I’ve been working with a client with Long Covid on her recovery for over 12 months. It occurred to me that what we have learned together might be of help to others.
Her symptoms have been shortness of breath and a feeling of pressure on her chest; brain fog; waking up feeling exhausted even after a good night’s sleep; unremitting exhaustion and unpredictable relapses.
What we have done is to work with her breath and with very, very gentle movement to improve her lung capacity and to stimulate her vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system which stimulates the rest and digest systems in your body. Her body seems to go into the fight/flight nervous system response (anxiety, racing heart, poor digestion) for no apparent reason and these practices have really helped her to manage those symptoms and to help her body to recover feelings of calm groundedness. They also help with mood - it is so challenging dealing with long illnesses and your mental health can easily suffer. Doing these exercies can help with that.
My client has changed her diet completely. This may or may not work for everybody, but I would suggest little or no gluten and dairy while you are dealing with the effects of long covid. If you suspect food might be a trigger for you, then try keeping a food/symptoms diary for a week or two and see if you can discern any patterns between what you eat and the symptoms that arise.
It’s so hard to be ill for a long time with no recovery in sight, or to have glimpses of better days, only to relapse for no apparent reason. I urge you to be patient with your body. It is going to take a while and this kind of condition never does respond well to the attitude of pushing through - in fact it is likely to make you feel much worse.
Here are some free resources that I hope will help you:
Click here for a free 30 minute yoga for Long Covid practice that contains some of what I have been doing with my student and which has really helped. Can you find a way to do it almost every day?
Click here for a free yoga nidra practice to help your body recover its balance and restore some of its energy.
Click here for a free guided breathing practice to restore your body’s natural breathing patterns and lung capacity. Calm breath makes for a calm body – it’s very powerful even though it is very gentle.
Please feel free to share this blog with friends if you think it might help.
Please contact me if you would like to take a regular online yoga class with me so that I can share all that we have discovered about what yoga works for Long Covid.
You will get better, but it might take a while. Gather your loved ones around you, find a way to take the pressure off yourself, do this practice or something like it every day that you are able. Move to a slower rhythm of life and your body will thank you.
Sarah x