As people strive to protect their immune systems in challenging times, there is a growing interest in traditional cultural practices, especially those backed by modern science. Yoga is a case in point, as this age-old discipline has many proven wellness benefits, including immune-strengthening properties. Here are four important ways a regular yoga practice can help safeguard your health.
1. Managing stress
Would you believe that stress is the common risk factor of up to 90 percent of major health issues, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, depression, Parkinson’s disease, ulcers, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer?1 Chronic, ongoing stress is detrimental to the immune system, making you more susceptible to illness and infections and increasing your risk of physical, mental and emotional problems.
Fortunately, yoga comes to the rescue, as it combines many stress-reducing techniques, teaching us to control the breath, clear the mind and relax the body. One study reviewed the ways yoga helps us cope with physical, mental and emotional stress, finding that the unique combination of movement and breath work offers a protective, “stress resisting” effect on cellular immunity.2
2. Soothing inflammation
As an immune response, inflammation can be either acute or chronic. With acute inflammation, your immune system blasts out white blood cells in response to injury or infection. This promotes heat, redness and swelling around tissues and joints, which is part of the healing process. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is a persistent state of emergency immune response. Also known as “inflammaging,” this continuous inflammation is associated with diabetes, heart disease, stress, depression and a weakened immune system.
So, how can you reduce inflammaging? It turns out that yoga offers benefits here as well. Studies have found that people who practice regularly have lower levels of chronic inflammation than sedentary folks. Additionally, yoga helps through pranayama, the practice of deep, controlled breathing. In Sanskrit, “prana” means life energy and “yama” means control. Pranayama promotes relaxation, mindfulness and serenity while reducing stress — which, as we know, accelerates inflammation. Pranayama is also proven to support our physical health, including lung function, blood pressure, and brain function.
3. Increasing lymph flow
The lymphatic system plays a vital role in immunity and overall health. Lymph is a clear fluid that filters toxins and circulates antibodies throughout your body. Unlike the blood, which is pumped by the heart, lymph is directed by muscle contractions. If lymph flows poorly, toxins accumulate and immune cells fail to reach areas of the body where they are needed, potentially causing aches, pains and swelling, and making you more susceptible to infection and disease.
How can you boost lymphatic circulation? Exercise! And yoga with its stretching, strengthening poses is highly effective, especially inversions, since gravity also affects lymph flow. Inverted poses, which place your head below your heart, direct lymph to the lungs and respiratory organs. Then, when you rise, lymph flows to the lymph nodes to be cleaned. Some good inverted poses are Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog), Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) and Trikonasana (Triangle Pose).
4. Helping prevent obesity
Obesity affects more than 600 million people worldwide, with the U.S. leading the way. By 2030, up to 50 percent of Americans could become obese. Along with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, excess body fat can impair immune health. As one study explains, obesity is characterized by a state of chronic inflammation and disturbed levels of circulating nutrients and metabolic hormones. A regular yoga practice can help reduce obesity and improve quality of life.3 Yoga has been shown to improve strength and flexibility, and help control blood pressure, lipids (blood fats), respiration, heart rate and metabolic rate to improve overall fitness.4
Clearly, when it comes to safeguarding your wellness, yoga can play a vital, proactive role. Why not enjoy this ancient, beautiful discipline to help you feel better now and in the years to come? Namaste!
References
1Front Hum Neurosci. 2017; 11: 316.
2https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3099098/
3Int J Yoga. 2017 Sep-Dec; 10(3): 128–137.
4Int J Yoga. 2013 Jan-Jun; 6(1): 66–70.