Maintain good health through immune system yoga

Why work yoga on the immune system? 

Your body can be weakened by external elements such as viral or bacterial infections. Consequently, the latter reacts by sounding an alarm to your immune system. But sometimes you still get sick. This is where immune system yoga comes in to minimize your chances of being bedridden. 

Avoid periods of stress

Stress is one of the major causes of the illnesses we get. It is a more or less important factor in reducing your body's immune reactions to an antigen. 

In an extreme case, it can make you immunocompromised. What does it mean to be immunocompromised? These are people at high risk of serious infections with higher than average chances of morbidity and mortality. Immunosuppression is often caused by stress and anxiety factors. 

It turns out that our body contains cortisol. To begin with, it is a hormone involved in the metabolic process of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It also serves to maintain blood pressure at a normal level. 

The stress hormone and bacterial protection

Cortisol is also known to be the stress hormone.. This is absolutely true because when we are faced with stressful situations, cortisol is released which results in an increase in blood pressure. It is mixed with adrenaline, this duo aims to prepare you to be more efficient and effective in a stressful context. Concretely, they send you discharges from increased blood pressure, heart rate and sugar to make you more energetic and therefore more productive. 

Cortisol also serves another function. It is also a natural inflammatory useful for our body's protective mechanism. It reacts and acts as a barrier when a foreign body comes into contact with you. It is present in large quantities to limit stress and also to combat viral or bacterial attacks. 

Unfortunately, the more you deal with it, the less cortisol will work. Indeed, just because cortisol is highly active does not mean it is more resistant to bacteria. Quite the opposite is happening. Once you have passed a stage, your body has acclimatized to the permanent, or almost, existence of the hormone. Cortisol therefore no longer has any anti-inflammatory effect. 

What happens then? When pathogenic cells come to attack you,The cells of your immune system no longer recognize cortisol, so they no longer defend themselves against invaders. Due to the overproduction of cortisol and the non-recognition of it, this causes resistance and disruption in the body. 

Strengthen your thyroid gland 

First of all, let's remember what the thyroid is. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the throat. It is one of the most important glands in the entire body. It plays a key role in the proper functioning of the body. It takes care of managing weight, metabolism, sleep regulation, etc. 

Due to intense stress or lifestyle problems, some people trigger hypothyroidism, which is a disorder of the thyroid. If you suffer from this, your doctor will prescribe hormone replacement. But, you can do yoga in addition to your medical treatment. 

Yoga has extremely positive effects on the thyroid. In fact, it allows for better control your stress through breathing exercises and meditation. THE benefits of yoga on stress are more detailed in our dedicated article. 

Then, yoga offers asanas adapted for stretch and work the throat, especially the area where the thyroid is located. Finally, yoga has the virtue of regulate energy circulation throughout the body. Certain postures will help the circulation of energy flow in the throat and everywhere else. 

Work your lymphatic system

It is important to take care of your lymphatic system because it is the main support for the digestive, blood, nervous and immune systems. But what does the lymphatic system represent? He is the one who takes care of doing eliminate your toxins and bodily waste to ensure the continuity of the immune system. 

Yoga is a very good solution to strengthen your lymphatic system. Effectively, the lymphatic network is activated only by muscular efforts. These are the contraction and relaxation movements of the muscles, which, by compressing the muscle tissues, move the fluid which helps nourish the cells, into the lymphatic vessels which filter the surplus. 

We understand that it is necessary for the lymphatic system to have muscular work. Yoga then becomes a possible and effective solution since it combines muscle strengthening, flexibility and breathing exercises. 

This practice offers advantages in overcoming lymphatic problems. Inversion postures help the lymphatic system circulate properly by reversing gravity. For twisting postures, the flow of lymph will be requested by the abdomen which compresses the organs. Then once released, the body receives an influx of blood and lymph.  

Regarding breathing, it allows you to detoxify your body and make better circulate your body flows. 

Postures that reduce the disease

Colds and other small winter illnesses tend to slow you down in your daily life. To overcome this problem, yoga postures are effective solutions to help you overcome the viruses and bacteria that invade you as soon as the temperatures drop. 

Half-candle pose

The candle pose allows lymph to circulate from the feet to the pelvis., of tcalm down the nervous system, dimprove blood circulation at the level of the legs, relieve stomach and back, of reduce stress and headaches.

If you are interested in this posture, simply lie on your back with your legs straight and raised towards the ceiling to form a right angle while your arms are relaxed alongside your body. Then, close your eyes, inflate your stomach with each breath and then deflate it as you exhale. Hold this posture for 1 to 5 minutes. 

Pincer posture

This position is used to drain congestion from the sinuses and lungs. It also promotes blood circulation to vital organs.. She is capable ofrelieve tension from the chest. She stimulates the digestive system, hasrelaxes the spine, awakens your vital energy et improves the proper functioning of the immune system. 

It is a posture with multiple benefits that is simple to perform. Stand up, arch your back, keep your legs straight, place your arms alongside your chest and then your hands should touch your opposite elbows. Stay in this position for 1 to 5 minutes. 

Downward facing dog posture

THE downward facing dog in yoga allows a good lymph circulation starting from the pelvis to the head and clears your sinuses. Furthermore, she strengthens your back muscles et stretch the backs of your legs. This position keeps the immune system alert. 

To put it into practice, you must get on all fours on your yoga mat or on the floor. Go back up and extend your arms towards the sky. Lower yourself with your arms in the air until your hands touch the floor. Your back should be straight and your glutes pushed up. Your body should form a V. Hold the position for 30 seconds. 

The type of yoga you need

To strengthen your immune system, it is imperative to choose the right type of yoga that suits you and know its advantageous practices to maximize your chances of strengthening your immune system. 

Hatha yoga

Hatha yoga strengthens your immune defenses thanks to breathing exercises (Pranayama), to inverted postures and to opening postures because they are going activate your lymphatic system, oxygenate your body et purify your blood. To learn more about Hatha yoga and other forms like yoga nidra, you can read our article on yoga muscle strengthening. This style of yoga contains practices for boost your immune system which we will see right away. 

Bhastrika Kriya

Bhastrika kriya is an internal energetic process that awakens the body and enlightens the mind. He uses the method of breathing coming from the abdominal muscles and diaphragm. This bellows emits heat in your body squeezing blood from your digestive organs. He tones specific parts like the liver, the spleen, the stomach et the pancreas. This practice aims to clean the blood, increase lung capacity et relieve body and mind. 

Bhastrika kriya is fast since it is made up of'a series of 8 breaths. You can do it quickly Or slowly, the important thing is to listen to your rhythm. The aim being to fill your lungs as much as possible without feeling discomfort. It is advisable to do 1 to 2 minutes of breathing followed by holding the air in the lungs for 30 seconds to 1 minute. To hold your breath without feeling like you are suffocating or out of breath, you can use the 3 Bandhas some yogis already adopt: 

• The Mula Bandha : Retraction of the perineum
• Uddiyana Bandha : Contraction of the abdomen and rib cage
• Jalandhara Bandha : Tightening of the throat with the head tilted slightly forward

These 3 bandhas are useful for holding your breath for a long time, intensely and safely.

Surya Krya

Surya Krya is the oldest and most complete version of Sun Salutations. We find more than 21 postures that follow a specific breathing pattern. He brings profits as the development of mental alertness, stimulation of vigor and vitality, balance of body hormones and increases immune resistance. 

The benefits of yoga

Yoga and meditation, also called yoga therapy have positive impacts on our immune system. In particular, yoga can help us protect ourselves from the illnesses around us. Let us observe its effects. 

Stimulates the thymus

To begin with, what is the thymus? THE thymus is a gland located at the top of the thorax, behind the sternum and between the lungs. It is very important during childhood since it protects against infections. However, it retains an importance in adults since it is thanks to it that the production, maturation and differentiation of T-lymphocyte cells. These are the killer cells of viruses and cancers. It is in particular thanks to yoga postures to open the chest and mental visualization of the thymus, it can be stimulated and regain good functioning. 

Help with self-healing

As seen previously, The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for self-healing functions. There are several yoga methods to animate this system. Meditation is one of them. But also a pranayama called ujiyaji. It's a breathing technique that provides relief and calm. It teaches you again how to breathe slowly and deeply by placing your tongue in the back of your throat to slightly block your glottis while breathing through your nose and a sound similar to that of the ocean should come out. Another breathing exercise, Surya Bedhana allows revitalize your body by stimulating your sympathetic nervous system. Each inhalation is done through the right nostril and the expiration through the left nostril. This exercise helps regulate your stress thanks to the work done on the nervous system.

Helps physically and mentally

Yoga has physical benefits such as: 

• Strengthens the thyroid

• Regulates energy circulation in the body

• Good circulation of the lymphatic system

• Detoxifies the body

• Drain the sinuses and lungs

• Improves the proper functioning of the immune system

On a mental level, yoga allows you to: 

• Improves your stress management

• Union of body and mind 

• Reduces fear of getting sick

• No more appearance of happy moods

Adopt a better lifestyle

Unfortunately, immune system yoga is not everything! To ensure proper functioning within your body, you can maintain a new lifestyle. 

Tips

To have an efficient mode of operation, you can start by change your sleep pattern. Indeed, sleep is one of the most important things for acquiring solid immunity. Ideally, go to bed at 10 p.m. and get up by 6 a.m. According to the philosophy of Ayurveda, this window would be the best time to sleep. Getting up early and going to bed early ensures that all our systems, especially the immune system, function properly. 

It is also advisable to practice yoga regularly to calm the nervous systems. 

To avoid stress, do not eat too fatty or salty foods. Take breaks and replace sweets with herbal tea. This will calm you down and gain perspective on the situation. 

Food 

It is important to eat a diet that matches your physical activity. For example, you can make a detox in order to ensure good digestion and not harm your body. Consequently, it would be appropriate to'avoid rich and heavy to digest dishes. It would be better favor balanced dishes which involve corn, oats, rice, cereals, vegetables or legumes. Avoid sugary foods and dairy products which tend to make the stomach swell. Finally, do not hesitate to hydrate yourself throughout the day with water or herbal teas made from lemongrass, ginger or cumin. 

To conclude

Let’s take a look at what immune system yoga produces.

We know that it allowsavoid stress and therefore reduce the chances of getting sick and there is the cortisol, a hormone that allows you to be more productive thanks to its mixture with adrenaline. It is also a natural inflammatory which fights bacterial attacks and viruses. However, if you have a cortisol level is too high, it will no longer be able to prevent foreign bodies from entering since your body will be accustomed to the presence of cortisol. 

Then we saw that yoga strengthens the thyroid gland For reduce stress and regulate the body's energy circulation. 

Yoga works the lymphatic system to detoxify and navigate body flows. 

Regarding postures, some are useful for circulating lymph such as downward facing dog and half-candle pose. As for the posture of the pliers, it allows decongest your sinuses and lungs. 

Yoga to boost your immune system is anchored in Hatha yoga since it offers postures and exercises designed to boost your immunity as Bhastrika kriya et the Surya Krya. 

For the benefits, we list mental improvements such as: 

• Better stress management

• Concordance of body and mind 

• Reduced fear of getting sick

• A better mood

Physically, it is reported that yoga achieves: 

• Strengthen the thyroid

• Regulate energy circulation in the body

• Improves circulation of the lymphatic system

• Removes toxins from the body

• Pump the sinuses and lungs

• Arranges the functioning of the immune system

• Allows you to heal yourself

• Invigorates the thymus

Obviously, all this must be accompanied by a adapted lifestyle. 

Strengthen your immune system with POSES Studio

Do you want to benefit from immune system yoga? 

Studio POSES helps you have a immune defense worthy of the greatest athletes ! 

Discover a yoga class inclusive workout without judgment to change your system in complete relaxation. 

POSES Studio is 50 minutes of sessions alternating different flows to work on your mobility and your inner self under impressive light shows. 

You can count on our understanding coaches to train you at your own pace. 

Don't miss this opportunity and join the POSES family.