Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:11] Welcome to Deep in your yoga Practice. I am Lauren Leduc, the owner and founder of True Love Yoga in Kansas City, Missouri. And today we are returning back to the topic of yoga anatomy. And we'll deepen our yoga practices by talking about myths versus fact. So this is a deep dive through from the Physiology of Yoga, which is a wonderful book I just read by Andrew McGonagall. You might know him as Dr. Yogi and Matthew Hui. If you've ever heard that yoga detoxes your body, boosts your immune system, or that inversions send more blood to your brain, today's episode is for you. Because a lot of what we say in yoga is meaningful, but it's not always physiologically accurate. So today we're walking through some very specific myth or fact claims that are grounded in physiology, research and critical thinking. And this is so that we can practice yoga and teach yoga with more truthfulness and more precision. It's easy when we are teaching yoga or practicing yoga to simply repeat what we have heard from teachers or maybe read in older books that weren't exactly true to this science and simply accept these things as fact. But I think it's important as modern yogis, both to respect the roots of this practice as well as the indigenous wisdom being passed on, and to also hold ourselves to a high standard when it comes to scientific scrutiny. Because the truth is that we are teaching bodies or we have a body, we need to treat it with care and respect and as the temple that holds the spirit, that holds the philosophy of yoga and that respects the roots of yoga while also embodying its ethical principles like ahimsa, non harm and satya, or truth. So let's dive into these myths and again, these are outlined in the Physiology of Yoga, an evidence based look at how yoga affects health and well being. So I highly recommend if this is an interesting episode to you to purchase or check out this book and dive in deeply because it is really, really interesting. So myth number one is that inversions bring more blood to the brain and and stimulate the pineal gland. So you might hear someone say that headstand or shoulder stand increase this brain or cerebral blood flow and that they stimulate the pineal gland. And sometimes we might say it stimulates the third eye as well, making the pineal gland and the third eye synonymous. But physiology actually says something different. First, cerebral blood flow is something that is autoregulated. So the brain maintains this relatively constant blood flow regardless of what position our bodies are in.
[00:02:57] So even with large blood pressure changes, there is this very minimal change in the blood flow of the brain. And this is due to what's called cerebral autoregulation. So turning upside down does not flood the brain with blood. And this matters because the brain is extremely sensitive to too much blood, which can create damage or too little blood. So the body really tightly regulates this flow on purpose. There are also claims around the pineal gland when it comes to inversions. And as of now, there is no direct evidence that yoga affects pineal function. So again, sometimes the pineal gland is sort of spiritualized or exoticized as this connection to the mystical. It could be because the there is this possible link to trace DMT in this area, which is not something that is yet supported by evidence. But what we do know is the pineal gland produces melatonin, which is one of the hormones that helps us fall asleep. So rest assured, we're probably not going to go into a headstand and immediately fall asleep. So likely that gland is not going to necessarily be stimulated by going upside down. Your brain already regulates its blood flow extremely well, and you don't need to stand on your head to make that happen or to stimulate melatonin production in the body. But inversions are still great practices. They help shift our perspective. They can be calming, and they can help us with proprioception or knowing and feeling where our body is in space. Let's go to myth number two, and that is that Kapalabhati, which is Skull Shining Breath.
[00:04:46] You might also know it as Breath of Fire, helps stop aging and detoxifies the body. So some might repeat or claim that Skull Shining Breath detoxifies, it stops aging, that it clears toxins. But this isn't necessarily what physiology says. Instead, Kapalabhati is essentially controlled hyperventilation.
[00:05:08] So there are rapid, forceful exhalations followed by passive inhales. This temporarily leads to reduction of carbon dioxide, which temporarily alters the blood chemistry. When we're doing this purposefully and safely, meaning we're not hyperventilating because of asthma or panic attack or something like that, it can be a positive thing because it can create a sense of alertness and a sense of increased focus. It actually can create a little bit of lightheadedness too. So it's something we do need to be careful around. It has some other great effects on the body as well, like increasing abdominal muscle activation. So I like using this breath at the beginning of a practice because it's a really great way to feel in touch with the core muscles that we're going to be using. To help move our bodies in balance. It can also create a bit of thermogenesis or inner heat production. So it's like cranking up the heat just a little bit. No hot yoga needed. And again, it can increase mental focus and awareness, which is another reason I really like it. As a preparatory breath for physical practice. I might also use it sometimes as a preparatory breath for maybe more difficult postures like inversions. We won't go right from being lightheaded into an inversion, but we might take a moment to use something like kapalabhati to build confidence, to build heat, and to gain a bit more focus. So it does not detoxify the body. Kapalabhati doesn't fill the skull with oxygen, and it definitely doesn't stop aging. I'm sure if it did, people would be all over it. But kapalabhati can be energizing and focusing. It's just not a detox tool or anti aging intervention. Now let's go into myth number three.
[00:07:04] This is that sweating, especially in hot yoga, detoxes the body. So the claim is that sweat removes toxins and that hot yoga equals detox. What does physiology say? Well, detoxification systems in our body are actually the liver, which aids in chemical processing, the kidneys, which are there for filtration, and the GI tract for elimination. We also have our sweat glands, which, which primarily are for regulating our temperature. We sweat when we're hot to cool our bodies, they just have a minor role in excretion. So it's a very, very minor role as compared to, like the liver or kidneys, for instance. There has been this misinterpretation in research that has led people to believe this. So some studies show higher toxin concentration in sweat than blood.
[00:07:58] But. But this is likely an error in methodology, not this evidence of detox. Sweat does do some wonderful things for us, though. It supports thermoregulation, meaning it helps cool the body. It also contributes to skin hydration. It's also great for antimicrobial defense. So we can know that sweating is about temperature regulation, not toxin removal. However, yoga can support our body's natural detoxification system indirectly by improving our circulation by reducing stress and supporting organ function overall. So keep practicing. Let's go into myth number four. This myth is that yoga improves lymphatic drainage. So the claim would be that deep breathing and inversions flush the lymph. So what does physiology say? Well, first it says that evidence is actually pretty limited. Right now, there's very little direct research on yoga and the lymphatic system system. And then this is even less specific toward breath work or posture. So what do we know? We know that lymph moves via muscle contraction and pressure gradients. So the flow of lymph is not dependent on inversions or breath alone. But inversions or breath could influence venous return, so bringing deoxygenated blood back to the heart. But effects on lymphatic flow are unclear and not well supported yet. It's important to know that for most people, the lymphatic system is already functioning very effectively, but it does respond very well to movement. So your lymphatic system doesn't necessarily need fixing, but it does need movement, which you're already doing by exercising and practicing yoga asanas. Now, let's talk about myth number five, which is that the immune system can be enhanced or boosted. You might hear this when people are selling supplements or selling specific types of yoga classes. And there's this claim that yoga boosts immunity and that lifestyle increases immune strength in a linear way. So what does physiology say? Well, it says that boosting immunity isn't really something that makes sense. An overactive immune system would mean inflammation and autoimmune issues. And the body already produces excess immune cells. They are removed through a natural process.
[00:10:27] However, there are things that you can do to support your immunity, and that can be things like moderate exercise, good circulation and stress regulation. And a well rounded yoga practice is going to include all of these things. So moderate exercise is supportive. However, when we get to excessive exercise, it may actually suppress immune function, so we can't force our immune system into working better. Also, when it comes to supplementation, there is weak and conflicting evidence for supplements improving, having immunity and healthy individuals. So it's important to know that yoga absolutely can support your immune system in a beautiful way, but it doesn't override biology or boost it in a simple way. And I would be weary of anything that claims that it can do that. I have one last myth for you. This is a bonus myth, which is that shoulder stand stimulates the thyroid. You may have heard this before.
[00:11:29] And put simply, there's no direct evidence that this occurs. And the endocrine system, or the system that produces hormones through our body works in a very complex way. And it can't be boosted or stimulated through direct pressure. So it's important to note that hormones aren't turned on by pressure. They're regulated through complex feedback systems. So while we might love shoulder stand, while it might be calming for us, where we might feel some strength, through our core and a nice stretch through the upper back. We're not really going to be regulating our hormones there. So those are the myths for you. What I love about talking about this and learning about it is that it doesn't make yoga any less powerful, it just makes it more honest and it deepens our self understanding. And that is such a part of the yogic process. As teachers or students of yoga, we don't need to exaggerate what yoga does because what it actually does, which is regulating the nervous system, improving circulation and supporting awareness, is already something that is so powerful and profound and that supports all systems of our body. Understanding the body doesn't take away the magic of yoga. It makes the practice more intelligent, more skillful and more trustworthy. And if you're interested in learning more about what yoga can do for the body, not just dispelling these myths, I'm happy to create another episode where we go into some of that fun stuff because it's all very interesting and lovely and supportive. And again, the book that this is coming from is the Physiology of Yoga by Andrew McGonigal or Dr. Yogi and Matthew Hui. I highly recommend it if you'd like to nerd out on all the different systems of the body, how yoga can support them, and in dispelling these common myths around what yoga can or can't do for us. So thank you so much for joining me today. Have a beautiful week. Move those beautiful bodies. Om Shanti Om. Peace.
