Yoga poses for Covid: The 4 positions to ease coronavirus symptoms and anxiety

Christine McGuinness practises yoga in lockdown

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The omicron variant has caused a surge in Covid case numbers and hundreds of thousands of Brits are stuck at home isolating. If you’re well enough to move, you could benefit from some gentle movement to calm anxiety and clear your airways. Express.co.uk spoke to Chatty Dobson, Yoga Teacher and Owner of FLEX Chelsea to find out the top four yoga poses for coronavirus.

Yoga is an exercise that requires very little space, so it makes sense to choose it if you’re isolated in one room with coronavirus.

There’s no pressure to exercise while you’re sick, but if you’re desperate to stretch and move your body, then yoga could be the best thing for you right now.

Yoga Teacher and Owner of Flex Chelsea, Chatty Dobson, said: “I think it is a good idea for people with mild covid to do home yoga, only if they are feeling up to it.

“However, it’s up to the person to know if they feel up to it, everybody is different.”

Whether you’ve got Covid or not, yoga is brilliant for any respiratory concerns.

Chatty explained: “Yoga connects your breath with the movement, and makes you breathe deeper and expand the airways.

“It doesn’t matter if you do pure asana (moving practice), or just sit still with your hand on the heart and one on the tummy, all types of yoga are useful for breathing.”

The four best yoga positions for Covid

Heart openers

If you’ve contracted coronavirus, heart openers such as gentle backbends could help you feel better.

Chatty said: “Even if you don’t have Covid, it’s winter so we are cold and huddle ourselves over to protect our organs.

“This closes everything up and makes us also feel vulnerable and shy.

“We want to open up our shoulders and lungs, so try sitting down and catching hold of opposite elbows behind your back.

“Then, draw your forearms down towards your bum or towards the floor (if you’re more flexible in your shoulders, you could do the same but interlace your fingers behind your back).”

You could also try rolling up a pillow and lying with soles of feet together, knees wide apart if this is comfortable for your hips.

If not, you could straighten your legs or bend your knees to the sky.

Chatty said: “Roll up your pillow as much as you can and lie down on it so that the long way of the pillow goes in line with your spine.

“Open your arms out wide to a T and lie there. You can let your head go, open up the chest and the airways.

“Doing this for just five minutes would be great.”

Child’s pose

According to Chatty, child’s pose is another really calming position because it allows you to “place your forehead to the earth”.

To get into child’s pose, kneel on the floor with your toes together and your knees hip-width apart.

Lay your palms on top of your thighs, lower your torso between your knees and stretch your arms alongside your torso.

Make sure your palms are facing down, your shoulders are relaxed and you’re breathing deeply.

Breathing

For anxiety, sitting down and breathing is the easiest thing to do.

Chattie said: “Your inhale is your Yang (active) and exhale is your Yin (calming).

“Count your breaths and make your exhale longer than your inhale as this will calm you down more.

“You can do this in your bed, against a wall or in a chair, just make sure you’re as upright as you can.

“Keep your hands in your lap or one place one hand on the heart and the other on the belly, whichever is more comfortable.

“Inhale to slow count of four, exhale for a slow count of six and carry this on for as long as possible.”

Sun salutations

Following a simple sun salutation is also good for anxiety, Chatty said.

She explained: “Sun salutations become a simple moving meditation as you repeat the steps, so once you’ve done it two or three times you sort of forget what you were doing.

“If you’re concentrating on the breath and the movements, you get into the rhythm and the flow so it can take your mind off things.”

Search for sun salutation on Youtube and follow along, if you’re a beginner.

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