View of YOGA FOR BETTER IMMUNITY

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ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING

Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal, ISSN NO. 2456-1037, (Category- Yoga)

Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE

Vol. 06, Issue 01,January 2021 IMPACT FACTOR: 7.98 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 60 YOGA FOR BETTER IMMUNITY

Shashank Sanadhya

M.A. Yoga Education, Manikya Lal Verma Shramjeevi College, Udaipur, (Raj.)

Abstract:- ‗Yoga‘ is a Sanskrit term meaning ‗to join, unite or yoke together‘, and the essential purpose of yoga is to bring together body, mind and spirit into a harmonious whole. The central methods of yoga are physical postures or ‗asana‘ and movement, breathing techniques or ‗pranayama‘ and meditation. Yoga includes guidance on healthy lifestyle, eating habits, mental attitude, and Ayurvedic medicine is also part of the Yogic path to health and balance. The body in yoga is the vehicle for the development of wisdom, of spiritual awakening, and as such the body is held to be sacred and mastery of our body is considered the foundation for spiritual progress. In yoga we learn a discipline of the body which comes out of awareness and attentiveness, tuning in to our body‘s subtle energy flows and the life-giving rhythm of our breathing. Regular practice of yoga has shown effective results. Different asanas boost immunity, build the body‘s strength, increase energy levels, bring down anxiety and stress, infuses positivity and freshness in the mind.

When thinking about the cause of sickness, weather and other external pollutants are usually the first ones to blame. However, talk to any yogi and you will most likely find out that they rarely get sick.

Keywords:- Healthy lifestyle, eating habits, boost immunity, the body‘s strength, increase energy levels, anxiety and stress.

1. INTRODUCTION

In biology, immunity is the capability of multi cellular organisms to resist harmful micro organisms. Immunity involves both specific and nonspecific components. The nonspecific components act as barriers or eliminators of a wide range of pathogens irrespective of their antigenic make-up.

Other components of the immune system adapt themselves to each new disease encountered and can generate pathogen- specific immunity. The immune system has two components: innate and adaptive immunity. The innate immunity is present in all metazoans, while the adaptive immunity only occurs in vertebrates.

The innate system relies on the recognition of certain foreign molecules to stimulate two types of innate immune responses: inflammatory responses and hagocytosis. The adaptive system, on the other hand, is composed of more advanced lymphatic cells that are programmed to distinguish between specific "non-self" substances in the presence of "self". The reaction to foreign substances is etymologically described as inflammation, meaning to set on fire.

The non-reaction to self substances is described as immunity - meaning to exempt. These two components of the immune system create a dynamic biological environment where

"health" can be seen as a physical state where the self is immunologically spared, and what is foreign is inflammatorily and immunologically eliminated. "Disease" can arise when what is foreign cannot be eliminated or what is self is not spared.

Adaptive or acquired immunity is the active component of the host immune response, mediated by antigen- specific lymphocytes. Unlike the innate immunity, the acquired immunity is highly specific to a particular pathogen, including the development of immunological memory. Like the innate system, the acquired system includes both humoral immunity components and cell-mediated immunity components.

Adaptive immunity can be acquired during either 'naturally' (by infection) or 'artificially' (through deliberate actions such as vaccination).

Adaptive immunity can also be classified as 'active' or 'passive'. Active immunity is acquired through the exposure to a pathogen, which triggers the production of antibodies by the immune system.

Passive immunity is acquired through the transfer of antibodies or activated T-cells derived from an immune host either artificially or through the placenta; it is short-lived, requiring booster doses for continued immunity.

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ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING

Vol. 06, Issue 01,January 2021 IMPACT FACTOR: 7.98 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 61 2. EFFECTS OF YOGA ON IMMUNITY

A strong immune system can wipe out a virus within a few days, preventing more extreme manifestations of the illness and in turn the immune system is reinforced.

When the immune system isn‘t functioning optimally, the body becomes subject to illness, infections and health problems. Yoga and breathing techniques can help relax the nervous system and boost an immune response.

Both have been shown to directly impact the health of the immune system.

Yoga postures that open the chest and throat are good for stimulating the thymus, and inversion poses can help improve the flow of lymph and immune cells through the body.

Twisting poses and hip openers can help to activate the secondary organs of the immune system, including the spleen and the lymph nodes. Modified versions of forward bends, backbends can also lend a hand in supporting and strengthening the body‘s natural defenses.

2.1 Some other ways that yoga positively impacts the immune system include

1. Supports and stimulates the thymus gland

2. Improves circulation

3. Improves oxygen flow and aides the transfer of energy from nutrients to cells

4. Improves the flow of the sinuses and flushes out mucous from the lungs

5. Massages and rejuvenates internal organs

6. Helps the body flush out toxins 7. Open up energy pathways to allow

the body to heal more efficiently Yoga can also help us fight infections by boosting our immune system, reducing stress and strengthening our body's functions and systems

2.2 Stress

Psychological stress doubles the chance of a person getting a cold when nasal passage are invaded by cold causing viruses. Yoga helps lower our stress hormones and calms the nervous system, which compromises our immune system.

Through relaxation, the nervous system

can tell the immune system to settle down and stop attacking the foreign bodies, which are naturally cleared out by sneezing once or twice a day. When the immune system backs off, inflammation and mucus decrease and symptoms diminish.

2.3 Respiratory System

Colds are caused by bacteria that affect the upper respiratory system, causing stuffiness, coughing, and sore throat. If the immune system is weak, the bacteria can go into the lungs and cause bronchitis or pneumonia. Yoga is one of the main tools for maintaining the health of our respiratory system. Breathing technique and asana (posture) help improve the mechanical efficiency of our lungs by conditioning the repertory tract that increase the elasticity and strength of the whole lung. This in turn helps prevent infection.

3. MUSCLE AND JOINTS

While the outside air can cause dry skin, stiff joints and chill in our bones, asanas will help to lubricate our joints with synovial fluid and while stabilizing muscles through strengthening exercises.

In your next class, focus on postures that open the chest, and breathe deeply into each one. Some beneficial postures

include pranayama, half

moon, cobra, bow and camel. With a strong, focused and revitalized immune system, you'll find you're able to resist those everyday common sicknesses and effectively fight off infections.

4. CONCLUSION

It aims at neutralizing in flow of thought and helps improve various psycho- somatic functions, thus effecting the immunity of a individual to a great extent. In conclusion, it can be very well inferred that yoga practices are useful in boosting immunity and thus maintaining a perfect health. Yoga has a significant effect in ameliorating the autonomic, endocrine, and psychological changes brought about by the examination stress.

Yoga most probably acts through the cerebro-cortico-limbic pathways on the hypothalamus and the anterior pituitary systems.

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ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING

Vol. 06, Issue 01,January 2021 IMPACT FACTOR: 7.98 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL) 62 It thus influences the HPA in such

a way that the activation of this system is optimized and a balance is created between the sympathetic and parasympathetic limbs of the autonomic nervous system when the subject is faced with a threat (which in present case is the examination stress). Hence, the subjects practicing yoga do not show as much increase in autonomic variables as seen in the control group. In addition, the circulating levels of cytokines suggest that yoga also has a beneficial effect on the immune system of the individual.

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