Three Poses for a Stronger Immune System

One of the biggest questions that is probably on your mind this season is how do I avoid getting sick? Well, since leaving the house isn’t an option, here are our three favorite yoga poses for a stronger immune system this Winter.

Let us know what you think!

Fish Pose (Matsyasana): Fish Pose opens up the heart and the lungs. It is thought to break up congestion sitting in the sinuses and lungs. Matsyasana can also eradicate toxins from your digestive system, when done correctly.

How to do it:

1 Lie on your back

2 Tuck your hands under your glutes, palms facing up

3 Place a block between the shoulder blades

4 You can use a second block to gently support your head

5 Your spine should have a natural curvature and your head should be tilted back so open up the neck and airways

6 Take about 5-7 deep breathes in the pose and come in and out as necessary

Supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana): Bridge Pose opens the heart and lungs, improves blood circulation and stimulates the Thryoid Gland. With this increase in energy within the body, it helps fight off the bad bacteria from cold and flu season.

How to do it:

1 Lie on your back

2 Come on to the soles of your feet and position them parallel, about hips distance apart

3 Lift your hips off your mat and place a block onset your hips for extra support

4 Keep your hips and glutes engaged

5 bind your arms or reach for opposite elbows overhead for a heart opener

6 Stay in this pose about 2-3 minutes to get the full benefits

Corpse Pose (Savasana): One of the, if not THE most important pose in your yoga practice. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the body’s rest and digest response when the body is in a relaxed, resting or feeding state. When you lie down in Savasana and you begin to relax, this is when your body heals, repairs and returns to homeostasis.

How to do it:

1 Lie on your back

2 Lay your arms down by your sides or on your belly

3 Close your eyes

4 Relax all the points in your body

5 Take five conscious breaths

6 Stay in this pose about 5-7 minutes for full benefits

The Beginning and the End.

If you could imagine your yoga practice as your life’s journey, would you treat it any differently?

It’s no coincidence that we begin in child’s pose (most of the time) and end in savasana (always). Your yoga practice has a defined beginning and a defined end, everything in between is the life and lessons we learn along the way. As you read on, think of the terms yoga practice, life journey, yoga journey, and the like to mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably.

So, let’s start at the very begging, in child’s pose. Ahhhh, the youth. The moments in life that you don’t really know what’s going on, but you’re at least aware of your conscious mind and the fact that you have a breath and a body. The subconscious is at work learning all of your habits and preconceived notions that come later in your journey.

As you progress through your chatarungas, sun salutations and vinyasas, you become more aware of who you are and you might have that “ah-ha!” moment when you realize all of this is actually going to end and this journey is definitive. You might make some mistakes along the way, but eventually, you get into your own rhythm. Then, comes the peak of your practice. You’re a lot wiser, more conditioned, and you’ve been training your whole life for this moment… Your peak pose.

But, you also realize the end is near. Would you do anything differently? Because you know the end is inevitable, you might start asking yourself do I have any regrets or is there anything I can or should have done?

Then, corpse pose. Game over. The end of your journey.

But wait… There’s one more pose.

Imagine you’re lying on your back, reliving the last 60 minutes before finally giving in and doing absolutely nothing. Three minutes later, an ominous voice tells you to keep your eyes closed, bring awareness back into your body and imagine that you’re waking up for the first time, but somehow changed. This voice tells you to roll on to the left or right side of your body for fetal pose. The pose that represents the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next. The post that literally signifies a rebirth, and chance to start over again. You’ve been reborn.

So you get up, walk away, and begin your next journey.

Ahhhh, the youth.

The Pop-up Event of the Season

Raleigh Wellness Expo by Oak City Yoga

Join us for a day of health and wellness at The Dogwood Bar and Eatery. Saturday, September 25th, Oak City Yoga is hosting it’s first wellness expo. Vendors, fitness classes, wellness talks and more! Scroll below for the event details and local business features.

DETAILS

Location: The Dogwood Bar & Eatery | 610 Glenwood Ave.

Hours: 10:30a - 2:30p

Fitness classes: 10:30a Ritual Raleigh, 11:45a Oak City Yoga, 1:45p Club Cardio + Fitness Bar

Wellness talk: 12:50p - 1:30p on Natural Immunity for Fall from both Eastern and Western Medicine and natural hormone balance. Chats will be given by Dr. Sinead Corrigan and Mary Schuster, Doctor or Physical Therapy.

Vendors: Braidbabes, Mama's Salsa, Club Cardio, Plant Teas, Blackology Coffee Co., Little Luxuries Body Care, Judha Fitness, Melanated Empath Candle Co., Ritual Raleigh, Green Compass Global, Mind's Eye Tea, Oak City Sunless, Medibites Food Truck, Ladybugs Medibles, High Maintenance Hippie, Immunity Juice Co., XS Sports Nutrition and Nutrilife.

The event is FREE to the public. Fitness class pricing is determined by the vendor. To sign up for class, head to the respective vendors site.

Reach out to oakcityyogaraleigh@gmail.com for any questions regarding the event.

Ritual Raleigh: 10:30a Ritual Ride

Oak City Yoga: 11:45a Vinyasa Yoga

Club Cardio: 1:45p Stepfit

Meet Your Speakers

Dr. Sinead Corrigan

Sinéad recently moved to NC from San Francisco where she spent the last years getting her doctorate in Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture. She also holds a BA in Preventative Medicine from UNC-Chapel Hill and has been teaching yoga for 10+ years and qigong since 2016. She founded Inner Body Data™ ~ Self-empowered Healthcare with the goal to help patients utilize movement therapies such as yoga, qigong, TaiChi, and dance as a part of their healing and wellness.

On September 25th, Sinéad will give a talk on Staying Healthy in the Fall Season from both Western and Eastern Medicine perspectives. Our body is strongly influenced by the rhythms of nature - come to this talk to learn to optimize your mental and physical health and performance this Fall season!

Dr. Mary Schuster

Dr. Mary Schuster is a Pelvic Health Physical Therapist, Certified Pilates Teacher & Women's Health Coach, here to empower you to live your healthiest, most balanced life. She knows what it feels like to suffer with period problems, hormonal imbalance, digestive distress and pelvic health issues. Her passion lies in helping other women through the same things she has experienced by finding the root cause of the most troubling "female problems" and banishing them for good. She is on a mission to help improve the quality of information that we receive on our menstrual cycle and pelvic health, and loves talking about the “taboos” that have existed in women’s health for too long.

Featured Vendors

Melanated Empath Candle Co.

Established in 2019, The Melanated Empath Co. provides affordable blessed soy candles for the spiritual community. In addition to candles, a variety of spiritual products from bath salts to sage bundles. Every item is handcrafted, blessed, and curated uniquely.

Little Luxuries Body Care Co.

Little Luxuries was created with the intention to produce all natural products that nourish the skin while giving a natural healthy glow. They produce face, body and bath products handmade in small batches in Raleigh, NC.

Blackology Coffee Co.

Lori Jones is the owner of Black·ology Coffee Company. They are a minority woman owned company and here to cultivate a love of black coffee through community, education, and the development of relationships.

Judha Fitness

Judha Fitness was born, out of our desire to provide quality fitness products for everyone, to make their life easier and their workout more comfortable. They aim to make their products inspire individuals to gain courage, and motivate them to chase mental and physical health, as well as a better future.

Braidbabes

braidbabes is Raleigh’s newest custom mobile braiding service - we come to you and create beautiful boho event braids that wear for days ♡ we offer everything from braid, shimmer, and feed-in parties to full bridal styles, and we’re so excited to make you feel confident, acknowledged and empowered♡

Ladybugs Medibles

Ladybugs Medibles was established in 2016 by Kendra Jeffress Martin, her son, and a caring team of devoted friends. Our goal is to educate the community at large about the benefits of hemp and other natural foods and remedies that have been around for centuries.

Artisan baking offering vegan, live vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options for easement of body ailments.

Oak City Sunless

At Oak City Sunless, we aspire to provide our clients with the most comfortable and professional experience available. Our custom spray tanning is done in the privacy of your own home, creating a relaxing and personal atmosphere.

We provide spray tans to Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and surronding areas such as Wake Forest, Cary, Apex, Wendell, Holly Springs, Garner, Fuquay-Varina, Morrisville, Clayton, Franklinton, Rolesville and more!

The Art of Letting Go.

Come to the back of your mat, settle your hips to your heels, lay your forehead on the ground and settle into the stillness… If only it was that easy.

Letting go has and never will be easy, but you have to let go in order to create space for good and joy in your life. We have a tendency to hold our emotions in places like the heart, hips, shoulders and even our jaw. It has an affect on your reactions and outward projections towards others.

Even if it’s just for a minute, allow yourself a moment to breathe… Here’s an exercise you can do at home in five minutes to sit back, relax, and just breathe.

Find a comfortable sitting position. This can be cross-legged or on your heels. Sit up straight, maybe take a few shoulder shrugs or a gentle neck roll. Begin to settle into stillness, close the windows of your eyes, and just breathe. At first, take a cleansing breath or two, then settle into a nice inhale/exhale rhythm. Once you have a clear breath, begin to take longer inhales and exhales; really focusing on every breath that passes. You can count your breaths, envision what your breath is doing, or simply just concentrate on breathing. Use this tool when you feel anxious, stressed or just need a quick minute to breathe.

We offer a few in person classes that allow your to fully immerse yourself in the moment, let go of the other things, and feel lighter on the other side. Our full schedule can be found here.

The Road Less Traveled

These things don’t just happen. These things begin with the simplest of ideas or the most complex of problems. Maybe you want to launch a business or maybe you want to cure cancer. Whatever story you came to tell isn’t written in one day. This path that you embark on is your unique story. It is rugged, it is raw, and it is purely yours.

Raleigh, North Carolina is consistently ranked as one of the best places to start a new business. But like the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. The road is long, the road is weathered and can be a little dramatic at times. But, what lies ahead is exactly what you imagined. Your mind has the capability to build this extravagant story, and you play it out in real time.

So, before you give up, turn around and go home… I encourage you to keep pressing onward. These things begin to shape you, and you begin to shape them into reality.

We are here to guide you along your journey by providing insight and knowledge of the self. In order to move forward, sometimes you need to slow down and reflect and eliminate all these things that you are not. This isn’t just yoga, it’s everything that got you to this point.

Where are you? Who are you? Where are you going?

Every step you take is a new point of beginning.

Start your business. Apply to that job. Get out of bed and live with purpose.

Photo shot at Boxcar, Raleigh

As Transient as You are

What’s a yoga studio without a little flexibility, right?!

Well, that’s the idea behind Oak City Yoga. We are nestled in downtown, Raleigh, but not in just one location. We started at The Dogwood, a local bar and eatery on Glenwood South. We are lucky enough to be able to expand to our new location at Union Plaza in Spring 2021.

We as passionate about community, making yoga accessible, and understanding the needs of our yogis. The idea is to focus on a few core “hubs” of downtown Raleigh and adjusting and expanding as necessary.

Finally, a yoga studio as transient as you are!

image shot at Ara Ha