How Decreasing Inflammation, Stress Relief, Health Immune System and Positivity are Key to Health & Wellbeing
If you’ve been struggling with Chronic Stress and Pain for a while, you may have worried that you are not the “right size, age, or ethnicity” to “do” Yoga and Meditation and not sure how it exactly can help with Pain and Stress Management?
Super confusing, right?
Luckily, Yoga and Mindful Meditation are not as confusing or complicated as you have probably been led to believe.
The fact is the social media, the news and advertising) makes this more complicated than it needs to be because they like to spread fear and worry so that we think we are not good enough or that only a magic pill or potion will help with taking the pain and stress away from our lives.
When you understand that Yoga, Mindful Meditation and Muscle Re-Balancing ACTUALLY works to help you manage stress and pain, you realize you can learn from the comfort of your own home a few simple but effective stress and pain management techniques.
That’s because a lot of these trendy, hot and flowy yoga classes have yoga teachers with very little experience teaching various ages, sizes, and abilities. The biggest problem I see is that most of these complicated hot and flowy yoga classes don’t focus on alignment, nor do they give proper variations to yoga postures so that the student ends up overusing and overstretching certain muscles, ligaments and tendons and a lot of times lead to pain and stress which is exactly what led the student to these classes in the first place. Back at square one again. So frustrating.
And to manage stress and pain naturally and holistically, you need a guide that can work with your own unique body, mind, and lifestyle.
When you get those pieces in place, you can really start seeing dramatic results and get more “bang for your buck” from a few simple but effective stress and pain management techniques.
As per “9 Ways to Boost Your Body’s Natural Defenses” by SaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD there are “several dietary and lifestyle changes may strengthen your body’s natural defenses … to strengthen your immunity naturally.” and then Renee Bacher writes in “Myths vs. Facts About Your Immune System” that “Your immune system creates, stores, and distributes the white blood cells that fight bacteria and viruses that enter your body,”
Even Courtney Helgoe states in her article “How Functional Medicine Came to the Military” that the “The Pentagon already recognizes that whole-person care is a good fit for service members. …. emphasize the importance of nutrition, sleep, exercise, mindfulness, and social support.”
Here’s the 5 Ways to Boost Your Immune System with Yoga and Self-Care Techniques and How Decreasing Inflammation, Stress Relief, Health Immune System and Positivity are Key to Health & Wellbeing
1. Practice Yoga.
When I first became interested in Yoga and Mindful Meditation, over 20 years ago, I didn’t know who to trust (as you might feel right now) and started following advice that in hindsight was overcomplicated and seemed to be geared towards skinny women trying to do acrobatics or guru men that sat in a pretzel like pose for long hours looking like they are in a trance. Neither were me.
I realized I was being fed BS and lies when I realized that Any Body can “do” Yoga and Meditation. In fact, Yoga and Mindful Meditation are actually easy to understand and implement and are a lifestyle not just physical exercise or hippy trippy.
In an article by Teresa Mason “Feeling Under the Weather? Practice These 5 Immunity Boosting Yoga Poses” Mason, states that: Sitting and Breathing, Spinal Twists, Heart Opening Postures, Inversions and Legs up Against the Wall all help with boosting the immune system.”
Courtney Jay Higgins further states in “6 Yoga Poses To Strengthen Your Immune System” that “Stress is one of the leading causes of sickness, and when we’re chronically stressed, the deep tissue that surrounds our organs, muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments (called fascia) is compromised.”
Higgins then says that when practicing yoga postures and breathing techniques “we’re helping this circulation process in our systems, which leads to health and stronger immunity.”
In fact, when you practice deep breathing and relaxation techniques, Higgins says this helps “reduce stress hormones, heart rate, and nervous system distress (which all supports strong immunity).”
Teresa Mason also states that “Spinal twists decompress and nourish the spine, but they can also help a lot with our body’s internal functions, including our immune system.”
“The theory behind twists helping our immunity is that improper digestion causes toxins to build-up. These nasty toxins send the body out of whack and have the potential to create infection or inflammation. Yoga poses that gently compress, twist, or stimulate the stomach can help with digestive issues.” as per Mason.
As per Teresa Mason, Heart opening postures “targets the lungs, so it can help open up and relieve congestion.”
My students just love doing Traditional and Modified Dancer’s Pose which are beautiful heart openers and mild back bends.
Plus Higgins further states that “Backbends are specifically detoxifying for the adrenal glands, which can become exasperated due to stress.” “…. helpful in opening up the respiratory system. During cold season, use a standing backbend to strengthen the lungs and keep the nasal passage open for breath.”
I truly believe that Relaxation Poses are key to our health and are underrated.
Mason says that “Legs Up the Wall is one of the most relaxing yoga poses for your whole body. It allows lymph drainage, blood circulation to even out, releases pressure from your back, and helps you feel grounded, so in turn your nervous system can completely relax and reset.
For optimal immunity, we need our nervous system to be fortified and functioning properly.”
“Stress can wreak havoc on your immune system, so soothing the nervous system and calming the mind is key to overall health. .. doing a gentle but deep full yogic breath to promote good circulation. Gently release.” as per Carlson
2. Good Quality Sleep is Essential.
Shoemaker states that “Sleep and immunity are closely tied.
In fact, inadequate or poor-quality sleep is linked to a higher susceptibility to sickness.”
Bacher believes that “There’s a strong link between sleep and a healthy immune system. But not just any sleep will do. Restorative sleep, which means enough sleep to get the body back into fighting shape, is key.”
3. Eat Clean.
Eat more plant-based foods, healthy fats and fermented foods Plus limit eating added sugars.
What is Clean Eating? As per cleaneating.com Clean Eating is: “The soul of clean eating is consuming food the way nature delivered or, as close to it as possible. It is not a diet; it’s a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation. It’s about eating real food, for a healthy, happy life.”
Here’s some tips I share with my clients on Clean Eating that I know you’ll find useful:
- Cook Intuitively. Listen to your instincts when cooking. Ask yourself what you need to use up in your pantry and refrigerator instead of being so rigid with a recipe. Think of recipes as guides instead.
- Make a soup out of it. Use up veggies in the crisper that aren’t crisp anymore and don’t look “perfect”. I even use the greens when possible. Think carrot tops, scallions, parsley, etc.)
- Batch cooking tip. Cut onions and peppers into strips and then store them in a freezer (squeeze all the air out and flatten when zipping shut). Voila! They are ready when needed.
- I highly recommend Vitamin D and enzymes – they have made such a difference in my life – many professionals state that most people are deficient in both. I use Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw D
As per Shoemaker, “Whole plant foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes are rich in nutrients and antioxidants that may give you an upper hand against harmful pathogens.
The antioxidants in these foods help decrease inflammation by combatting unstable compounds called free radicals, …..Chronic inflammation is linked to numerous health conditions, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and certain cancers.”
I truly believe that adding more healthy fats to meals “may boost your body’s immune response to pathogens by decreasing inflammation …. chronic inflammation can suppress your immune system” as per Shoemaker.
Another key food Shoemaker mention is “Fermented foods are rich in beneficial bacteria called probiotics, which populate your digestive tract …. Research suggests that a flourishing network of gut bacteria can help your immune cells differentiate between normal, healthy cells and harmful invader organisms”.
My favorite fermented food is sauerkraut. Make sure it is organic and/or has not scary additives or preservatives.
When it comes to decreasing inflammation, Shoemaker says that curbing sugar intake “thus reducing your risk of chronic health conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.” And that “limiting added sugars is an important part of an immune-boosting diet.”
As per an article in Harvard Health Publishing “How to boost your immune system” “As we age, our immune response capability becomes reduced, which in turn contributes to more infections and more cancer.” This article further states that “There appears to be a connection between nutrition and immunity in the elderly.”
As per Helgoe in “How Functional Medicine Came to the Military”, when referring to one military veteran, “By the time Jones found his way to the Cleveland Clinic in 2016, he had been placed on 44 different medications. His gut was swollen. He was in constant pain and routinely experiencing uncontrollable rage. He was anxious and depressed and contemplating suicide…. he was also suffering from runaway inflammation from brain injuries and gut dysbiosis. He had a “brain on fire.”
Helgoe continues and says that “Jones’s treatment began with an elimination diet, followed by a ketogenic food plan. His gut health improved dramatically when he avoided wheat and sugar.”
Henri Roca, MC further tells Helgoe that “His patients learn to drink anti-inflammatory bone broth, which can help reduce the need for pain medication. They learn that brightly colored vegetables reduce inflammation, and that it’s important to avoid sugar, fast food, and other inflammatory fare. They’re taught gentle stretching techniques to address musculoskeletal issues.”
In my Private Facebook Group “pain management and self care techniques for caregivers”, you can surround yourself with other members that are looking for pain management and self-care techniques.
In addition, you’ll also get more tips to help you reach your goals and can ask me questions to help move you further along.
4. Moderate Exercise is Key.
Many studies say that doing moderate exercise on a regular basis may help your immune cells regenerate and reduce inflammation.
In the Harvard study, it states that “Regular exercise is one of the pillars of healthy living. It improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight, and protects against a variety of diseases. But does it help to boost your immune system naturally and keep it healthy? Just like a healthy diet, exercise can contribute to general good health and therefore to a healthy immune system. It may contribute even more directly by promoting good circulation, which allows the cells and substances of the immune system to move through the body freely and do their job efficiently.”
5. Self-Care Techniques.
Some daily morning self-care techniques that I use are:
- Practicing Forgiveness
- Lovingkindness Meditations
- Chakra Meditation
- Practicing Gratefulness
- Repeating 108 Positive Affirmation Statements along with Emotional Freedom Tapping
- Mentally Planning out my Day using Positive Phrases
I also share with my students the following self-care practices:
- No Phones or Stressful Conversations at Meals. It sounds difficult at first but in time it gets easier. Plus, it is so good for you and your digestive system. Learning to be present and mindful and enjoy your own company, or the company of your friends, love ones or work colleagues as you chew, listen, and reflect.
- Fear, worry, and the ego mind cause a lot of stress. This easy meditation can be used in most situations for yourself or others. BREATHE IN Forgiveness (and the person’s name) and BREATHE OUT Release (and the person’s name) Repeat this many times. Ahhhhh!
- Center before doing big projects. Sit quietly and follow your breath, practice gratefulness, journal or take a walk in nature.
As per the article Shoemaker wrote: “Relieving stress and anxiety is key to immune health. Long-term stress promotes inflammation, as well as imbalances in immune cell function”
May studies suggest that Looking on the bright side may also help the body to fight illnesses.
In Helgoe’s article about Jones in “How Functional Medicine Came to the Military”, she writes that “He adopted relaxation techniques and began practicing archery. He lost weight, his bloating disappeared, his anxiety and depression eased, and his cognitive function improved.”
Looking at this through a holistic approach, many believe that you need to understand the root causes for symptoms so that you can heal yourself.
Helgoe further states that “Chronic stress is itself inflammatory. When the body’s sympathetic nervous system is in fight-or-flight mode, the pituitary gland signals the adrenal glands to release cortisol.”
It’s when our bodies are stuck “in the sympathetic mode, as it does for many service members, the rest-and-rebuild parasympathetic system never kicks back in. The adrenals eventually give up their high alert and stop producing cortisol. Energy flatlines and inflammation skyrockets.” Helgoe further explains that “Brain injuries, toxic exposures, and gut dysbiosis produce a broad range of downstream effects that are typically intertwined. All can trigger runaway inflammation and systemic health problems.”
In this article from Helgoe, she interviews Henri Roca, MD, “who treats pain patients at the VA hospital in Little Rock, Ark., addressing inflammation is a key tenet of his protocol. He also strongly emphasizes the importance of self-care for patients and empowering them to heal themselves.”
To sum it up the 5 Ways to Boost Your Immune System with Yoga and Self-Care Techniques and How Decreasing Inflammation, Stress Relief, Health Immune System and Positivity are Key to Health & Wellbeing:
As per an article in Harvard Health Publishing “How to boost your immune system”, “Following general good-health guidelines is the single best step you can take toward naturally keeping your immune system strong and healthy” Here’s some healthy-living strategies the article lists:
“Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables.
Exercise regularly.
Maintain a healthy weight”…..
“Get adequate sleep.
Take steps to avoid infection, such as washing your hands frequently and cooking meats thoroughly.
Try to minimize stress.”
Feel free to comment below. Would love to know what resonates most with you?
Have a beautiful day & Namaste,
Jen James
Celestial Yoga, LLC
www.celestialyoga.org
p.s. I help caregivers, first responders, and health care workers, manage chronic pain and stress through a holistic approach with gentle yoga exercises, mindfulness and self care techniques.
©2020 [Celestial Yoga, LLC]
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