your beneficial practice?
3) Of course particular care must be reserved for the place dedicated to the practice : the sun and the spring greenery induce many yogis to abandon the closed and to practice outdoors. We advise allergics to weigh this choice very carefully because city parks are a repository of allergens; if you really don't want to give up the undeniable charm of nature, move, if you can, near the sea, a much more welcoming place - in terms of allergies - than public gardens.
4) A positive mental predisposition can only give you a hand, even in cohabitation with allergies. Perhaps the concentration on the breath will be more complicated to achieve, but even just experimentation and research in this sense will help you relax and make peace. Seeing is believing!
Finally: if the asanas cannot directly give us help against allergies, they can do it, on the contrary, a very important yogic practice. Let's see it.
Discover also the Ayurvedic advice against allergies
Jala neti: a beneficial practice also for allergies
Do you remember Jala Neti, or cleaning the nasal cavities? We have already discussed it extensively and now we present it to you to help you practice yoga even when you suffer from allergies.
In summary, this washing takes place with the help of a special "brocchetta" called lota, which is nothing but a container with a spout (which will then be inserted into the nose), similar to a syringe without a needle.
The practice consists in letting water and salt flow or the physiological solution inside the nose according to the modalities illustrated in the article that we have reminded you.
This cleaning can be really useful in case of allergy and we advise you to do it daily. At the beginning it will be necessary to do some practice to find the most suitable method for you, but once acquired, it will steal only a few minutes ... And the relief will be worth them all!
