The smell of soft-scented blooms, a view of lush greenery and an atmosphere of happy people are signs that the much-awaited spring is here in all its splendor and picturesque. However, despite spring’s bloom, it can herald the onset of allergies caused by pollen.

Your body’s first immune response on exposure to pollen is to go haywire to fight it and this results in some discomforting symptoms. But it’s nothing to worry about. If your spring allergies are acting up, you can nip them in the bud before they ruin your spring by practicing a few yoga poses. Yoga stabilizes the immune system from going overboard in fighting pollen by stimulating relaxation responses that normalize local resistance in respiratory passages. This brings the body back to a state of equilibrium. Once the body reaches this state, symptoms like cold, watery eyes, itchy throat, sneezing and blocked sinuses ease off gradually. The icing on the cake is that there is no better time to practice these yoga poses than now. Let’s take a look at two great yoga poses to combat spring allergies.

Upward Bow Pose

– Lie on your back.

– Bend your knees such that your feet are parallel and your hips are spread wide apart.

– Place your hands flat on the floor at either side of your head.

– Point your fingers towards the shoulders with your elbows facing up.

– Press down into your palms and feet to open up your chest.

– Lift your shoulders and hip up off the floor to increase the expansion of your upper chest region.

The upward bow or wheel pose opens up the upper chest region, improving oxygen flow to the lungs. This relieves the body of symptoms of cough, cold and respiratory disorders caused by spring allergies.

Supported Shoulder Stand

– Lay on your back with your arms by your sides and your legs on a wall.

– Begin to bend your knees to right angles with your feet against the floor.

– Press your upper arms into the floor and lower back away from the floor such that your front thighs are now facing your chest.

– Lift your pelvis off for support.

– Ensure your thighs and the lower part of your body are vertical to the floor.

– Lift your feet away from the wall to complete the pose.

– Relax your face, stabilize your shoulder blades against your back and gaze at your chest gently.

– Take five to 15 deep breaths.

This reverse-gravity yoga pose, where the feet are above the heart, calms the heart rate and blood pressure which helps the body relax. It also opens up the muscles of the chest, abdomen and upper airways to ease nasal congestion. This is a great way to relieve the stress caused by spring allergies. It is important to note that while these yoga poses are ideal for preventing and managing mild allergic conditions, they do not substitute medical intervention for extreme allergic conditions. If your allergy symptoms are severe, get adequate medical attention as soon as possible.