The Lymphatic System & Yoga

The lymphatic system plays a crucial role in maintaining health and bodily equilibrium.  While it closely parallels the cardiovascular system, which takes blood to and from the heart, it is quite different in its actions. The lymphatic system is responsible for transporting nutrients, hormones and waste throughout the body. It is also responsible for transporting lymphocytes, a type of white blood cells. This helps to mount an immune system response which can fight bacteria or disease.  

The lymphatic system is made up of vessels, lymph nodes and specific organs that rid toxins and regulate lymphatic fluid throughout the body. Often times, this system operates smoothly with no need for special attention. However, when the lymphatic system is compromised, due to illness or disease, we can see changes in the body, such as swelling or infection.   

There are several ways to encourage lymphatic circulation and these often coincide with healthy, active lifestyle choices, including a regular yoga practice. One of the ways you can influence your own lymphatic circulation is to engage in regular exercise that makes muscles contract and relax. This can be as simple as pointing and flexing your ankles if you’ve been sitting for a while, taking a walk or engaging in weight lifting. Another way to encourage lymphatic circulation is through deep, diaphragmatic breathing, especially when combined with some gentle abdominal pressure. When coupled with a yoga pose such as Viparita Karani (legs up the wall pose) we can use the added effect of gravity. This can be especially useful for sore or swollen feet or legs.  

If you are interested in learning more about lymphatic system anatomy and how you can tailor your yoga practice to maintain a healthy lymphatic system, join Jennifer Miller, licensed physical therapist and certified lymphedema therapist in our upcoming Blue Sky Yoga workshop on Saturday, February 1, 2020 from 2:30-4:30. Pricing and specifics can be found on the Blue Sky Yoga Facebook page or on the Mind Body app.  

Legs up the wall pose

Place the short side of your yoga mat or blanket along a wall free from objects.

Facing the wall, sit down on the left side of your mat with your right hip touching the wall.

Your body should be perpendicular to the wall with side of your right hip and right shoulder touching the wall.

As you begin to lie down onto your left side to turn onto your back, begin to walk your legs up the wall.

If your hamstrings or low back are stiff, you may need to scoot your hips away from the wall.

Once your legs are comfortable and supported, ensure that your trunk is even and not rotated.

Place your hands on your belly or one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly.

As you take in a comfortably full breath through your nose, try to expand your belly as if it were a balloon filling with air.

As you breath out through your nose or mouth, let your belly soften.

Your belly should expand with breath as much as, or slightly more than, your chest.

If you would like to add extra stimulation, put firm, but gentle pressure through your hand onto your belly during both the inhale and exhale.

Set a timer to practice for 3 to 20 minutes.

My Restorative Practice

by Bryna Parker

“I’m just here the for Savasana” ~T-shirts everywhere

Bryna Parker enjoying Legs up the (Headboard) Wall, a restorative pose you can easily do in bed.

Savasana — you know, that part of a yoga class where you get to find a supportive posture and relax?

I often hear, “This is my favorite part of yoga and it always seems to go by too fast. As soon as I am getting settled and begin to soften into stillness it is always time to come back.” 

We all need more time to settle and soften into our stillness, and that is what a Restorative Yoga Practice provides. Unlike more traditional yoga classes, a Restorative Practice is not about stretching; it is about opening into the stillness and like traditional yoga classes, it can take a little work, but the work happens within while the body is fully supported and still. 

Restorative yoga offers us more time to explore how we are feeling. While we are still we can ask ourselves:  

What is my mind distracted by? 

How do I feel today in my physical body? 

Where am I with my emotions right now? 

Am I fully breathing? 

What is this heaviness or tension in my body connected to energetically?

And through these questions we get to know ourselves more fully.

My Restorative Journey 

Becoming the silent observer of my inner landscapes took practice and time. Learning how to be present and breathe through all the sh*t that bubbles up when we turn inward can be a challenge at first, but this is where we become resilient. Just like Hatha Yoga, Restorative Yoga is a practice that you need to show up for over and over. It wasn’t easy for me to turn off the ruminating thoughts and worry or take a break from my need to accomplish and checking items off a list. I seem to always be creating a bunch of expectations for events that are in the future, or reliving past experiences and wondering how it could have been different. My mind was rarely in the present moment. I was often stuck in the past or asking eagerly what's next? Restorative yoga answered with “How about nothing?” 

With practice, I soon learned how to sit with myself and accept what is real in that moment without judgment. I could acknowledge and allow rather than ignore and avoid. Once I became comfortable observing and being without judgement, I could take the next step of moving closer to meditation. I began having conversations with my body explaining you are allowed to just be. I began thanking my body for all it does and then reassured myself that rest is a healthy healing practice — I don't always have to be preparing for what’s next. It’s ok to take time to just be present and find satisfaction in not doing. I begin to rewire my brain by training my body to unplug from all those sensory inputs so I could pay more attention to what my inner being needed. This practice of connecting to life force energy and listening to my own intuition was when it became so clear that most of the answers I had been searching for were already there inside of me; I was just too busy, distracted or fearful to seek my own inner wisdom. This restorative practice has empowered me to trust myself. Anytime I am unsure, I know I can pause and connect to that source of energy and wisdom that always resides inside of me. It’s there for you, too, I guarantee it. You just have to make your restorative practice a priority. 

Try this…

Your restorative practice could be as simple as taking your legs up the wall (or headboard) first thing in the morning while you are still in bed, breathing in and out intentionally, and observing what is present and honoring where you are today. 

In this way, you can start your day informed and prepared, knowing what you need so you can better support yourself (and others) throughout the day. 

What a beautiful gift to give yourself!

Join Bryna for Restorative practice on Tuesdays from 6pm-7pm. You can also find her teaching Chair Yoga on Mondays from 11am-12pm as well as occasional restorative popups and workshops on several topics including Yoga for Bigger Bodies, Chair Yoga, and Yoga for Tension Release using Yoga Tune Up balls. Check out our schedule.

Teacher Talk Tuesday: Meet Tara Devpriya

How did you begin practicing and teaching yoga?

I first came to yoga my sophomore year in college.  I was feeling pretty lost and overwhelmed with various life stressors and something about yoga was calling out to me, but I wasn’t exactly sure of quite what that was. I grew up as an athlete, playing pretty much every sport I could get my hands on in my formative years through high school. I released my identity as an athlete as I came into college, without consciously recognizing that I didn’t have a relationship with my true identity. It has taken me years to realize that when I was seeking yoga in those early years, what I was truly seeking was connection - connection with Self and connection with Spirit. 

Without any prior knowledge on yoga, I hopped onto Amazon and ordered the yoga DVD with the most/highest ratings: Kundalini Yoga for Beginners and Beyond by Ana Bret and Ravi Singh. I can remember being so confused when I popped it into the DVD player - “This is yoga?” I could only complete part of the class and had a lot of difficulty keeping up, mentally and physically. My collegiate distractions took precedence over my peace of mind at that time, and I was not immediately hooked on yoga, though I often heard it calling out to me as a way to find respite from the fast pace of college. I finally mustered up the courage to attend a public yoga class - a leisure offering at LSU, and walked into a quiet, dark room. I quickly closed the door behind me and found a place to sit. The instructor came over to whisper to me that class was finished - I had just bombarded their Savasana! Mortified, I didn’t return to the remainder of the series. A few months later, I found a local studio which was offering free yoga for work trade via manning the front desk. It was at this studio, Yoga Bliss, where the unfolding truly began to take shape. Something deep within my heart stirred in those early days at the studio, and I knew from within that I wanted to learn to teach and share the practice with others. It took years for me to find the courage and belief in myself to attend teacher training. It was absolutely worth the wait and without a doubt the best venture I have ever done for myself. I encourage anyone, whether they desire to teach or not, to give a thought to deepening their practice through teacher training. My experience through teacher trainings have helped me to come to know myself like I never have before and have granted me the gift of a firm foundation for my home practice. I am always hungry for more trainings and hope I never sway from maintaining a beginner’s mindset - each day, each practice, each breath and each moment is new.

How has yoga been transformational in your life?

Yoga has facilitated an unpeeling of myself to reveal who I am inside. It was through yoga that I first learned how to feel - and therefore, how to heal. Each day this process continues, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to know and love myself a little more each day.

What’s your favorite part about teaching yoga?

I love to see the spark of yoga light up in students eyes.

What do you do to prepare for class?

I prefer to practice in some manner before class, be it a few sun salutations or 3 minutes of Ego Eradicator (an empowering Kundalini kriya/meditation which features breath of fire, a breathing practice which is energizing and centering). Finding and residing in my center before class allows me to better hold the space to help my students feel supported as they navigate the path of finding their own space of being. 

Do you have a favorite pose or movement?

I love a good Viparita Karani (legs up the wall) after a long day. It’s even better when fully decked out with a bolster, blanket and eye pillow… pure bliss.

This is a little different...If you were a yoga pose what would you be and why?

Sweet, sweet Savasana. It’s where the magic happens :)

What’s your favorite type of music to play while practicing?

I love to practice to mantra, fluid music with minimal/no words or music that simply makes my heart light up. I’ve found that I easily become distracted when I practice to favorite artists of mine and wind up singing and dancing on my mat… but that certainly can be needed some days! An album I presently can’t get enough of is Ajeet Kaur’s Indigo Sea - so, so beautiful and great for a slow, nurturing practice. I have included this album as well as a playlist of some of my favorite mantras - they are great to put on shuffle while you work at the computer or around the house… or pretty much any time!

• Indigo Sea

• Mantra Magic, a playlist

Does your personal practice differ from how you teach?

The heart of my home practice is my Kundalini practice, my daily Sadhana. I practice first thing in the morning to connect with my Self and set my vibration for the day, even if it’s just a few minutes of breathing and movement. In the Kundalini tradition, we practice the same Kriya and/or meditation for different stretches of time (40 days, 90 days, 120 days, 1000 days) to cultivate a relationship with those particular practices on a deeper level, and I’m typically working with ones which support me through various challenges I may be facing at that time. The remainder of my practice depends on what the day holds for me and what my physical, mental and emotional bodies are calling for — ranging from a strong physical practice to something more slow and introspective like Restorative, Yin, or Yoga Nidra. Some days it just looks like laying on my mat and cuddling with my fur babies - it’s all yoga!

Recommended reading (yoga and/or non-yoga)

• The Untethered Soul, by Michael A Singer

• The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran

Outside of yoga what is your passion/Where can you be found?

I love live music and dancing, and on a day off you can likely find me on the trail with my pup, Bodhi.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself!

I have been home-brewing kombucha for over a decade (wow, I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about that!)