Christmas stress relief

STRESS & THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Stress is fast becoming an epidemic in modern society, and the main cause of increasing health issues. Stress compromises our immune systems and makes it harder to fight diseases. The immune system is already under constant attack from external toxins that bombard our system from the air we breathe; the water we drink; the processed foods we eat; the personal care and household products we use; and the computers and phones we spend most of our waking hour in front of.

SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
The two nervous systems – the sympathetic and parasympathetic – both have their purpose. The sympathetic nervous system causes the fight or flight response. It raises our blood pressure and heart rate; our muscles tense ready for action; the digestive, reproductive and organ system function decrease to increase the blood flow in our limbs. The problem comes when stress puts us in this heightened state of alert all the time the system starts to break down.

PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
The parasympathetic nervous system causes a relaxation response in the body and has a very calming effect on the system. Blood pressure and heart rate decrease; circulation  increases to the digestive, reproductive and organ systems and function returns. The mind calms and relieves stress, anxiety and muscle tension.

YOGA & STRESS
One of the main reason which brings people to yoga is stress. Yoga stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system through breath awareness; slow mindful movement and repetitive flows which allows the mind to quieten.

BACKBENDS
Backbends are energising – they stimulate the digestive system; stretch and expand the lungs and help relieve chronic pain. The digestive system (enteric nervous system) produces 95% of the serotonin (the happy hormone) of the body. Backends compress and stretch the digestive system – stimulating serotonin production and helping to counteract symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Click this link to get a full list of backbends.

FORWARDS BENDS
Forward bends are very grounding and relaxing – stimulating the digestive system to boost the immune system; remove toxins from the body and compressing the organs in the trunk of the body which bring new blood flow and oxygen. They also relieve symptoms of sinusitis, insomnia, headaches, anxiety and stress. Click this link to get a full list of forward bends.

TWISTS
Twists are warming and energising – stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system and relieving stress and tension. They also relieve constipation which helps the body stay toxin free. A good judge of a toxin free system is at least one ‘elimination’ a day! Click this link to get a full list of twists.

Click on the sequence above and find some quiet time for yourself over the Christmas period. Take a few extra breaths in your backbends, forward bends & twists. Mix it up with the Immune System Boost sequence to keep you fighting fit through the winter months.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Immune system boost

YOGA & THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
You might notice, at this time of year, a natural urge to move towards certain asana in your home practice, and these same asana cropping up in sequences your yoga teacher guides you through in class. This is no coincidence! Our bodies are more intelligent than we give them credit for. Nature is in tune with the seasons, and sometimes we forget we are part of nature. When winter moves us into darkness and colder weather it is time to explore grounding (forward bends & seated) and warming asana (twists & inversions).

Late nights, Christmas parties, foods you may not usually indulge in and the mayhem of Christmas prep – all put a strain on our immune system. Yoga stimulates four systems which boost our immunity – circulation, digestion, nervous & endocrine. Twists and inversions tick all four of these boxes. The practice also brings our attention to the breath – expanding and slowing our breath down soothes the nervous system and helps our lungs fight off respiratory infections over the winter months.

TWISTS
Twists massage and bring fresh blood flow to all the internal organs – stimulating the digestive system for maximum nutrient absorption; the liver and kidneys to remove toxins; and the lymph system which supports white blood cell production. It also stokes your internal prana (life energy) generator and helps you stay warm from within over the colder periods from within. Click this link to get a full list of twists.

INVERSION
Inversions can evoke different responses. For many of us turning the world upside down can be a bit daunting and make us feel quite vulnerable. But you don’t have to spend your day Instagramming yourself in handstand to take an inversion! Inversions are any asana where the heart is above the head – standing forward bends, Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward Facing Dog, Setu Bandha Sarvangasana/Bridge and of course the lovely restorative Viparita Kiranai/Legs up the wall. Inversions get the blood flowing through your whole body – stimulating the digestive, nervous & endocrine systems. They also relieve stress and help with infertility, insomnia and sinusitis. Some inversions are grounding (forward bends, shoulderstand & headstand) and others are energising (handstand & peacock). Click this link to get a full list of inversions.

AMRITI
In yoga philosophy it’s said that there is a fluid secreted by the pineal gland in the head called Amriti, also known as the ‘fluid of immortality’. In our everyday upright position the Amriti flows down the body and is burnt up by prana energy. Inversions pool the Amriti back into the crown of the head and bring with them regeneration and vibrant health, allowing us to experiencing life at a higher resolution. This is a lovely idea and it's easy to see why inversions are considered the king of all yoga asana! Practising any of the inversions on a regular bases definitely brings a yoga glow to your complexion and gives you a different perspective on the world.

No article about boosting the immune system would be complete without mentioning the relationship between stress and its effect on the immune system. Stress-related illness, ranging from the common cold to obesity, heart disease and depression, are unfortunately rapidly increasing. It is well documented that yoga has a very calming and grounding effect – reducing stress, anxiety and tension in the body, a topic warranting a post of its own which will follow soon.

Click on the sequence above and try to get onto your mat as often as you can over the coming months to support your immune system. Just 10 minutes of Surya Namaskara/Sun Salutations over the festive period and into the new year will make a difference you'll notice.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Anatomy 101 - hypermobile joints

BALANCING FLEXIBILITY & STRENGTH
You see a lot of bendy elbows and knees in a typical yoga class. Flexible people tend to like yoga. We probably enjoy the fact that, in the beginning, we seem to be good at the physical aspect of it. There may be other factors to consider. Often, people who are less flexible think that they are at a disadvantage in a yoga class. How wrong they are!

Many people who seem to be very flexible (and plenty of people who don’t think of themselves as being flexible) have one or more hypermobile joint. A hypermobile joint moves beyond the normal range of motion. Knees turn inside out; elbows make strange angles when fully extended; thumbs bend to meet wrists; palms easily meet the floor in forward folds. For the majority of people, if you take care of your joints they won’t cause too many problems. Occasionally hypermobility can be more serious. Hypermobile joints are more susceptible to dislocate. Sometimes they can dislocate multiple times – then you really notice it.

POSES DON’T HAVE ALIGNMENT
Yoga is many things, one of which is a search for balance. In our asana practice, we balance right with left, effort with ease, and we aim to find a balance between strength and flexibility.

Recently, I read an article that quoted Leslie Kaminoff (Yoga Anatomy), as saying “poses don’t have alignment, people do”. Put simply, there is no perfect pose, there’s only the perfect pose for you. It follows that the alignment cues that are beneficial for one person may not be suitable for another. This is particularly relevant when it comes to yoga students who have one or more hypermobile joints.

HYPERMOBILITY IN YOUR PRACTICE
In the case of flexibility, you really can have too much of a good thing. Joints that are supported by strong muscles are less likely to be injured in sports and in yoga practice. Joints that move beyond the normal range of motion, and that aren’t supported by adequate muscle are much more likely to be injured.

In Tadasana/Mountain or Parsvottanasana/intense side stretch a micro bend at the knee can be helpful for lots of people, particularly those who have hypermobility in the knee joint. If your knee moves beyond the normal range of motion, a cue to straighten your leg might lead you to extend beyond straight. Instead, take a micro bend at the knee – a bend so slight that it is barely visible, but one that causes the muscles around your knee to engage and support the joint.

The same applies to the elbows in Vasisthasana/Side Plank. When weight is taken in the arms, a slight bend can help to activate the muscles that support the elbows so that the weight of the body isn’t “dumped” into the joints. In a pose like Vasisthasana/Side Plank, where you aim to balance on one hand, that tiny bend also makes it easier to soften the shoulder blade down the back into a safer position.  

In Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward Facing Dog, we’re often instructed to melt the chest towards the thighs. If you have very mobile shoulders this cue might encourage you to drop low through your shoulders, putting an enormous amount of pressure into a joint, that is not terribly stable at the best of times. Instead, it can help to lift through the forearms as if pressing away through the front of the forearm, rotate the eyes of the elbows slightly towards each other and lift from the arm pits. With these slight adjustments, it becomes easier to support the shoulder joints with their muscles.

What is amazing is just how much difference these tiny bends and lifts make. Muscles that were rarely used are switched on and strength can be built. As a result, it often becomes easier to find a more comfortable and energised pose.

JOINT HYPERMOBILITY SYNDROME
Some of us bendy folk, myself included, have more than one hypermobile joint. In my case, after a period of ongoing pain and discomfort, I was diagnosed by a physiotherapist as having joint hypermobility syndrome. Several members of my family have it too.

In class I see a lot of people who have hypermobility in their joints, and some of them probably have joint hypermobility syndrome. Sometimes they don’t want to bend their knees or pull back from the full expression of the pose, to the gradual detriment of their joints.

I am particularly interested by the fact that many hypermobile people seem to find it difficult to stay still. There is a theory that we seek comfort from the feedback we get from a joint, and that people who have a hypermobility syndrome find it difficult to find that feedback – hence they want to stretch and lengthen their bodies, often moving more than other people do, in a search for comfort.

There are other symptoms associated with widespread joint hypermobility including – pain, anxiety, heart palpitations, an over active fight or flight response, feelings of faintness, sleeplessness and digestive problems similar to IBS. It’s a topic that has been widely studied within the medical community, and more is being learned all the time about hypermobility and conditions associated with it.

YOGA & HYPERMOBILITY
I've now come to believe that yoga classes see more than their fair share of flexible folk because yoga helps us to calm ourselves rather than because of any boost it might give to our egos. If we can resist using our practice to increase the flexibility in our bodies, and instead practice with care and kindness for our joints, with an awareness to muscle engagement, yoga can be the best medicine for the bendiest of bodies!

Click on this link if you’d like to learn more about hypermobility.

---

ANNA CLARKE
The majority of Anna’s weekly classes take place within the mental health departments of Dublin hospitals. In addition, Anna teaches pregnancy yoga and post-natal yoga (for mums with babies) at Init Yoga, Ringsend. She also regularly covers classes at The Yoga Room, Ballsbridge.

To contact Anna email annamclarke@gmail.com or find her on Facebook.