Breathing Exercises to Help Clear a Cold
In This Article
Read about Breathing Exercises to Help Clear a Cold based on ancient Ayurvedic remedies and practices.
The inverted postures, including Shoulder Stand and Headstand (hold for only about 1 minute), as well as Forward Bend, help to prevent postnasal drip and help to drain the mucus through the nose. Use the Breath of Fire breathing exercise to help burn up your cold. Inhale BREATHING EXERCISE normally and passively, but exhale forcefully, and repeat rapidly several times. This exercise will help to eliminate mucus from the respiratory tract.
For more detailed instructions, see chapter 6. • Another effective breathing exercise is deep Alternate Nostril breathing, without retention of breath. This will also help to relieve congestion (see chapter 6). As a preventive measure, take the herb amalaki.
It is a rasayana (rejuvenative PREVENTION tonic) and a good source of vitamin C and iron. Taking 1 teaspoon of amalaki daily, with warm water at night, will help to prevent the common cold. If you are taking triphala at night, you are already taking amalaki, it is one of the three herbs that constitute triphala (along with haritaki and bibhitaki). Taking extra amalaki is not recommended, as it would create diarrhea.
Colitis Colitis is caused when vata pushes pitta into the colon and inflammation occurs. The basic line of treatment is to pacify pitta. HERBAL REMEDIES • An excellent herbal remedy for colitis is: shatavari 4 parts shanka bhasma ⅛ part kama dudha ⅛ part sanjivani 2 parts Take ¼ teaspoon of this mixture with warm water 2 or 3 times a day for 1 or 2 months. • You can also take aloe vera gel, 1 tablespoon twice a day.
Aloe vera is cooling and good for reducing pitta. Ulcerative colitis is characterized by diarrhea, mucus, and HEALING ENEMA FOR ULCERATIVE COLITIS blood from the rectum. For that condition, Ayurveda suggests a basti (enema) using (instead of plain water) a tea made from an astringent herb such as bilva, ashoka, sandalwood, or licorice root. This is how to prepare the enema: Boil 1 tablespoon of the herb (such as licorice powder) in 1 pint of water for 5 minutes.