5 Top Tips to strengthen your Immune System

These days is more important than ever before to strengthen our immune system and stay healthy. What can we do to improve our immunity? Are there certain measures that we can take to actually help our body fight diseases?Our body is a unity of various systems working together. To function well, these systems – including the immune system – need to be balanced and in harmony.Researchers still work on understanding the complex mechanisms inside our bodies and the influence of lifestyle, nutrition, exercise and stress on our immunity. For sure, following general strategies for health and well-being will naturally enhance your ability to stay strong and healthy.Besides the most important measures of personal hygiene such as frequent handwashing, avoiding touching the face and following the local regulations to avoid spreading the current Coronavirus, there are individual health strategies that you can implement in your life.As you will see, these suggestions do not only address the body, but also the mind as both of them are interconnected. Since a few years, more and more research is done on this body-mind connection, especially in the field of psychoneuroimmunology and epigenetics. Yogis and practitioners of other Eastern traditions have known since thousands of years that in order to stay healthy and balanced, we need to address the body and the mind at the same time.Here are some suggestions how to improve your immunity and general well-being:

1. Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables. A healthy body with and intact immune system needs good, regular nourishment. Get plenty of fresh food in a wide array of colors in order to give your body enough macro nutrients (the energy your body will generate from your food intake) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that it needs for optimal function, growth, maintenance and repair. Stay away from processed foods and “empty calories” as much as possible including candy, soda, fast food and alcohol. These foods often contain chemicals and preservatives that are taking a toll on your health. Instead, top op your diet with natural superfoods such as turmeric, ginger and citrus fruits. You can bring these together by preparing the herbal Indonesian health booster Jamu. Indonesians believe that this natural drink, that has been consumed since many centuries, is a key for optimal health and stamina. A diet rich in fresh plant-based foods also helps you to maintain a healthy weight, which is crucial in the long run to avoid diseases of various kinds.
2. Get enough sleep and rest Studies have shown that being well rested improves the function of white blood cells to fight disease-causing microorganisms. Establish a regular sleeping pattern, which means going to bed and getting up always at the same time and getting between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. When you have troubles falling asleep at night, create a calming pre-bedtime routine to softly transition from waking to sleeping. This could include soft, relaxing background music in the evening, lighting candles, doing some restorative Yin yoga poses and switching off your mobile phone at least one hour before bedtime.
3. Get enough exercise Regular exercise is one of the pillars of healthy living and well-being. It improves cardiovascular function, lifts your mood, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight and thus protects against a variety of diseases. Moderate, regular exercise can contribute to general good health and therefore to a healthy immune system. Good circulation, promoted and improved by exercise, allows the cells and substances of the immune system to move through the body freely and do their job efficiently. If you have to stay at home in quarantine, check out youtube for free home-gym videos, follow your favorite yoga teachers who might have moved their classes online or take frequent, brisk walks in nature if you can.
4. Stay positive In midst all the current challenges that we go through all over the world, we can easily get lost in panic, worry, anxiety and overwhelm. It is crucial for our health and immunity to minimize stressful feelings. Stress hormones such as cortisol can compromise immune function. Practice gratitude and think of at least three things that you are grateful for every day to lift your vibration. Imagine the best outcome from this situation, even if you cannot see your way through it yet. Limit how often you check the news and feeds on social media. Practice mindfulness, observe your feelings and triggers and notice when you get thrown off center by other people’s behaviors and opinions. Practicing deep breathing, meditation, yoga asanas and relaxation techniques can help you to lower your stress response and calm your nervous system. You may not always be able to control events around you, but you can always decide how to respond to them. Especially these days it is more important than ever to create and maintain our daily self-care routines for finding our calm center and creating balance in the eye of the storm. Expect good things and your immune system will follow.
5. Maintain healthy connections Mounting evidence from many studies suggests loneliness and social isolation are very detrimental to health. Wile many people in different countries are confined to staying at home and not being able to live their normal lives, many of us are also graced with a stable internet connection and more time – which allow us to stay connected virtually with people all over the world. Start writing messages and calling people that are dear to you. Let them know how much you care for them and offer your support wherever needed. Sometimes it just needs a listening pair of ears and empathy, knowing that we are all in this together. The sincerity of the situation might also allow us to become clearer about what matters most in our lives and to give voice to our values, heartfelt desires, hopes and dreams. May we all appreciate the heartfelt connections and the support we have in our lives. May our relationships become richer and more meaningful and may this crisis be a means to cherish an increased sense of togetherness.

In order to prevent further spreading of the Coronavirus, Udara remains closed for now until 21^st of April 2020 (the date of re-opening is subject to change). We know, that especially in these challenging times, it is crucial to have yoga and meditation practices, rituals and a community of like-minded people. And it is with sadness in our hearts, that we currently cannot provide a platform for health, healing, relaxation and well-being at Udara. We are already looking forward to greet you again and welcome to be present in our restaurant, sauna and pools, on the yoga mat, Aerial hammock and massage table. We can’t wait to meet you again very soon.