Use some tissue to take care of your runny nose.
“Oh shoot!” thinks Alice “I was hoping to avoid this problem.”
Alice’s nose is starting to drip. She has sniffed it a couple of times.
Alice has a slight allergy problem today. It happens a lot this time of year. Her nose was stuffy and running earlier today.
Alice knows that a yoga practice helps her deal with her allergy problem. After her yoga practice her sinuses are much clearer and she can breathe easier.
To avoid a runny nose Alice blew her nose several times before class. But it was not enough. Her nose has started to run once more.
What is a runny nose
You get a runny nose when liquid that has accumulated in your sinuses tries to leave your body through your nose. And as a result you have a runny nose that you are trying to manage during your yoga practice.
Where does your runny nose come from
There are two common sources of a runny nose:
- Allergy / Cold
- Head down
Sometimes moving your head below your hips will cause a runny nose.
Other times, like Alice, you are not surprised that you nose is running because you have an allergy or cold problem today.
Allergy / Cold
You may start class with stuffy sinuses from a cold or allergy problem. Before you practised your nose was fine but once you get going you discover that the fluid in your sinuses is moving into your nose.
Other times you may be completely surprised.
Head down
Once you recognize you have a runny nose you can do one of three things. Only one of these is the best solution:
- Sniff it
- Wipe it
- Blow it
You start class and your sinuses are completely clear. You start doing a series of Sun Salutes and then you discover that your sinuses have filled up and your nose starts to run.
Moving your head up and down from standing to head below your hips stirs up the liquid in your sinuses and gets it moving into and out of your nose.
Whether you started with stuffy or clear sinuses there is only one way to deal with the problem.
How to deal with a runny nose
Once you recognize you have a runny nose you can do one of three things. Only one of these is the best solution:
- Sniff it
- Wipe it
- Blow it
The easiest thing to do is to sniff your nose to keep the dripping under control but this is not the best approach.
Sniff it
Sniffing your nose as Alice knows is only a temporary solution to your runny nose. To keep your runny nose under control you will be sniffing it many times through out your yoga practice.
Sniffing your nose may keep your nose from running for a few minutes.
Sniffing will distract and annoy your neighbours and it will restrict the passage of air through your sinus and nose.
Sniffing your nose is not a good solution. Wiping your nose is not much better.
Wipe it
Wiping your nose on your sleeve is only a temporary solution to your runny nose. This action will annoy your neighbours and distract them from their yoga practice.
Wiping your nose like sniffing does not improve the air flow through your nose and sinus.
There is only one good solution to a runny nose and that is to blow your nose and remove the liquid that has accumulated there.
Blow it
Blowing your nose is the best approach to managing your runny nose. Blowing your nose brings you two benefits.
You can focus on your practice. Once you blow your nose you can put your full attention to your practice and not worry about what to do with your nose.
Your sinuses and nose airways will be clear. Now you will be able to get a lot more air into your longs. This will bring more energy to your body and increase the benefit you get from your practice.
There are two ways that you can blow your nose.
At your mat. Some yoga studios will supply boxes of tissues within the practice space for you to use. Have a look around you and you may discover a box sitting on a shelf or in a corner. Go and get a couple of tissues and take care of your runny nose right at your mat.
Leave the room. If you can not find any boxes of tissues around the practice space you will be leaving the room and heading to the bathroom to clear your sinuses.
Even if there are tissues available in the room you may want to leave the practise space to clear your nose. Some people prefer to blow their nose in private and other people are very loud when they blow there nose.
If you are one of the loud nose blowers it is best for you and everyone else in the room to make a quick exit, clear your nose and then return quietly to your yoga mat and resume your practice.
Summary
Alice knows from experience that there are tissues available in the room. She quickly goes and gets a tissue and clears her nose quietly beside her mat. She blows her nose quietly and is ready to resume her yoga practice.
She puts her used tissues under the corner of her mat to keep them out of the way. She will put them in the trash after her yoga practice.
Next Step
If you have a problem with a runny nose avoid sniffing and wiping and blow your nose right away. You will have a more focused and better yoga practice if you do.
Additional Reading
Right up there with your runny nose as embaressing moments during a yoga practice is farting. Read the article What to do when you fart in yoga class to learn the best way to deal with this situation.
Why Moaning Groaning and Humming during class will bring you bad karma talks about another noisy problem that you may encounter durign yoga class.
A runny nose is similar to sweating in that there is lots of liquid floating around. The article What to do when you are sweating enough to float a boat will help you to deal with this situation.
