Yoga And Immune System Benefits. Plus Simple Yoga Poses For Stress Relief, & Inverted Pose Video
Your Lymph System Is A “Secret River Of Health” Says Dr of Immune System Research
“ … your lymph system loves yoga more than puppies love sneakers left on the floor”
Lymph system clears toxins, delivers nutrients, & relieves stress
Here’s why yoga for work stress, or any other stress, works. It’s closely related to how your lymph system works for your entire health. I’ll also outline simple yoga poses for stress relief, including your lymph. Hear from a medical doctor on yoga and immune system benefits, from his lifetime of yoga immune system research.
Dr Lemole, a lymph expert, says that unlike any other system in your body, the lymph system works without a pump.
It`s like a secret river within our bodies. When it is clear and pristine, it delivers health to every other system in the body.
However, when its polluted, dirty and stagnant, every other system in our bodies is at risk of disease.
The lymphatic system plays a vital role in maintaining the health of your immune system.
First, it delivers information about toxins to the immune cells so it can destroy or neutralize harmful substances.
Second, is carries away harmful substances.
Third, it aids in the clean-up and rebuilding of cells in that area.
One of many simple yoga poses for stress relief, & immune system
Lymph, longevity, & yoga for work stress
This is all from a new book that looks at the lymphatic system in the context of your overall health. The book is called “Lymph & Longevity: The Untapped Secret To Health.”
The author is Dr Gerald Lemole. Dr Lemole was a pioneering cardiothoracic surgeon for many years. He’s also a pioneer in the study of lymph. He’s seen firsthand how lymph influences all aspects of our health.
Dr Lemole is across the latest yoga immune system research, and he’s also done his own share of it as a practising surgeon.
I was attracted to the book when I read the chapter on how yoga improves lymphatic flow. As a certified Senior Yoga Teacher at Flametree, I can see that Dr Lemole understands how yoga works.
He says that if you have written off yoga in the past, then perhaps it’s time to reconsider. It’s rare to find a medical doctor who also knows and does yoga. Given his yoga immune system research, it’s worth paying attention when he says:
“ … your lymph system loves yoga more than puppies love sneakers left on the floor”
At the end of the book, he also provides simple yoga poses for stress relief, your immune system, and overall health.
Here’s a very short summary of some sections of the book. What I outline is very useful for yoga for work stress, or any other kind of stress, plus your overall health.
Lymph system for the rest of us!
Dr Lemole considers few people understand how vital the proper functioning of the lymphatic system is to health and longevity.
The book is written with the intention of helping the lay person understand how the lymphatic system works. You’ll also get a good overview of yoga and immune system benefits.
Dr Lemole believes that the average person, when armed with knowledge of how the lymphatic system works, can use that knowledge to improve their overall health via improving the overall functioning of their lymphatic system.
We’re all able to improve the lymphatic flow within our bodies.
We can do this via exercise, yoga, breath work, meditation, learning how to relax, laughing, chanting, and eating well.
Dr Lemole outlines a “flow friendly diet”
Dr Lemole looks at the role of food to heal the body. He explains what foods to avoid, and what foods to eat in terms of promoting good lymphatic flow within the body.
In addition, he discusses the link between the brain and the lymphatic system. For me, that’s one of the key yoga and immune system benefits.
He discusses the current thinking in a way that demystifies it for the average reader.
While there is still much to discover, it now appears that the lymphatic system plays a significant role in preserving cognitive function.
The lymph channels help clear the brain of toxins and plaques that build up in the brain.
Why exercise is essential to maintain health
Dr Lemole explains that exercise has been scientifically proven to help with a wide range of health issues. It’s another of the major yoga and immune system benefits.
In terms of the lymphatic system, exercise clears toxins, and improves circulation. It also keeps your lymphatic tubes keep clear, flexible and optimally open.
In addition, exercise improves brain function, and improves your mood and memory.
Active exercise like moderate cardio exercise, rapid yoga sun salutes, strength training, short bursts of high intensity training, and jumping movements (like is also done in yoga standing poses), all increase the flow rate of lymph. In the process, they add to your “secret river of health”.
If you want to increase your flow rate of lymph, you could also try some more advanced yoga poses, like the inverted pose demonstrated in the video at the bottom of this page.
Yoga also works on your lymph system in a different way
Less active yoga works by gently getting the fluid to circulate through the whole body. It thereby improves the overall functioning of the lymph.
Yoga results in what Dr Lemole calls the “smooth flow” of lymph.
Some yoga postures are also so-called “held” positions. When holding each pose, a number of things are happening that promote lymphatic flow.
First, you are slowing down your breathing by using deep diaphragmatic breathing.
Second, you are using your muscles in a way that lengthens and stretches them (rather than shortening and tightening). When you hold each pose you also eventually learn to relax into the stretch. This helps even more.
Third, in yoga, you learn to relax in each pose. This softens the muscles onto the bones. It also promotes lymphatic flow.
Therefore, in terms of lymph flow, as you relax in each pose and let go of tension in each pose, there is more room for lymph to flow. The nervous system and hormonal system respond by delivering chemical changes that further help expand the lymph vessels.
You can see why I’m impressed with Dr Lemole’s yoga immune system research. In summary, he’s saying that both the active and less active aspects of yoga, both help your flow.
Specific types of yoga postures also help lymph
Many yoga poses systematically target various parts of the body. This is of special benefit, unlike regular exercise.
For example, postures like twists, squeeze the lymph, thereby moving it around the body.
In addition, inversions move lymph along through gravity. In the process, they help via the nervous system, and hormonal system, to impact the rate and flow of lymph.
In this manner, an added bonus of yoga is that lymph can flow better through the whole body.
This is in contrast to just having it flow mainly in the arms, legs, and heart, as in the case of active cardio exercise.
The video a the bottom of this page is one example of an inverted pose. When you’re learning yoga, its important to choose a yoga studio that teaches in several sequential levels of yoga skills. Each step prepares you for the next. You start with simple poses, and slowly build your skills.
Whether you’re starting yoga, or re-starting yoga, this site also has many free yoga options with poses at various levels.
Save the free options for later, and check out other yoga class options at the bottom of this page.
Yoga helps stress, & immune system
In addition, Dr Lemole notes that yoga already has a proven track record in being able to help people deal with stress. It’s another aspect of his yoga immune system research.
Many of the postures activate the parasympathetic nervous system via the stimulation of the vagus nerve. In turn, this allows lymph to flow, and thereby lets your bodily systems calm down.
Yoga is a system which helps to quieten the mind. As a result, we become calmer, less explosive, reactionary and emotional.
Stress, anger, irritability are all emotions that raise blood pressure. The outcome is that the blood vessels stiffen. This tightens muscles and prevents fluid flow.
Consequently, such heightened emotions further impair the lymph from flowing to where it needs to go.
So a work place, or a manager, who does yoga, is far more likely to create a pleasant and healthy place to work!
Spirituality is a plus, whatever it means for you
As well as all of the above, Dr Lemole sees a connection between spirituality and lymph flow.
He explains that stress is not just something we deal with. Stress is something that attacks us.
Dr Lemole therefore argues that it’s important for well-being to find meaning in how we live our lives. He believes the nourishing of your spiritual side, and so-called finding the soul, plays a key role in optimum health. Maybe this is not something that often comes up when talking about yoga for work stress. But it’s still an important dimension of maximising health.
He says “…think of what gives you assurance and a feeling of safety”.
Our spiritual understanding gives us choices around compassion, empathy, forgiveness, kindness.
He concludes suggesting that nourishing the spiritual side, through meditation, prayer, contemplation, mindfulness, laughter, and / or finding community, will also help total body wellness.
In addition, it will help physical, mental and spiritual aspects of you, and also keep your lymph flowing.
Again, this aspect of yoga and immune system benefits is surprising to hear from a medical doctor, but even more convincing, given what he says.
At the end of the book is a Flow-Friendly diet, including recipes. There are also supplement suggestions, and simple yoga poses for stress relief and promotion of your lymph flow.
Lymph, immune system, & stress relief yoga for beginners
The type of poses discussed work on a wide variety of fronts. You can get them all via Flametree’s beginner level deals.
If stress relief yoga for beginners is your goal, or yoga for work stress, or any other sort of yoga benefits, try beginner yoga via a beginner course or regular week to week classes & payment deals.
Once you’ve done at least our Beginner Course, Flametree also has a weekly “Yoga For Immune System” class, online or in-studio. It implements much of what I’ve mentioned.
Best deals for immune system & other yoga, online or in the studio
Start or restart your yoga, or in-studio, via these generous package. Use as yoga for work stress, or any other type of stress.
Beginners get an unlimited mix of many beginner classes a week, including options like Gentle Yoga, Backcare Yoga, Women Only Yoga, and Easy Restorative Yoga. Do a course package, or just pay by the week. Whichever way you do it, the first 2 weeks are free.
BEGINNER yoga courses, online or in-studio, with 2 weeks FREE
Non-beginner classes give you a timetable of up to 30 classes a week, online or in-studio. You can do 4 different levels, including Advanced or Experienced classes. Plus there are yoga online options.
Many of these are taught by a certified Senior Iyengar teacher. There’s also a range of special options, including Yoga For Immune System, Women Only Yoga, Pranayama, Restorative Yoga, and 50 Plus.
NON-BEGINNER yoga, including Yoga For Immune System class: 14 days for just AUS$29
OR, learn more via the Class Types menu on the Flametree Yoga site.
Before you leave this page, save these many free pictorial sequences for yoga practise, or video classes.
TOTALLY FREE yoga sequences, video classes & breath meditation classes
Video example of an advanced, inverted pose
The video below shows a more advanced pose.
But even in beginner yoga, you start learning preparatory postures that will steadily build the strength, stamina and flexibility to do this type of inverted pose.
In addition, any inverted pose offers a huge range of immune and lymph system benefits.
