Hi, I recently retired and am working part time and consequently, have doubled my exercise routine (2-3 hours a day) basically, my routine is:
4 hours of Yoga a week
10 miles of walking vigorously a week
10-12 miles swimming a week
2 spin classes a week
Despite my doctor claiming I am the poster child of health, I’ve been sick for 5 weeks with a virus that ran rampant in my area (most everyone was sick for at least a month with this virus) I am finally recovered, and 2 weeks later, have come down with a ferocious cold.
I did yoga throughout the virus illness however, I just read that
"doing Yoga classes when you are in any stage of dealing with a cold or flu will likely result in becoming more sick and being sick for a longer period of time."
The article went on to explain, however, I was especially struck with the paragraph:
If you are full-out sick, many restorative poses should be avoided, especially postures placing the head below the level of the heart and lungs. Sometimes with colds, we encounter infections of the sinus and inner ear. When we place the head below the level of the heart, [B]extra blood pressure moves into the infected inner ear which could lead to serious damage. [/B]Inverting the head can also create discomfort with sudden pressure or fluid release coming from the sinus.
Can anyone verify this? I’m interested because in the midst of the virus, while continuing to do yoga and other exercise, I developed a bad inner ear problem with terrible balance problems that lasted for weeks. I found that inversions actually cleared up the dizziness at least for the day. Now I’m wondering if the yoga actually caused the imbalance. Does anyone know what “serious damage” means?
How long does one refrain from down dog and other like poses with a cold? Thanks for any light you can shed on these questions.