World Thalassemia Day is observed every year on May 8 across the globe to raise awareness among the general populace about this genetic condition. Launched by the Thalassemia International Federation, the primary objective of this global event is to ensure world-class medical care for all patients affected with this disorder, besides remembering and honouring the lives lost battling the disease and continuously attempting to find an affordable, easily available and effective cure for thalassemia. 
Also Read: World Thalassemia Day: 5 Lifestyle Changes To Improve Quality Of Life
This year’s theme for World Thalassemia Day 2023 is “Be Aware. Share. Care: Strengthening Education to Bridge the Thalassemia Care Gap.’’ This mainly affirms all supporters to build up awareness about Thalassemia and promote knowledge to provide the patients suffering from this genetic disorder the best possible life and care.
What is Thalassemia?
Thalassemia is a genetic (i.e., passed from parents to children through genes) blood disorder caused when the body doesn't make enough of the blood protein called haemoglobin, a crucial component of the erythrocytes or red blood cells. When there isn't enough haemoglobin in the blood plasma, the body's red blood cells don't function properly like the healthy ones and live for shorter periods, so there are fewer healthy red blood cells at a time travelling in the bloodstream.
The primary function of the red blood cell is to carry oxygen to all the cells and tissues of the body. When the absence of enough healthy red blood cells, there is also a deficiency of oxygen delivered to all the other cells of the body, which may cause a person to feel tired, fatigued, weak or short of breath eventually leading to the condition called anaemia. People detected with Thalassemia may have a mild or severe form of anaemia. Severe anaemia can even be fatal, damage organs and lead to death.
While a severe form of anaemia causing thalassemia promptly requires medical help in the form of blood transfusion, if you are mild thalassemia and want to mitigate the symptoms of anaemia naturally, then trust us when we say, Yoga can be your ultimate saviour!
The Effects Of Yoga On Thalassaemic Patients
Yoga is prized as one of the holistic and most effective remedies in managing Thalassemia naturally as it is an incredible, calming form of exercise that not only helps beat stress and improve mental and emotional wellness but also improves flexibility, stamina and benefits the circulatory system. The sequential body movements paired with breathing exercises in yoga also improve your balance and poise, helps to reduce mind and body fatigue and manage the various associated symptoms of anaemia. Additionally, regular practice of Yoga helps the patients in having a positive mindset and hence speeds up the pace of recovery of the patient.
Well, on this World Thalassemia Day, we bring you 5 such incredible curative yoga poses that extensively help to improve the circulatory system and mitigate stress to improve the quality of life for people afflicted with Thalassemia.
5 Best Yogasanas To Manage Thalassemia Naturally
Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Stand straight on the ground, with the heels touching one another and feet placed slightly apart. Keep the soles always touched to the ground and your hands hanging loose straight on either side or placed above your head in a prayer position. Look straight ahead at a point and hold this position for 5 minutes. Relax for about a minute and repeat 3-4 times.
Benefits:
Being one of the easiest yoga postures, mountain Pose is extremely helpful in dealing with mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and disorientation and improves body balance and stomach health. It also calms the breathing, dismisses tension, and boosts blood circulation. Not only does it enhance stamina and energy but also stabilizes the mind and body.
Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bent Pose)
Sit comfortably on the ground and start the pose with your legs stretched out forward. While keeping your spine straight, lift your arms, exhale and bend your body from the torso in the forward direction. Ensure that your arms are horizontal to your legs and try to hold your big toes with your fingers. Be in this position for 30 seconds, relax and repeat.
Benefits:
The seated forward bend posture is an extremely immune-boosting pose. It not only soothes headaches but also mitigates anxiety and remedies mental and body fatigue. Performing it routinely also improves appetite, manages obesity, and helps remedy various indications of anaemia.
Balasana (Happy Baby Pose)
Crouch on your knees, keeping the spine straight. Now slowly bend forwards such that your chest is safely balanced on both thighs. Keep extending your body above the torso forward until your head has been stretched beyond the knee and the forehead touches the ground. Straighten both arms backwards on either side of your legs or forward beside your head with your palms, downwards facing the floor. Be in this position for 20-25 seconds, relax for 10 seconds and again repeat 2-3 times.
Benefits:
The Baby Pose is one of the effective postures for combatting body fatigue and sluggishness. The posture imitating a child in the womb offers an absolute relaxing stretch to the spine and back, which in turn helps in providing solace to the mind and enhancing blood circulation throughout the body.
Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
Stand straight on the floor while keeping your feet joined. Slowly spread your legs wide apart. Breathe in, lift your right hand and bend towards your left and balance your whole body by keeping the left palm on the floor. Tilt your head sideways and fix your gaze on the right-hand fingertips. Be in this stance for 20 seconds and repeat on the left side.
Benefits:
The Triangle Pose is significant for promoting physical equilibrium while meliorating anxiety, and different sorts of inflammatory painful conditions. It holds great importance in stretching and strengthening the spine, arms, and chest and also boosting appetite and digestion.
Shavasana (Corpse Pose)
Lie down comfortably with your back resting on the floor and your eyes closed. Relax your body and mind and think about happy peaceful thoughts. Breathe in and out normally. Be in the corpse pose for 10 minutes and stand up.
Benefit:
The Corpse Pose not only brings down the body temperature, soothes the mind and marks the end of the yoga session but also helps one get free from the surroundings and just connect to their inner self while primarily focusing on the breathing part. This also extensively helps one let go of all the buckled-up stress and body fatigue and helps absorb the benefits of the previous yoga postures.
Note: Speak to your treating doctor and take help from a trained yoga practitioner to perform these yoga poses
