Immune system mini flows

THE BENEFITS OF YOGA
We know that the immune system works best when the body is in a state of homeostasis or put simply in balance. Balance is a word strongly connected to the many benefits of yoga. Regardless of the different reasons that bring us to yoga we inherently move towards balance physically and mentally when we practice. Yoga, and its many benefits, is one of the best supports in your toolkit for a strong immune system which helps you stay healthy and balanced. These benefits have been recorded for thousands of years and are only being scientifically proven in more recent years. Below are some answers to the question ‘how does yoga build a strong immune system?’. Along with some easy to access flows with poses that are particularly good at helping to boost your immune system.

YOGA & THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Yoga stimulates several systems in the body which work hand in hand with strong immunity – the nervous, the digestive, the respiratory, the circulatory, the endocrine & the lymphatic systems. Stress related illness, ranging from the common cold, obesity, heart disease and depression, are on the rise. Stress causes inflammation in the body and weakens the immune system. Yoga is known to reduce physical and emotional stress in the body by tapping into the parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest & restore response) when we use breath awareness; slow mindful movement; and repetitive flows. Yoga also promotes good gut health by stretching and compressing the whole digestive system and encouraging peristalsis (waves of muscular contractions) to remove unwanted waste and toxins from the body. The practice of yoga also brings our attention to the breath. Lengthening and slowing our breath is both very calming for the mind and helps the lungs fight off chest infections. The movement of yoga promotes good circulation which in turn increases the function of the lymphatic (white blood cells and toxin removal) and endocrine (hormone production) system to keep them working more efficiently and in harmony with wellness. For the immune system to work at its best all these systems need to be working in symmetry. Yoga is one of the few disciplines that benefits all these systems with an added bonus of giving you the ‘feel good factor’ too. Although all yoga will help keep these systems in balance, twists, backbends and inversions are the most powerful poses to practice when working with the immune system.

THE BENEFITS OF TWISTS, BACKBENDS & INVERSIONS
In yoga philosophy texts it is said that twists ‘destroy disease’. When we twist we temporarily constrict blood flow and when we release the twist a surge of fresh oxygenated blood rushes back. This twist and release action massages and stimulates the organs and helps the digestive system with maximum nutrition absorption; the respiratory system to build strong lungs; the liver and kidneys to remove toxins; and the lymph system to support white blood cell production. The same principle applies to backbends which stretch the front of the body and stimulate the organs of the abdominal and chest cavity. Backbends are particularly good for expanding lung capacity and opening the chest region. The higher the lung capacity the better our ability to feed all the cells of the body with fresh oxygen.

A healthy gut also has a strong link to our moods and emotional well-being. Stress leads to gut issues and similarly gut issues lead to stress. 95% of serotonin (the happy hormone) is produced in the bowel, stimulating the gut through twists and backbends release these happy hormones into the system and relieve stress, tension and anxiety and allow the body to concentrate on other jobs like building its defences.

Inversions boost circulation and increase blood and lymph flow which helps clear bacteria and toxins from the body and plays a vital role in building a strong immune system. Inversions are hidden everywhere in the practice. They are any pose where the heart is above the head. Along with the obvious poses like handstand and headstand there are lots of opportunities to take inversions in standing forward bends, downward dog, bridge and restorative poses like Viparita Kiranai.

EXPLORING IMMUNE SYSTEM FLOWS IN YOUR PRACTICE
Above are three mini flows, each sequence includes lots of twists, backbends and inversions to your practice to help keep your immune system strong. These three families of poses are all very invigorating and energising poses. For this reason these sequences are best practiced in the morning rather than in the evening. Each pose has a variety of different benefits so it is always good to mix it up as much as possible and alternate between the three sequences when you practice.

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Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Vrksasana - Tree

ROOTING DOWN
Vrksasana/Tree is the natural progression from our last pose breakdown – Tadasana/Mountain. There is no Vrksasana/Tree without first finding your roots in Tadasana/Mountain. So be sure to feel find your stable foundation in Tadasana/Mountain before you start moving into Vrksasana/Tree. Tree Pose teaches us the principles of rooting down to connect with the support of the earth beneath to help you find your centre of gravity and reach up through the whole length of your spine.

THE BENEFITS OF VRKSASANA/TREE POSE
It may seem like a simple enough pose but it has lots to offer – it builds focus and improves your coordination; stretches the inner groin, arms and shoulders; and strengthens the core, hip flexors, glutes and ankle joint.

It is the perfect pose for runners to add into their routine to build ankle stability and strong feet. With 26 bones, 25 joints and 33 muscles our feet are designed to support the weight of the whole body without the intervention of shoes! Your feet get tired and sore because the bones are being squashed together and the muscles are being bypassed by arch support. Whilst I’m not quite suggesting you turn you back on wearing conventional shoes, getting barefoot and onto your yoga mat is the best thing you can do for your feet to let them spread to their natural shape, realign the bones, and get all the muscles firing again.

EXPLORING THE VRKSASANA/TREE POSE IN YOUR PRACTICE
After your the first row warm up come to a standing position and explore the three points of each foot: the ball of the big toe, ball of the little toe and middle of the heel – root down into them equally, while at the same time feeling a lift in the three arches of each foot. When we root down into these three points, the arches naturally lift into a triangular dome shape. This action is called Pada Bandha (foot energy lock) – it brings an awakening and energy to the leg muscles that travels up the entire body. Building strong and flexible feet will help you find your foundation throughout your yoga practice, cultivating a flow of energy from the ground up. You’ll find that when you take time to focus on the placement of your feet the ‘rooting-down’ effect will naturally help you achieve better alignment in all standing poses. Having an awareness and appreciation of your feet will not only benefit your yoga practice but also your day-to-day movement and activities.

ALIGNMENT CUES
This sequence will bring you through a progression of poses to prepare you for Tree Pose to strengthen the core, hip flexors and glutes and stretch out the inner groin. You will come into Tree Pose twice, once at the end of each standing flow. When you arrive into each standing pose bring your attention to the placement of your feet. Scan through the three points of your feet and find the connection to your sticky mat. When you press into these three points you will feel the three arches lifting and a strong suction drawing you down and projecting you up at the same time.

The following are some alignment cues to help you get into the pose with ease. Read through them and spend a bit of time in your Vrksasana/Tree:

• From Tadasana, hands on hips, inhale, pour your weight into your left foot, draw your navel towards your spine.

• Bend your right knee and open your hip out to the side, place your right foot on your right calf, or at the top inside of your left thigh.

• Press your right foot against your inner left thigh and your thigh into your foot.

• Place your hands on your hip bones to check they are level, press firmly into the standing leg, squeeze the glute of the lifted leg to help open the hip out to the side, exhale here.

• Pick an unmovable point, called your ‘dristi’, to focus on, which will help you find your balance.

• Lengthen through your spine to the tip of your crown, bring your hands to prayer position, inhale, raise your hands up over your head, broaden your collarbones.

We all have wobbly days. There is no shame in using a wall for support if your balance just isn’t with you today. You might find if you are a bit kinder to yourself and use the wall, the next time you try the sequence you will calmly find your best tree ever!

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Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Find your favourites

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE POSE?
A great way to start building a home practice is to work out what your favourite poses are. They can be poses that challenge you; poses that stretch tight areas; or poses that help you focus, travel inwards and drop into your practice. They don’t need to be big statement poses, they are the ones that when you transition into them they feel you have arrived to a safe familiar place. Favourite poses are a very personal preference and magnify how amazingly different we all are physically and mentally. You might find yourself struggling, with all effort and no ease, in a pose and the yogi beside you is completely in their happy place. Next time you practice, and in the next class you go to, notice your reaction to the poses and work out which are your ‘feel good’ poses. Scan through your body from your big toe to the tip of your crown and see how it sits with every part of you. If it’s in a class take note of the poses after class and try them out in your next home practice. You’ll always pick up new versions of the pose and lots of fresh alignment cues from classes too.

EXPLORE THE BASICS
The longer I am practicing yoga the more foundational and simpler my favourite poses become. So much so that Tadasana/Mountain is definitely one of my current favourites. When I spend a bit of time in Tadasana/Mountain at the start of a practice it helps me build strength, stability and focused; and when I add it throughout my practice it resets me, ready to continue on. It is the foundational pose for all the standing poses, if you can master Tadasana/Mountain and bring it into all your standing poses it will help your practice enormously. Similarly you can apply the same principles to Dandasana/Staff, which is the foundational pose for all seated poses.

MY FAVOURITE POSES
The above sequence is a collection of my favourite poses which has become my daily practice that I dip in and out of depending on how much time I have. Below are some of the poses and the reason why they are there and why I am finding they tick all the boxes for me at the current stage of my practice.

SUPINE POSES
More often than not I start my practice on my back and circle and flex all my joints to gently warm them up. There is plenty of time for standing and stronger poses so I let myself gradually arrive and get ready for the work to be done on my mat.

CAT COW
Cat Cow is definitely one of the juiciest ways to warm up your spine and hips. They can be as gentle or stronger as you like depending on how your spine feels. You are also warming up the fascia and connective tissue of the shoulder blades which can be quite a sticky area for some people. From table top position I usually move through some leg lifts and side leg lifts (fire hydrant style!) to strengthen up the backs of my hips where I am currently rehabing an overstretch injury. To challenge my core I do the same leg lifts from Downward Dog/Adho Mukha Svanasana and Plankasana/Plank and hold each pose for 5 breaths.

CHAIR POSE
Utkatasana/Chair pose is a bit of a face grimacing pose but it is incredibly strengthening to the whole body. It helps me to find my outer hips and how to hug to the midline. In this mini flow I find my stability through Tadasana/Mountain, come up onto the balls of my feet to challenge this stability, then straight into Utkatasana/Chair press equally between the three points of my feet.

CRESCENT MOON
Ashta Chandrasana/Crescent Moon is the perfect standing poses to add in at the early stages of your standing section. It has just enough challenge without the complications of the asymmetrical, external hip opening. I will often add different arm positions and twists while I let my hip flexors and calf muscles open up.

LOCUST
Complete back strengthening, need I say more! Salabhasana/Locust counteracts all that sitting at desks and is fantastic for building a strong spine and good posture.

WARRIOR II FLOW
Virabhadrasana II/Warrior II is a pose I come back to time and time again. It features in most sequences, but sometimes this means we forget that it is jam packed with alignment up for grabs and all the amazing benefits it has. It is a strong leg strengthening standing pose with hip chest and lung opening which is very soothing to the nervous system.

WARRIOR I FLOW
Virabhadrasana I/Warrior I is actually quite a tricky pose for the hips and the back leg. Rather than get attached to the hips being squared I either use it as a directional guide not a target or just come into Warrior 1.5 where the hips are facing towards the top left corner of your mat. This half version is much kinder on the back knee joint.

SEATED
I usually treat the seated poses as a journey towards Savasana/Corpse and a way to counterpose my sequence. A seated twist will stretch out and release any tension from any spinal focused standing poses. Then I am ready to take Savasana even though some days my head is telling me to jump up and get on with your day, and I never regret it.

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Ruth Delahunty Yogaru