Amidst growing concern about the spread of the H1N1 virus in India, many have turned to Yoga and ayurveda for prevention and even a possible cure. Yoga practitioners claim it can help combat swine flu by improving your overall health. Forward – bending asanas help to drain phlegm, backward – bending asanas would build confidence, sideways – bending would exercise intercostals muscles increasing the lung capacity, the pranayams would help to transport oxygen to each cell and build up energy reserves. Jalaneti (nasal cleansing with warn saline water) is very useful to keep the respiratory system healthy.

Good health at all levels is the aim of Yoga. So the aim is lofty. Hema Sathe (60) says when she first read about the spread of flu, she was not afraid. “When I hit 50, I began getting back pain and gaining weight. Yoga helped me stay slim. I also monitor my eating habits and I felt confident that even if I caught the virus, I could overcome it.” Her son is a PR consultant with a firm and she says Yoga helped her overcome her fears for him. “I was more balanced in my approached and did not panic for him either.”

Baba Ramdev, a popular Yoga guru, says that practicing yoga every day, especially pranayam, helps to boost the body’s immunity. He encourages his followers to do pranayam daily, including kapal bhati, bhastika and anulam vilom. Agrees Yoga practitioner Rahul Shariff, “The major types of pranayam, ujjayi pranayam, kapal bhati pranayama and digra pranayam. Regular practice has been found to increase immunity. An individual whose body is strong stands a better chance of fighting swine flu.”

It is a form of therapy. Dr Jayadeva Yogendra, president of the Santa Cruz institute says in the book ‘Yoga Therapy in Asthma, Diabetes and Heart Disease’, Yoga committed to the fundamentals takes a broader view of the whole problem of disease and puts forth universal concepts like karma, samskaras, asmita, citta suddi, prana, to understand the complex problem.” While modern medicine aims at immediate relief, Yoga aims at the removal of basic cause.

“Swine flu is also a respiratory disorder and children, the weak and the old who have low immunity are easy to targets of the H1N1 virus,” says Suguna kuroop of the Birla Kerala Vaidyashala. ‘According to her diet plays an important role in prevention and she advises having only boiled vegetables. Garlic, turmeric, honey, ashwagandha and tulsi are particularly helpful. Ginger is vishwabheshaja – is accepted as having healing properties throughout the world.

Ayurveda also speaks about communicable disorders – epidemics and pandemics in the context of janapadodhwamsa, which means the destruction of population due to the vitiated elements that evolve from contaminated air, land and water. Sankramika vyadhi (diseases that have a tendency to spread) can be arrested by the following basic hygienic rules such as sahaashanat – sharing food and sahashyyat – common inhabitation of a place. These are similar to modern hygienic rules. According to Yoga shiromani, consultant and trainer Anudita Agarwal, Yoga and Ayurveda can also help in other respiratory disorders like asthma, bronchitis and heart related problems. “They can help overcome some of the symptoms of H1N1 though they are definitely not cures,” she says.

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