It’s been almost three years, but Monisha Raja said she still suffers from COVID-19 after being diagnosed in March 2020.

“I still have fatigue, sometimes joint pain,” Raja said. Her long COVID, however, is different from others, as she "did not have any issues with my lungs," she said.

Raja attributes her resilient breathing to decades of yoga and its Pranayama breathing technique. Her condition caught the attention of her doctor, Dr. Rajiv Agashiwala, from Mount Sinai Doctors Medical Group, who told her to "lean into that."

What You Need To Know

  • Monisha Raja had COVID in 2020

  • Raja says practicing yoga has helped her deal with long COVID. Now, she teaches a class to people like herself

  • She is a collaborator in research being done to see if yoga can help people with long COVID

Raja said yoga kept her breathing easy when she first caught COVID, and still does now. It was working with Agashiwala to heal that she realized she could help other people with long COVID.

“I said, ‘If it’s working wonders for you, perhaps you should try that with some of your other clients,’” Agashiwala said.

She’s taught yoga for 23 years, and is now helping establish a curriculum of postures and breath work designed to protect the pulmonary system from COVID.

William Bushell, lead researcher at the Chopra Foundation Institute for Consciousness Studies, is one of the authors of the research, and says Pranayama breathing is a part of Raja’s success.

“Multiple forms of Pranayama are effective in minimizing the effects of COVID,” Bushell said.

“I can come back to some of these practices that help calm the nervous system down,” Raja added.

Raja founded Yoga for Covid in May 2020, and has taught around 100 students since she started the program. She teaches virtually and in person.

“These breathing practices expand the lungs,” she said.

Researchers believe the breathing helps clear what’s called the glymphatic system. According to the National Institutes of Health, it’s a waste clearance system aiding the central nervous system.

“This is considered to be part of the brain fog connected with long COVID,” Bushell said.

And besides helping your brain, Bushell said the way you position your body can make a difference, including proning postures where students lie on their stomachs.

“That frees up the back lungs, which is where most of the lung volume is,” Bushell said.

Angeline Urie, a student who attends the yoga session, said she’s seen an improvement in her long COVID symptoms since starting the program.

“As someone in their mid-50s, it was a little bit harder to shake, and so I’m just grateful to bring attention to my nervous system, my lungs,” Urie said.

Raja said she’s pleased her students feel better, and whether or not this catches on as the curriculum develops, she already reaps the benefits.

“Physically, I have been in great health practicing this,” Raja said.

To learn more about this yoga class, visit the website.