How Suryanamaskar and pranayama can help you fight spring allergies

Suryanamaskar: Doing a minimum of five to ten rounds of Suryanamaskar is the best way to boost your immune system. If you cannot do the whole sequence, keep to those that begin and end with Tadasana or the mountain pose. Stand upright with your feet facing forward, parallel to each other, and your arms at your sides, palms facing forward. Then do the poses that take you through all manner of stretches, forward folds and backbends that build heat and energy. Come back to position after each pose.

Pranayama: Both Kapalbhati and Bhastrika are powerful, energising and detoxifying pranayamas which also stimulate the digestive organs, purify the blood and still your mind.

Kapalbhati: This pranayama involves rapid exhalation that helps clear the lungs of toxins, blockages and residual CO2 upto the smallest alveoli. It is specially recommended for asthma patients.

· Sit in any meditation pose or on a chair, sofa with your back straight.

· See that your head and spine are aligned, body relaxed while hands are placed on your knees.

· Close your eyes, focus on your breathing.

· Start with rapid forceful exhalation without bothering about inhalation.

· Your stomach will automatically move in with every exhalation.

· Do about 10 counts to begin with then slowly build it to 50 counts.

Bhastrika: Continue to sit as for Kapalbhati.

· Begin with forceful exhalation and follow it up with forceful inhalation.

· Continue rapid forceful breathing in and out.

· One inhalation-exhalation makes one round.

· Start with 10 counts then build it up to 50 counts.

Nadi Shodhan: The simple practice of alternate nostril breathing makes it a good sequence of breathing practice after the stimulating, energising practises of the above two pranayamas.

· Sit in any of the meditation postures with your body erect but relaxed.

· Close your eyes. Breathe normally.

· Raise your right hand towards your nostrils and place the middle and forefinger at the eyebrow centre.

· Use the ring finger to close the left nostril and the thumb to close the right nostril. The left hand may be in Gyan or Chin mudra on the left knee.

· Close your right nostril and breathe in through the left nostril as deep as possible without straining or making any loud sound, or pulling up your body.

· The inhalation should happen inside the left nostril.

· When you have reached your maximum capacity, close your left nostril and breathe out gradually through the right nostril.

· When the exhalation is complete, then inhale through the right and exhale through the left nostril.

· This makes one round. Do 5-7 rounds.

As you advance in the practice, you can count the seconds as you inhale and exhale, so you know your limit and set your rhythm. Initially, it is good to keep an equal balance between the two. As beginners you may comfortably start with anything between five to 15 counts of inhalation and exhalation.

Cautionary advice: Those suffering from heart, high BP, retinal problems, glaucoma, stroke epilepsy or any recent surgery must avoid doing Suryanamaskar, Kalapbhati or Bhastrika. But everybody can do Nadi Shodhan.