And just like that I, too, was laid low with the bug. I don't know if it's H1N1 (in deference to the pork producers in my home state of Iowa), but it's definitely respiratory and they say there is widespread flu activity in 21 states and almost all
of it has tested as H1N1. So there you go.On the plus side, it mostly seems like a really aggressive cold. The down side is now the boys are starting to droop...two weeks ahead of the vaccination. Sigh.
Here's what I'm doing:
1. Cancelled all my classes, so as not to be a vector. Plus, I had no energy to teach, anyway. For next week, I think focusing on verbal cues is probably the way to go, since this thing is so easy passed.
2. Got some major cold meds, so I could pass the day in a haze, without too much goo.
3. Brewing many pots of tea, kept warm with a lovely lamb tea cozy my mom knit me...constant hot liquids (Tazo's Wild Orange and Stash's Caffeine-free Peppermint are in the current rotation.)
4. Went out and got a Neti pot. I'm going to go all Ecoyogini here, but I can't say enough good things about how soothing this little item is. This is nothing special, just a plastic jobber from CVS (called a Sinus Wash), but I feel much clearer, post-Neti, and if hand-washing can eliminate 70% of the H1N1 germs, think how effective sinus-washing is! It's a bit odd (one of my students described it as self-water boarding), but not particularly gross and--like I said--completely soothing. I have some mild seasonal and dust allergies, so this should help, as well.
So, Yogis, how are you dealing with the bugs? Any problems with sick students showing up? Sick teachers? Any cute, handmade pots on Etsy I should take a look at?
9 comments:
Like a spa for your nose--Baraka makes an cold/flu blend, infused salt rinse for use with your neti pot. Ingredients include tree tea oil, palmarosa oil, rosemary oil. Availalbe at Whole Foods or SinusSupport.com
you'll be amazed at how much healthier you feel once neti kryia is incorporated into your routine. it saved me from impending sinus surgery.
I'll admit that for a while I was reluctant to try the neti too...but have also acquired one in the past year with all the sinus/respiratory issues I've been having, and now I can't imagine going through a cold season without one!
I love my neti pot! You'll love it too...especially after you notice you get sick less!
I have to add my voice to the accolades - life is better since I discovered neti!!! As a longtime respiratory sufferer (childhood athsma and all the rest) I have never EVER breathed so free and easy since adopting Neti Kriya every morning.
Happy noses!!
I've been sick for the past four days. Luckily feeling much better and only have to teach on Wed. I didn't even think of using my Neti, where was my head ... oh ya feeling like a truck drove over it. Next time I hope to remember. Will have to use it regularly this winter to hopefully ward off a repeat.
Hi, Brenda. Nice to see a fellow Wisconsinite here.
I once wrote this on my Yoga Journal Community blog (I was still miserable, but Yoga did help):
Can Yoga Cure the Common Cold?
I have a really bad cold--the kind of cold that wakes you up in the middle of the night with coughing and sneezing and makes your whole body sore.
OK, Yoga from the earliest days was an effort to relieve suffering, right? A little old common cold should be a pushover for Yoga Philosophy, right? Let's match up the key points of my philosophy with my effort to get through this cold.
The Present Moment--Instead of bemoaning my discomfort and mentally trying to escape from it, I settle into calmly experiencing what is going on at this very moment. I let myself relax toward the discomfort rather than fighting it.
The Wondrous Self--After awhile, since I'm paying attention instead of escaping, I start to marvel at what's going on inside my body. It's almost like an action/adventure movie--the white blood cells are rushing in to fight the evil virus cells. What a scientific wonder that the virus doesn't just take over and destroy me. There is a lot going on in this movie. I'm rooting for the good guys.
The Wondrous Universe--I can't help but notice, since I'm paying attention, that the rest of the universe is still out there and still wondrous. I'm still part of that wondrous universe, and the vast majority of the atoms and cells and systems in my body are still functioning in their indescribably wondrous way, cold or no cold.
Mind, Body, and Spirit--My muscles are really sore. I get up and run through my usual Yoga neck, shoulder and torso routines, focusing, as usual, on fully experiencing the sensations of each movement. This makes my muscles feel much better, and my mind and spirit, too.
I start to experience a version of Pure Awareness--My cold is becoming more and more vivid while simultaneously getting smaller and smaller in relationship to the wonder all around me and in me. I find myself able to experience An Abundance of Joy, even in the face of this very uncomfortable cold.
Can Yoga cure the common cold? No, but it sure can help with the symptoms.
Bob Weisenberg
YogaDemystified.com
I'm hearing your pain. Major allergy outbreak that is kicking me low. Neti pot going full time and nothing is really helping. It's putting a damper on my sense of humor...:(
I just found your blog. Great articles and well written. Namaste!
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