By Susanna Kubarth

This paper examines Hatha Yoga’s contribution to a strong immune system, based on research both of modern western and ancient eastern medicine. It will also provide guidelines of how one can to adapt their your practice so as to boost their immune defence.

How the immune system works – the Western approach

Our immune system protects us from invading pathogens and eliminates malignant and modi-fied cells from the body. It can be likened to a complicated team-play of organs, cells and molecules. It relies on two different systems, : the innate and the adaptive immune system.
Our innate immune system represents the defence mechanisms we are born with. It comprises physiological and anatomical barriers, such as the skin, mucous tissues, tears, sweat, urine, intestinal bacteria, etc. When pathogens pass the physiological barriers, the innate immune system is responsible for the first line of defence, and it reacts quickly and equally well to in-vading pathogens.

Our adaptive immune system on the other hand constitutes of all defence mechanisms devel-oped by the body over time, as it is capable of remembering previously encountered patho-gens. This is why the adaptive immune system reacts more slowly, but specifically to each pathogen, for instance by producing antibodies that match the pathogen. (GENE MAYER-MAYER).

Ayurveda’s & Yoga’s approach to the immune defence

The ancient Indian medicine of Ayurveda names Ojas as the overarching term defining our immunity and life energy. Ojas is the extract or essence of the seven body tissues known in Ayurveda. It is only produced when all the requirements to build healthy tissues are fulfilled. (TRÖKES & GUNERT, p. 32) Ojas can be likened to an immaterial metabolite of the body tissues that defines our energy level, immune defence, zest for life and charisma.

Similar to our the two immune systems that the Western approach identifies, Ayurveda di-vides Ojas into two categories: Paramojas represents the stock of life-essence we are born with, and it can not be refilled. The second kind of life-essence, Aparamojas, can be amassed. Ayurveda and Yoga give a great number of suggestions to increase health, immunity, and well-being by accumulation of Aparamojas. These measures include right proper lifestyle, right proper food, correct exercise, the right proper attitude and many more. (ROSENBERG, p. 24 f.)

What impairs the immune system and how Yoga strengthens it

Factors such as prolonged exposure to environmental toxins, consumption of drugs (including alcohol and nicotine), lack of exercise and sleep, malnutrition, and chronic stress are some of the main factors that impair immune defensedefence. Many of the mentionedthose factors throw the self-regulating mechanisms of our body off- balance and inhibit proper communica-tion between various regulation units in the body. Psychoneuroimmunology has shown there is a direct interaction between the immune system and the central nervous- and hormone system. The pituitary glands, the adrenals and the immune cells are the main control systems in this interaction. (NEUMANN & TRÖKES, p.11). We can see the importance of this interaction when looking at stress, which is one of the major causes of a weak immunity. Stress blocks communication between the central nervous system and the immune system (GODBOUT & GLASER).

A well-designed, regular practice of Hatha Yoga will not only alleviate many of the symptoms caused by a weak immune system, but can help eliminating eliminate many of the factors that caused its debilitation to begin with. The practices of Hatha Yoga have many positive effects on our health, but these are the most outstanding ones (ones?) relating to immune defence:

 Circulation & Oxygenation

When it comes to health, Western culture advocates proper diet, exercise, and drugsmedica-tion when problems arise.. Eastern approaches suggest that proper breathing should come even before those factors. Taking in drugsmedication and foods to heal ourselves is much more effective when our bodies are able to process them. Proper eating without proper breathing is like putting excellent firewood into a stove, but forgetting to open the airvent so it will burn properly. The result is that the processing of drugsmedication and foods can actually costs the body more energy than what it gains.

The practices of Hatha Yoga were designed to foster life-energy and re-establish the deep and vitalizing breathing patterns we can observe in little children. These patterns are often lost due to lack of exercise and poor posture, social and psychological inhibitions and constraints, and unhealthy environment and lifestyle choices. By the time of adulthood, breathing is usually shallow and short, and provides minimal energy – just enough to get by with. (HEWITT, p. 68) It doesn’t come as a surprise that we fall ill easily in such a state.

Many poses as well as the practices of breath control (Pranayama)Asanas and practices of breath-control (Pranayama) improve the elasticity and strength of the respiratory unit, clear the airways, and help increase the oxygen intake. Holding poses for a longer time creates healthy stress or pull on various tissues of the body, supporting the release of toxins and blood circulation through them. The combination of slow movements and deep breathing (e.g. in Sun Salutes) favourably affects beneficiallyincreases oxygen intake and the circulation of blood and lymph. The mechanical impact on the bowels stimulates digestion. According to some Eastern doctors, Eastern medicine views the intestine is as the seat of our immune system, so it is crucial to assist its work of assimilation and elimination.

Thus, Hatha Yoga helps supplying all the organs, tissues, and ultimately the cells and immune cells, with fresh oxygen, as well as excreting toxins from them . (SIVANANDA YOGA CENTER, p. 178-187) According to Ayurveda, only well-nourished tissues will produce the life-force of Ojas, which gives us resilience and radiant health.

 Central Nervous System & Hormonal System

As we have seen, stress is one of the greatest enemies of immune defence. Slow and restora-tive Yoga practice gives body and mind time to calm down and to cleanse from the negative effects of stress. Remember that low immune defence goes hand in hand with an interruption of communication of the hormonal, immune, and central nervous system! Mindful and slow-paced Yoga practice will assist the body’s innate effort to re-establish integrity and harmony between all the units that make up a healthy immune system.

Yoga indirectly affects the central nervous system in the spinal cord through bends, twists, and stretches of the spine, which tone the nerves and free them of compression . Thus, Yoga postures improve neurotransmission and stabilizes the reactions of the central nervous system to stress, strong emotions, atmospheric conditions, and other circumstances. This in turn increases resilience against illness.

Besides working on the nervous system, Yoga affects hormone secretion. Regarding immune defence, the pituitary and adrenal glands play a particular role. The pituitary gland is a master gland regulating the entire endocrine system and determining our “inner rhythms”. The adre-nals produce cortisol and adrenaline. The adrenal hormones are necessary to prepare the body for a “fight or flight” scenario in stressful or life-threatening situations, by raising the heart rate and blood pressure, and minimizing immune defences and digestion to save energy, amongst others.

If the body remains in this condition for longer periods of time, as it is often the case with ‘modern’ Western lifestyle, this drastically weakens our defences against illness. Yoga can normalize the secretion of adrenaline. It also has a balancing effect on the pituitary gland, which synchronizes the entire hormonal system. (SIVANANDA YOGA CENTER, p. 186)

However, we need to be cautious about how Yoga affects the hormone system. There exists a wide-spread belief that Asanas stimulate the endocrine glands directly through pressure or massage. However, western science disagrees. Our health depends on constant readjustments in the body to maintain balance (Homeostasis). It would have disastrous effects on this bal-ance if hormones were released into the blood stream every time we bumped into an object, twisted or bent in specific ways, or experienced any other kind of mechanical impulse on the endocrine glands. We would be experiencing almost dizzying fluctuations of our mood, en-ergy level, hunger, sex drive, and so forth! (SCHMIDT 2010)

Still, western science does not deny the obvious effects of Hatha Yoga on the hormone sys-tem. Scientists concede that they still do not know exactly how this happens, even if research has shown that it can not happen through mechanical impulses. One possible answer is that Asanas train our entire body to self-regulate faster and more efficiently, increasing its capaci-ties to ward off illness.  (SCHMIDT 2010)

Susanna Kubarth is a certified Yoga teacher.  She teaches Yoga classes in Graz, Austria.