Practise yoga for a natural healthy body

By Dr.Amita Bhandarkar, Senior Consultant Internal Medicine, Columbia Asia Hospital Sarjapur Road
In the past few months, we have adapted to many new changes in our day to day life. We have started having more home cooked food, our exposure to pollution has reduced and more family time than usual. This has enhanced our way of living in a positive way. But one practice that anyone and everyone can or should adopt for a healthy living and better immunity system is Yoga and its various forms. 
Yoga, is an art that existed in India from ages, it is a type of exercise which involves more than twisting and stretching. For a lot of people, yoga is a form of living, which once adopted, it becomes a part of their daily living. 
Yoga and the various forms that we practise is an ancient art, which when followed strengthen’ s overall body and relax’ s one’s mind. Along with these, yoga builds the body in a way that it reduces the frequency of common infections like headaches, common cold, cough, fever. 
We humans at any given point of time are open to a wide variety of viruses that can pull down our immunity system but through yoga one can build a body that can fight illness and boost our immunity. In these changing hours, people can look into ways that can boost one’s immunity, naturally at home. Out of all the ideas that can knock one’s door, adopting yoga is the friendliest form of exercises that one can adopt at home. Below are few ways how yoga can help one: 
Decreases stress levels naturally: 
A person who is under constant pressure usually are more prone to headaches, cold and fevers. In serious conditions, stress can lead to cardiac arrests, diabetes, depression, obesity and other such major health problems. By practising breathing exercises daily, it will help in increase blood circulation leading to the decrease in stress levels in the body. In return, boosting the immunity. 
It boosts optimal functioning of the body organ: 
Most of our jobs are desk related, this has restricted or has reduced our body movements. This means that our organs don’t get enough blood flow, leading to the building up of the toxins. Over time, this can lead to overall body break down. Done on a regular basis, yoga stimulates the lymphatic system, this will help in removing toxins from the body. 
It improves bone health:
Irrespective of the age, yoga can be practised for the betterment of overall bone health. Yoga helps in lubricating the joints with synovial fluid and it stabilizes the muscles through strengthening them and eliminating the pain. For people in their prime age, yoga can set right the whole skeletal structure of the body. People having spine injuries, bone dislocations and other such bone issues, for such yoga can be a pain reliever.  

It improves the whole body:
Yoga on whole fights against issues like poor nutrition, lack of sleep, constipation, poor blood circulation and other health issues that effects one immunity system. Other than this, it improves skin, hair and nails quality. 
In the break of new diseases, the only person that can fight against them is a person with high immunity levels. And yoga and its forms are one of those exercises, which can be adopted at all times. Yoga helps a person to build a healthy body irrespective of their age. And it can practised anywhere and everywhere, even while working from home. To lead a healthy life, ensure that you adopt all practises that are more organic and natural in nature. When it comes to overall body health, yoga is the key for boosting your immunity naturally. Hence for improvising overall health and better results practise yoga daily! 
Yoga postures that can be practised for overall health: 
•    Sitting and Breathing (Sukhasana and Pranayama)
•    Forward Fold (Uttanasana)
•    Child pose (Balasana)
•    Suryanamaskara
•    Downward dog pose (Adho mukha svanasana) 
•    Vajrasana
•    Viparita Karani