Spring cleaning, yoga style

After the rigours of Winter, now is the perfect time to Spring-clean the body with some clearing, releasing yoga. Lisa Nicholas, yoga expert for retreat company Equilibrium Verbier, talks us through yoga's multi-faceted cleansing benefits.

It's Spring time, and the body is longing to move and clean out accumulated waste from the excesses of Christmas.

The gentle squeezing action of the muscles activated by the yoga asana (posture) helps to mobilise the lymph - a fluid that circulates throughout the body, carrying waste from the cells to be eliminated.

With no pump of its own, the lymphatic system is activated by muscle movement. 

Since many of the yoga asana take us beyond our normal range of movement, accumulated toxins are mobilised for elimination.

Working the muscles
All yoga asana work a myriad of interrelated muscle groups, helping to stretch and strengthen different individual muscles and muscle groups. As we stretch these long idle muscles and use them in new ways, higher awareness is developed in the nervous system.

The advantage of this is that, not only all sports performance is enhanced, but once these new pathways are laid down, they may be used for other functions of the nervous system. Thus, lateral thinking improves and the nervous system is fortified by this stimulation.

Asana also have the effect of both releasing accumulated tension around our joints and bringing awareness to this tension. In order for a muscle to remain taut, our body sends a continual message to that muscle to remain tight. This tires the body, as it requires energy to maintain this rigidity.

Freeing energy

Once we become aware of this tension, we can gradually learn to release it, freeing the energy for other purposes. Practicing yoga asana will liberate energy, allowing it to be used for other things.

On a physiological level, loosening and taking the joints to their full range of movement stimulates the synovial fluid surrounding the joint, allowing for greater elimination of toxins.

This helps ot prevent disorders such as arthritis and also nourishes the cartilage, helping to prevent deterioration of the articular surfaces.

The practice of yoga, especially with an experienced and well trained teacher, will also have an effect on the digestive system.

The squeezing and twisting movements stimulate and active the entire abdominal cavity, allowing the body to regain normal, healthy functioning if it is out of balance. Yoga advocates a whole food vegetarian diet, eating in harmony with the seasons and regional produce.

Hormonal and respiratory systems boosted
On top of all the above, yoga asana stimulate the hormonal system, promoting harmonious functioning of reproductive and emotional health.

The regular breathing that accompanies the practice of yoga also stimulates the respiratory system.

This creates better health by bringing more oxygen into the body and allows it to be fully absorbed as the lungs regain their full capacity.

In case this is not enough, yoga promotes a feeling of well being, peace and contentment beyond other exercise. With regular practice, this can become one's 'default setting' allowing for greater contentment and satisfaction in life.

If you think you are too stiff to do yoga remember that you are more than likely stiff because you have never practiced yoga before. The practice itself allows you to become more supple.

The fancy 'party poses' that one sees in magazines and literature are not for beginners, so don't be discouraged by preconceived notions of what yoga is. One guarantee is that it will always challenge you and that the rewards are as great as the challenges.