Jenna Young does yoga at Rama Lotus Yoga Centre on Gladstone Avenue in hopes of staying healthier.
The combined threat of the H1N1 and regular flu viruses has Ottawa residents on a constant lookout for ways to protect themselves, and according to a local yoga centre, the relaxing and low-impact activity of yoga is beneficial in the fight against these illnesses.
This is the claim being made by the Rama Lotus Yoga Centre on Gladstone Avenue.
Their website offers suggestions for the flu season, stating that “a consistent yoga practice has been proven to boost [the] immune system, organ function, and improves your general mental and physical health.”
A link is provided to a naturopathic website promoting natural alternatives to the H1N1 shot.
Tara Porter is a yoga teacher and the general manager of the Rama Lotus. She says that yoga offers a full-body workout that not only includes your muscles, but also helps your organs and breathing, all of which could be affected by the flu.
Porter says that because of the H1N1 threat and the onset of the regular cold and flu season, some Rama Lotus teachers are focusing a few of their classes on breathing techniques and what they say to be immune system-specific positions.
Still, Rama Lotus’s website also encourages its students who have come down with the flu to stay home and practice yoga on their own.
“Ultimately when that flu comes around, your body really needs that rest,” says Porter. “The best thing to do is to just really breathe and take yoga into a different format [at home].”
Porter says that although every yoga position has a different benefit, poses such as twists and back openers, combined with breathing exercises, can be particularly valuable with the fight against the flu.
“In terms of postures, twists are really great to kind of stimulate the digestive organs, and proper digestive health is reflected in your energy levels, in your ability to ward off diseases and illnesses,” Porter says.
However, Dr. Christopher Skinner, of the Ottawa Hospital, says there is no proof that yoga strengthens the immune system against viral attacks, although it may make you feel healthier.
“There’s no clinical evidence by clinical trial that the immune system is any more vigilant if you do yoga than if you don’t,” Skinner says.
“I wouldn’t use it as a preventative measure [against the H1N1 virus].”
Dr. Vera Etches, Associate Medical Officer of Health from Ottawa Public Health, agrees that while some people may use yoga to keep in shape, it is not an appropriate defence against H1N1.
“There is no evidence that yoga practice prevents infection with the pandemic H1N1 Influenza virus,” Etches says.
“However, maintaining physical and mental health is important to maintain a strong immune system to assist with fighting viral infections.”
Skinner adds that although yoga does not prevent the flu or H1N1, it does improve your respiratory functions and muscle memory, something that is beneficial if you’re already sick.
Being able to clear your lungs and breathe properly is important to the recovery process and it may prevent you from becoming even sicker, he says.
Skinner says that because of the unpredictable nature of the H1N1 virus, everyone should get immunized:
“The trouble with the H1N1 . . . is that it can strike young people who are otherwise physiologically normal.”