TheHotYogaDoctor

hi all,

just wondering what’s the best approach to keep up my yoga practice when i’m sick.  i know the old guideline that if the symptoms are from the neck up, it’s OK to exercise. but if you have a fever or symptoms from the neck down, you should rest.

i have a cold that turned into a sinus infection, and am now on antibiotics.  i’ll miss two classes as a result, which isn’t a lot, but wondered how everyone else handles their practice when sick.

thanks so much,
Mimi

I say take it easy! I was out with the sniffles + cough + cold + the works for about a week, so I took about 3-4 days off practice.

I suppose being sick is your body’s way of telling you to take it slow and steady

thanks Meissa, i have been doing exactly as you suggested and taken it easy for the last three days.  i’m finally feeling better, and will likely be back to full speed by Friday.  then i can get back into my practice.
Mimi

everyone is different - some people like exercising when they are sick, some don’t. I have arthritis and often have to take a month off my practice here and there when i have a flare up. Your body will tell you what it wants.

Hi Contessa,

In my practice, I’ve found that if I have a head cold, going to yoga actually helps quite a bit.  Gross as it may sound, you “drain” a lot!  Also, I like thinking I’m sweating the sickness out of me.  And, most of all, I find class particularly mentality therapuetic when I’m under the weather—-just having someone tell me over and over again to breathe and let go and relax when I feel crappy is fantastic!  That said, if you have a fever (or are contagious and coughing up half your lung), I can’t imagine anything other than rest and fluids is good for your body.

I think the best you can do is go to class, keep in mind that you’re not 100 percent, and treat your practice accordingly—-resting when you need to, taking it easy, and staying hydrated throughout class.  Everyone handles illness differently, though.  To each her own!

Hope you feel better soon!

hannahjustbreathe, thanks so much!

i agree, and went during the first few days i was coming down with this darn thing, and always felt great afterward.  then on Monday, my body told me i needed to rest!  so i have been, and am hoping to be back in action tomorrow.  am feeling much better, though, as you noted, not quite 100% yet.

thanks again!

Hello everyone

Bikram states in his beginning yoga class book that for colds and flu ‘do only standing postures, concentrating extra long and hard on the Balancing Stick and Triangle to increase your heartbeat as much as possible’. I myself have done this when I have been unwell and found it helped me to feel better without wearing me out too much.

Hope this is helpful!

thanks Kim!

Kim/Gabrielle,
I do hot yoga at home. I also read Bikram’s tips on how to practice with a cold/flu. Do you still include the Pranayama and Kapalbhati breathing exercises with the standing poses? Thanks. Sandra

Hi Sandra

It’s totally up to you! I really like to do Pranayama at the beginning of even short yoga sessions because of the instant calming effect on my body and mind. I may do one set just to ground myself sometimes (without yoga!). There are benefits for the Kapalbhati exercise after your standing series, equally you could lie down. Try it and see how it feels to do it before lying for a final Savasana.

Namaste
Gabrielle

Hi all,

Thought I’d add my 2 cents as I am just currently recovering from illness.

The general advice is that once your fever has gone you are not likely to be contagious, and as I am on the final stretch of my bronchitis and have been itching to exercise I headed back to class last night for the first time in 2 weeks.

I’m so glad I went because the hot humid air, focus on breathing and all of the standing series really opened up my lungs and made me feel so so much better. It was great for my aching muscles as well, especially camel and the other back bends.

I also had the best sleep I’ve had in ages.