How to Boost your Immunity: Meditation and other remedies

Aaron Meditating in Capital Reef

Meditation is a simple and lost cost (free) way to boost your immunity. In recent research studies, meditation was shown to lower levels of cortisol (stress hormone), increase antibodies (a large part of our immune response) and stimulate connections in the brain, which helps with our thinking process, creativity and our level of happiness. WOW! If you've wanted to know how to meditate or build a home practice, click here to register for my 28-days to a personal meditation practice. 

Some other ways to boost your immunity as change seasons are to take:

Turmeric Honey

• 1/4 c local, raw honey

• 1 t freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 2 t ground turmeric

• 2 T raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (I like Bragg's with the Muther)

• pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Mix turmeric and black pepper in a mortal and pestle to create a fine powder. Then add in the honey, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Stir until smooth. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can use this in your tea (1-2 t) or take it straight from a spoon every day.

Immunity Tea Recipe 

• 1 part nettle

• 1 part astragalus

• 1 part licorice root

• 1 part echinacea

• 1/2 part ginger root

• 1/2 part ginseng powder

• 1/2 part peppermint leaf

Mix dried herbs and store in airtight container. Use 1 T mixed herbs per cup of boiling water. I like to boil water in a pot and place herbs in to steep. You can reuse the herbs 2-3 times.

Neti Pot- with 1/8 t sea salt (How to Neti)

Abhyanga self massage 

Oil ears- simmer 2 T olive oil with a pressed clove of garlic for 30 minutes. Place 2-3 drops in each ear as needed (after the mixture has cooled). 

Add a dash of horseradish, chili peppers or hot mustard to your food — all act as natural, temporary decongestants. 

Avoid foods that you’re slightly allergic to--some common ones--dairy, wheat, eggs.

There are many ways to naturally boost our immunity. I've listed just a few. Give some of them a try and let me know how it goes.

Soothing Spring Ayurveda Style

Though we have 4 seasons here in parts of the US and other parts of the world, Ayurveda generally considers three. They are based on the qualities of the seasons which are most closely linked to the doshas or constitutional principles. 

The three doshas- vata, made of the elements air and space (also known as ether) has cold, dry and windy qualities and depicts Fall to Winter; kapha, made of the elements earth and water has moist, dense, and sluggish qualities and defines winter to spring; and pitta, made up of fire and water, has sharp, hot, and oily qualities which depicts spring into summer. There are other qualities and I am simplifying, yet I think you will all get the picture.

In Utah we are completely into Spring and will soon move into Summer. We experienced the waking up from winter, the necessary cleansing and now we make sure that we are prepared to move into a hot, dry Summer. Of course, all of my suggestions will depend upon your personal constitution and your general health.  Take this test to find out.

What can you do?

• eat locally grown,organic foods that are coming into season
• my sprouts are going crazy right now as are my son's strawberries
• eat lighter than in the winter and now you can eat cooler foods (like salads)
• continue with your morning and evening routines although some of you will wake up earlier with the sun and stay up a bit later
• begin with warm water with lemon, brush teeth, scrape tongue
• neti pot (nasal wash) with sterile, gently salted water helps to lessen allergic reactions
• be sure to still use your oil in your nose, eyes, gums, and on your skin
• dry brush the skin starting at the extremities and working your way in before oiling to slough off dead skin
• get outside (with sun protection-hat, sunglasses, sunscreen)
• exercise-swim, bike, walk, hike 
• continue with a breathing practice, keeping any stronger kriyas in the mornings
• asana can be a bit more vigorous if appropriate for you (halasana for digestion)
  
• spend time with family and friends
• drink lots of fluid
• although you may stay up a bit later, consider settling down when the sun goes down
• think about disconnecting from electronics an hour before sleep
• continue to meditate because it's important to still spend quiet, quality inner time with yourself
• enjoy

I'm always interested to hear what my readers are doing so feel free to let me know.

Neti Washing: Free Your Breath, Free Your Mind

by Guest Author: Charlotte Bell

In yoga classes, we talk a whole lot about the importance of the breath. We exhort our students to breathe deeply as they move into, hold and move out of asanas. Some types of yoga, such as Ashtanga and other forms of vinyasa, instruct practitioners how and when to move with each inhalation and exhalation. It’s arguable that this coordination of breath and movement is one of the most important factors that sets asana apart from other physical practices. The yoga poses many of us practice are not intended to be gymnastic feats to perform. They were developed as vehicles for expanding the breath and therefore, calming the nervous system

In the Eight Limbs of Yoga, the framework for practicing the whole system of Yoga, pranayama—expansion of the breath—lies between the physical and mental/spiritual practices. The breath is the gateway between the body and mind. That is why traditional Hatha Yoga emphasizes breathing more than accomplishing poses. It is the slowing and steadying of the breath that allows the body and mind to settle.

We breathe an average of 20,000 times a day. It happens all day long without our having to give it a single thought. But, unlike any other automatic physiological process, we can also control the breath. We can extend it or shorten it or speed it up or slow it down, all of which affect the nervous system in many ways.

But sometimes we don’t have a lot of control over how we breathe. Allergies, sinus infections and environmental pollutants can sometimes cause our breathing passes to be blocked, making it impossible to take in a full inhalation. When this happens, we can feel less energetic and sometimes even suffer a bit of brain fog.

Neti Washing to the Rescue

Of course, eating healthy foods and exercising regularly can help ward off these symptoms, but sometimes our environment gets the best of us. That’s when neti washing can save the day.

Neti washing is a form of nasal irrigation that employs a small pot and a solution of warm salt water. The warm water soothes nasal passages as it gently clears excess mucus so that the cilia inside your nostrils can more efficiently trap bacteria and other toxins.

You can buy a pot at most pharmacies and many larger grocery stores. You must use specially formulated neti salt—non-iodized—for the solution. We offer two choices for getting started: Eco Neti Pot Starter Kit that includes a lightweight, unbreakable pot (great for travel!), neti salt, a zinc and herbal solution, and instructions on how to get started. We also carry the Essential Neti Pot, a lead-free ceramic pot minus the salt and herbal solutions.

Get Started

There’s lots of good info online about how to use your pot, but here are a few tips:

1. Use boiled, distilled or filtered water. Even though neti washing has been practiced safely for centuries, there have been a few recently recorded cases of life-threatening infections from using straight tap water.

1. Add 1/4 teaspoon of neti salt to your pot and pour water over the salt. Stir to distribute the salt.

1. Test the temperature of your water before you irrigate. It should be warm, but not hot. Hot water will burn delicate nasal passages. Cold water isn’t as effective and doesn’t feel all that great either. When the water is running through your nostrils it should feel slightly warm.

1. Position yourself over a sink and have some tissues handy.

1. You may need to experiment with the tilt of your head. It took me a few tries to find the tilt that would allow free flow between my nostrils. It’s a good idea to start neti washing at a time when your sinuses aren’t blocked, just to get the hang of it when your passages are relatively open.

1. Gradually pour one full pot of salt water through each nostril, blowing your nose at the end of each washing.

1. Wash your pot thoroughly and let it air dry completely.

I was hesitant to try neti washing for years. It just seemed too weird—running water through one nostril and having it flow out the other one. But about five years ago, in the throes of a sinus infection, I decided to try it. I’ve been doing it almost daily ever since. Even if my sinuses are pretty clear, it just feels good for my sinuses and nasal passages to feel so open and expansive. And this is purely anecdotal, but after my morning neti washing, my brain feels a lot more clear too.