Yoga and Exercise for Itching

Gentle exercise and relaxation help with itching by reducing stress, improving sleep and supporting general health. They do not treat the cause of itching.

Helpful practices

• Slow belly breathing: inhale for 4 counts and exhale for 6, for 5 to 10 minutes
• Alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana): calming and gentle
• Cooling breath (sheetali): sometimes used in yoga for a cool feeling. Skip it in cold weather or with a cold or cough.
• Yoga nidra and meditation: guided relaxation for stress-related itching
• Gentle poses: child's pose, seated forward bend, legs up the wall and corpse pose

Exercise

• Walking, swimming in clean water and light cycling are good options.
• Aim for about 150 minutes a week of moderate activity if your health allows.

Skin care around exercise

• Wear loose cotton clothes
• Shower soon after sweating, using lukewarm water
• Moisturise afterwards
• Rinse off chlorine after swimming and moisturise

What to avoid

• Hot yoga and heavy sweating during flare-ups, as heat and sweat worsen itching
• Exercise with open, infected or weeping skin
• Sharing mats or towels, especially with scabies or fungal infection
• Forceful breathing practices if you feel dizzy

Ask your doctor first

If you have heart or lung disease, are pregnant, or have a long-term illness, check which practices are safe.

Key point

Use yoga and exercise as support for stress and sleep alongside proper skin care and treatment.

Before your appointment

Note when the itching began, where it is, what makes it better or worse, and whether it is worse at night. List all medicines, creams, herbs and soaps you use, and any new foods or products. Mention others at home with itching, rash, weight loss, night sweats, yellow eyes, dark urine or tiredness. Bring photos of any rash that comes and goes. Ask about tests, the safest treatment and the signs that need urgent care. Call 112 for swelling of the face or lips or trouble breathing.