Ready For Flu Season? 3 Ayurvedic Tips to Boost Your Immunity

There is never a bad time to build up your immune system and prep your body and mind for challenges ahead. This is especially true with the holiday season – and flu season – upon us.

What better way to do it than with the wisdom of the sister sciences of Ayurveda and Yoga?

Here are three tips that will help you ignite your body’s own healing power.

1) Build up your Agni!

Digestive health and the immune system are inextricably linked. Did you know 70 percent of your body’s immune system dwells in your digestive tract? Maintaining a balanced digestive health is crucial to the body’s overall well-being. Essentially thought of as your “digestive fire,” a strong Agni (pronounced: “ugh-nee”) allows us to transform all that we ingest into something useful. Because your gut is the root of your immune system, a healthy Agni is essential to help burn off waste and toxins. When your digestive fire is strong, your digestive system works better.

a. Ayurveda – Eat a diet of whole, unprocessed foods, cooked so that you can digest it properly. Remember to not overeat! Use herbs that help to boost Agni, such as ginger, black pepper, long pepper, licorice and cumin.

b. Yoga – Do a physical practice that is appropriately warming and focuses on building energy in the core. Twists, abdominal strengthening postures and the breath of fire all help to draw energy to the core.

2) Conserve your Ojas.

“Ojas” can be defined several ways. A simple way of thinking about it is as the end product of great digestion. It is the nectar that connects you to higher states of consciousness and enables good health and joy. Ojas is responsible for a radiant glow that people can see and feel. In Ayurveda, it is also the substance that is most closely equated to the Immune System. Want to get and maintain your glow all year long? Here is how you can:

a. Ayurveda – Eat a diet of pure foods in the right amount, avoid over-doing anything (alcohol, work, sex) and keep stress in check. Live well and laugh often! It sounds simple, but it’s not always easy to put this advice into practice during the holidays. Just remember the importance of your health, make yourself a priority and, above all, be gentle with yourself.

b. Yoga – Pain doesn’t always equal gain. Do not push yourself too hard in practice. If you come to a point where you cannot breathe smoothly and steadily, you are depleting your resources and draining your Ojas. This does not mean be lazy, just find the sweet spot! Simple breathwork and meditation are great Ojas builders.

3) Get enough rest!

The phrase “beauty sleep” is more than just a cliché. A restful night’s sleep of at least 7-8 hours is necessary for a healthy immune system. Just as important is participating in restful activities during waking hours. Here are some soothing, restorative ways to keep your immune system in fighting shape at all times.

a. Ayurveda – Take a walk in nature, drink in the beauty of the world around you with all of your senses. Take time to actively cultivate a state of gratitude and kindness.

b. Yoga – Try a Yoga Nidra (Yogic sleep) practice at some point during the day. Taking at least 30 minutes to deeply rest in a Yogic sleep restores your body on a deep, cellular level. (There is a reason nearly everyone loves savasana.)

Your health is everything! Take time to integrate these Ayurvedic and Yogic practices into your day and judge the results for yourself!

Ayur Dehi! To your health!