Right behind the breastbone sits a small gland called the thymus, which has an intimate connection with the heart centre. As one of the main organ of the immune system, the thymus serves a vital role in the promotion of T cells. T cells play a role in defending the body from pathogens like bacteria and viruses.
As with many vital organs, the thymus is negatively affected by long term stress. We’re living in emergency mode for extended periods of time which diminishes our vital energy field. When this happens, our energy is directed outwards, to protect us from external threats. There’s little left for the internal, and we interrupt our body’s immune system.
The origin of the word thymus is quite beautiful; from the Greek thumos meaning bud. A nice image to take to heart. Any gardener knows for a plant to thrive it needs to be nurtured, and space and time to grow. Stressful conditions for a plant can prevent the flowers or fruit (symbols of thrival) and leave it purely in survival. We’re not so different, that’s why in yoga we look to nature for lessons in health and wellbeing.
You don't particularly need to attend my weekly yoga class to nourish yourself. The tools, techniques and materials you need for healing and thrival are within you (I just told you where one of them is, and I'm always writing to you with ideas!).
It might please you to know Google searches for yoga reached an all time high as the UK lockdown began in March 2020, and approximately 300-450,000 people take part in a yoga class each week. So there you go, some refreshing stats, isn't it good to know that you and a ton of other people in the UK are engaging in activities to heal themselves. Now imaging how we'd feel if those numbers got reported daily?!