I’m attempting to practice yoga (from a video) 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes at night. I’m trying to take care of my body and manage my mental illnesses. (bipolar, add, ocd.)
I had a head cold today - cough, sneeze, sore throat. I barely had time to rest and it’s night time and I’m exhausted. I feel like I’ll fall over if I try.
Do I just cowboy up and do it? Or… what?
Actually, “no” you do not cowboy up and do it.
When the immune system has a drop in its efficacy (resulting in a lesser ability to fend off bugs) then it is rest that it called for. To do a practice that ignores the signals of the body would be antithetical to the practice.
You may of course do restorative or passive poses, gentle pranayama as allowed by the current nature of your respiratory system, brief meditation, et al, but the more rigorous physical practice should be tabled until your are up to speed once again.
I should also point out that one may do as one wishes, be it antithetical to the practice or not. It’s still a free country 
gordon
I second Gordon up above.
Rest! When you feel better, you can return to the practice, but forcing yourself to do it against sickness will not be beneficial. It will just wear you out more.
If you take care of the body, the body can take care of you.
I second InnerAthlete.
But, you can use this opportunity. When the energy is low, your inner body is talking. Just sit quietly and close the eyes to put your mind’s stethascope inside. Even though you may not figure out the cause (if you are not yet trained) this very attention will give some first-aid. Next time, you do Yoga practice, pay attention inside. Gradually you will know what part of practice pushes which buttons to prevent the next ‘energy depletion’.
Thank you all for your kind replies. I settled on a simple practice which stretched me out and I felt a lot better. I am learning a lot.
when I feel, sore and tired I just try sitting postures and tree pose and repeat a few times,
don’t attempt power yoga dvd’s
Enerization Exercises of Yogananda are simple, easy to perform and efficient.
The extra tiredness could be because you are trying to learn from the video at the same time and then practicing. This can be quite stressful. I would suggest that you watch a couple of times, without trying to do it at first and then take it in steps (maybe an asana at a time; no need to do all at a go).
Of course, rest is paramount as others have stated when the immunity is down. This advise is when you are back up and running
Also, try doing jala neti to reduce the symptoms of your head cold… you should be fine. Cheers.
Good for you for using yoga to help you improve your mental health! I know I have become a much happier, grounded, and less anxious person since beginning yoga. Personally, I think that in order for yoga to be something one sticks with for the long term and maintains in one’s lifestyle for many years to come, yoga needs to be ENJOYABLE. Practicing yoga when you are not feeling well may cause you to learn to dread yoga rather than look forward to it. I do not mean to imply that one should never do yoga when tired or not feeling well (it often gives me needed energy or helps me wind down after a stressful day), but trying to “push” through it when all one wants to do is rest almost certainly counters many of the calming, restorative, and healing effects of yoga.
What a wonderful community and forum this is! How helpful and interesting is your advice.
Have a check up of your thyroid. Marine algae are rich in iodine.
Try to detoxify your liver. Too many toxins in the liver create a well known state of
tiredness. To this aim use: selenium + milk thistle + alpha lipoic acid. There are no side effects. They can be bought at pharmacies and health food stores.
Mental depression is always accompanied by tiredness. You can beat it with SAMe-
S adenosyl methionine, available health food stores. from
[QUOTE=oak333;67903]
Mental depression is always accompanied by tiredness. You can beat it with SAMe-
S adenosyl methionine, available health food stores. from[/QUOTE]
I do have bipolar disorder. My mood is pretty stable these days, strangely enough. My illness is what drew me to yoga - I have an acquaintance who started bikram yoga. She started practicing five days a week. She is totally off her meds. I’m not up for bikram, but already felt more centered before I this cold knocked me off my feet.
I think SAMe will be very good for you:
http://www.biopsychiatry.com/sameart.html
Read carefully. Even the name of the web site tells you a lot: biopsychiatry.
It also works for your liver, joints and is a precursor of gluthatione. I wrote about that in
the thread Dietary Supplements.
You also might find very useful the following books of Yogananda:
Scientific Healing Affirmations
and
Metaphysical Meditations.
These are simple, easy instructions on how to heal yourself by the power of your subconscious. Nothing complicated: you just have to do it though.