Yoga has many benefits for the whole body. The benefits fall under five different levels: physical, mental, emotional, energetic, and spiritual. Some people think yoga is for flexible people, or people who are in shape. But really now. Is that really true?
Yoga means "to yoke" or "union", meaning an union of the mind, body and spirit. There's a philosophy, not just the physical poses. There's study of the breath, meditation, and way of being. In other words, it's a process and journey into and within the self. According to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (book II:29), " the only requirement for practicing asanas is that it be 'steady and comfortable'. The body is held poised, and relaxed, with the practitioner experiencing no discomfort. When control of the body is mastered, practitioners are believed to free themselves from the duality of heat/cold, hunger/satiety, joy/grief, which is the first step toward the unattachment that relieves suffering (Feuerstein, Georg)." The poses essentially help open channels, shed old patterns and beliefs, strengthen the body and increase energy, so we can see a bigger part of ourselves. This doesn't mean you have to master them either because that can take lifetimes. But why not start from wherever you are? Also, for example, look at an onion. There are lots of layers there until you get to the core. Then look at events in your life as layers of an onion. Sometimes those layers are thick and/or thin. There may be some layers we're still hanging onto and not ready to peel away. Then there are times when we can really go deep and for a moment take a glimpse and feel the core of ourselves. It is the essence of who we really are. Life is a series of moments and it's so vital that we experience each one fully.
I'm sure you've seen many articles and studies that claim how yoga can improve health and reduce stress; and by all means, this is in fact very true, especially if you allow yourself to attend a weekly yoga class for a couple months. I know over the past 10 years, yoga has supported me in many ways throughout my life. One of them is being present. Present to the sensations in my body, the activity in my mind, and how I'm feeling emotionally. When I'm not present, I get stuck in a whirlwind of negative self-talk, which can create anxiety and depression. This, then, leads to low energy, and even illness if I'm not too careful. It's at these moments when I need to be present because it's a layer of the onion that needs to be acknowledged and, perhaps, get peeled off!
So, why the immune system in the title of this post? The immune system is our bodies' defense system against illness and other pathogens that may enter the body. If it's weakened, we open our bodies up to lots of unpleasant stuff, especially if we experience stress on a regular basis. Now, I'm not saying stress is necessarily a bad thing. It's a great alarm system to tell you that something is wrong. But if we don't pay attention to the feelings and emotions that arise and look at the stress from a distance; we may react to it from a very negative place causing our bodies to go into the stress-response or fight or flight.
The fight or flight response is activated via our Sympathetic Nervous System. Physiologically, when a person is in a potentially dangerous, traumatic situation, the adrenal glands release the hormone, cortisol which basically revs you up to fight for your life or flee (flight). All your blood and energy rushes to your limbs, therefore shutting down your digestive system and reproductive system. So, for example, if a zebra is running away from a lion, it's going to need all the cortisol and adrenaline it needs! However, when a zebra gets away from its predator, it knows how to "shake off" or release that trauma and let it go. Most humans will internalize that trauma and will go into that fight or flight response every time a "stressful" situation comes up. For some people today, just thinking about their boss, job, bills, or a difficult mother in-law will ignite this response!
So when your body is in this fight or flight response regularly, or kicks in when you forget to pay your gas bill, this could result in high blood pressure, poor digestion, adrenal exhaustion, and other illness such as the common cold or viruses. In the past, I used to operate like this all the time. My anxiety was so high, it led to poor digestion (constant bloating and constipation); adrenal exhaustion (low energy); and I would get a cold-like illness once a month. Then, of course, all of this led to depression because I didn't have the drive or energy to do anything that I wanted to do! I also was constantly trying to have control over things that were out of my control.
Even though I had a regular yoga practice, I wasn't fully connected to what was happening to my body. I know I was resisting something and that anxiety, trying to ignore it or push it away, which only made it worse. I knew if I stopped and felt what I was feeling, it would be uncomfortable. But it's the uncomfortable that we need to be with in order to learn from those situations or people that trigger our emotions and move forward in our lives toward what we really want.
A great way to teach your nervous system--especially the Sympathetic Nervous System--to calm down is to have a restorative yoga practice. Ideally, you want to practice restorative yoga once a week, but depending on your schedule, it's fine if it's every other week or once a month. As long as you do it! Give yourself a break! Restorative yoga poses offer an opportunity to relax and renew your whole mind, body and spirit. The poses are supported by props--blankets, bolsters, straps, blocks, chairs, wall--to bring the body into a passive state, where no effort is required. The only effort that is required is your intention and will to do it. There is also the breath. A way to observe the breath as you are in the pose. This will help you day to day, so whenever you may feel stressed, you'll be able to take a nice, deep belly breath and be in the moment and get clear. I do this in traffic either on public transportation or in a car.
For instance, poses such as Supta Baddha Konasana (supported bound angle pictured above) calms the mind and nervous system; improves digestion; gives space to the reproductive organs; decreases anxiety; and relieves menstrual cramping. This is just one of many restorative poses, but doing this pose for 3-5 minutes daily will do a lot.
What if everyone did this pose once a day or once a week? How would people generally feel everyday? What if you did this pose before you went to bed?
If you want to learn more about Restorative Yoga, come to a RESTORATIVE YOGA WORKSHOP I will be facilitating on February 26 from 2:00pm-4:00pm at The Doelger Center: 101 Lake Merced Blvd, building #14 in Daly City. The sequence of poses will be devoted to the immune system. I hope you can come and experience this delightful, healing practice.
REGISTER HERE NOW!
For questions, contact Liz 415-637-5825 or lizsfilippone@gmail.com. Visit her website at www.movingyogi.com and her blog at www.lizmovingyogi.blogspot.com.
