Boost Your Immune System with Yoga Classes
Yoga Classes are Good for the Mind, Body and Soul
Whether it’s a home-based or teacher-guided practice, yoga classes benefit the immune system in multiple ways:
Mindful attention works biochemically to reduce stress.
Movement for body-brain connection activates the lymph system to remove toxins.
Rest enhances regeneration through cellular repair and removal.
Sounds simple, right? It is, once you learn a few keys to success. This blog by Laura Tyree will zero in on how mindful attention helps the brain and immune system.
Understanding Your Body and How Yoga Helps
Several systems keep the body operating, like the CNS (central nervous system), the PNS (peripheral nervous system), the ENS (enteric nervous system) . . . I could go on, but let’s just say we are extremely complex organisms.
So let’s skip straight to the autonomic nervous system and its two components: the sympathetic (fight-flight-freeze) and the parasympathetic (rest-restore-digest). Reducing stress via the parasympathetic nervous system also reduces tension from the sympathetic system. In other words, we start relaxing, which improves our sleep, digestion, and cardiovascular function.
Think of it this way: When something startles a person with a healthy brain-body response, their heart will beat faster and blood will rush to their lungs, arms, legs and brain, preparing them to fight or run. When the brain determines that the threat is gone, homeostasis returns. That is a positive response of the sympathetic nervous system to a stressor.
Now, if the stressor were a wild animal attack, the person would feel a tremendous rush of energy, and then expend that energy to fight or run. If they survived, the experience would actually increase their overall vital strength. Crisis over—back to the business of being.
But what about chronic low-grade stressors? Perpetual worries and fears, the constant pace of go-go-go? These aren’t quick experiences with definite outcomes. They wear the overall system by keeping it stuck in an elevated fight-flight-freeze state, reducing the renewing qualities of the rest-restore-digest system. In this case the body doesn’t get that burst and singular outcome that returns it to homeostasis. Add in unnatural foods and unnatural environments, and it’s a recipe for disaster — a negative stress response.
When sympathetic tension is prolonged and pervasive, our body cannot metabolize food, restore damaged cells or renew other vital mechanisms. We never drop into that deeply nourishing parasympathetic state.
How Yoga Helps Your Mind and Body
Here’s where mindful yoga practices and classes make the difference. Consciously connecting to the body, in movement, frees the CNS, PNS and ENS to reset. Yoga and other mindful exercises help unwind the tangle of chemical chaos and restore equilibrium. And the more you practice, the stronger the rest-restore-digest response becomes.
Yoga isn’t the only physical practice that benefits the immune system this way. But yoga is extremely popular for this purpose, for several subtle reasons.
First, along with the physical practice, yoga teachers often discuss universal philosophies—like peaceful action, truthfulness, discipline and acceptance—that help us recognize negative thought patterns affecting our behavior. With this awareness, change is possible.
Also, being led through a yoga class allows our take-charge pre-frontal cortex to chill out so it can fully focus on the present and body postures.
Finally, simply standing on one foot causes millions of neurons to fire off. Far more effective than crossword puzzles or Sudoku, this complex interaction of brain and body part is brings mindful attention to parasympathetic healing.
Plus it’s never too late to benefit from yoga classes. Science has proven that regardless of age, the brain continues to be molded by new experience. We all have the power to rewrite our own neural story, our own immune story, our own health story, and reclaim the natural flexibility of our body and mind.
Two Ways to Connect to Our Yoga Classes and Teachers
Starting today, both yoga studios are offering in-studio classes limited to ten students per class. Yoga students must register on-line. The yoga classes will not involve contact of any kind, including adjustments in postures. You must bring your own mat, blocks and blankets. No studio props will be used. If you are experiencing fever, malaise, cough, shortness of breath, or have been exposed to others whom are COVID+ or have symptoms, we ask you please refrain from attending.
Additional private yoga classes may soon be available for small groups. We are excited to have you back!
Nāmāsté
Laura Tyree is owner of Dragonfly Yoga Studies and Hot Yoga Om. Both yoga studios are located at 184 Brooks St. SE, Building 2, Fort Walton Beach, FL.
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