The Lymphatic System and Pilates

When first studying Pilates, I found it odd how frequently Joseph Pilates had us changing positions. In mat, it’s lay down on your back, sit up, roll over, lay face down, on your side, stand. So many frequent positional changes that it seemed almost ADHD to me. The reformer order too.

Then I started studying the Lymphatic System and suddenly I had a whole new lens on Pilates. The method isn’t just about moving bones, joints, and muscles. It isn’t just about the breathing mechanism or the core or the spine. A huge part of the brilliance of Pilates is that it moves fluids! Not just blood but also lymph—the clear fluid that bathes all our tissues and is the primary pathway for the removal of waste products. Changing positions often means none of your fluids ever get stagnant.

The Lymphatic System of the body is enormous and undervalued. Just like the plumbing in your house—it seems unimportant until the day it no longer works. Similarly, we often take our body’s waste removal system for granted.

We have three times more lymph than blood and a hundred thousand miles of lymphatic vessels (enough to circle the earth four times). We need to clear and reproduce 3 L of lymph each day. The majority of our immune system is housed in the Lymphatic System. Why are we not paying more attention to this?

I’ll tell you why I started paying attention. I contracting Covid in March 2021 and despite recovering nicely (no lung issues, I can smell and taste fine), I had strange brain symptoms that lingered. It felt like I had jetlag or brain fog, and suddenly my sleep was very disrupted. I take such good care of my health—eating well, reducing stress, doing Pilates and walking the dog every single day. What was I missing?

And then there were my clients who also were practicing Pilates diligently and taking good care of their health, but minor concerns lingered.

My answer to both these problems was lymph. Sometimes it just gets stagnant and needs a little extra boost.

I studied lymph through a series of workshops with Dr. Perry of Stop Chasing Pain. I started applying it to myself, my family members, my clients. And I love the results! Here’s what some people have noticed:

• Better sleep. Either falling asleep faster or sleeping for less time yet feeling well rested.

• Improved range of motion in joints from the ankles, to hips, to spine, to shoulders, to neck/head.

• Improved skin. Complete reversal of chronic eczema for my son who struggled with it for over a decade. Pinker, more glowing, and toned skin for myself and clients who moved their lymph and then did Face Pilates.

• Reduced joint and nerve pain

• Reduced bloating and digestive issues, like constipation

• Increased mental clarity, creativity, and motivation

• Improved mood and feeling of well being

• Weight loss

• Feeling empowered and in charge of one’s health

In the circulatory system, the heart pumps blood through blood vessels to capillaries. At the level of the capillaries, some of the plasma leaves the vessels and enters the interstitial space (the area surrounding the cells and tissues). Once here, it’s called interstitial fluid and about to become lymph. The blood that remains in the capillaries eventually moves into the venous system and is returned to the heart. Like a circle, hence the name circulatory system.

But what happens to that fluid that left the system? Where does it go and how does it move?

The design of the body is that muscle contraction, movement of the body, and positional changes (like having your feet elevated above your heart) will help the lymph move from the interstitial space into lymphatic vessels. From there, it moves through nodes located along the vessels. The nodes have a very important job of filtering the lymph. This is where a lot of our immune cells like macrophages exist. They consume and eliminate any pathogens because that lymph is headed back into the circulatory system and if it picked up some bacteria or viruses along the way, they need to be properly dealt with before being distributed to the rest of the body.

But sometimes those nodes get clogged, like from a stationary lifestyle, from poor breathing (which is less movement!), or from dehydration that turns our fluids to sludge. If the nodes get really clogged, then fluid can’t move at all and the waste products are stuck in the extremities or abdomen. The accumulating waste can obviously have very negative consequences for our tissues, but also something else that is really important. You see, alongside every blood vessel, vein, and lymphatic capillary is also a nerve. And nerves surrounded by fluid filled with waste and potentially even pH changes get grumpy. They don’t function as well and they may be more likely to signal pain. So clearing out the lymph not only makes the cells of your organs, muscles, skins, and bones happy, it makes your nerves and brain happy too.

There are 600+ lymph nodes in the body, but some of them are especially important in the pathway of fluid flow. In The Lymphatic System and Pilates workshop, we’ll learn how to stimulate these nodes and clear the pathway for lymph. Then we’ll learn what kind of movements encourage fluid flow and how the brilliance of The Pilates Method especially does this.

Once lymph is collected, filtered, and transported, it returns into the circulatory system via veins near the collarbones. Then the body can deal with the waste via its detoxification processes. Eventually that waste is excreted by the body through sweat, urine, feces, or exhaling.

Getting more waste out means healthier cells that are in a better position to absorb nutrients like oxygen, vitamins, and minerals. It’s hard for tissues to absorb all the good stuff we put in our bodies if our bodies are filled to the brim with waste. Like trying to put fresh produce into a fridge full of rotting food, there’s just no space for the new until the old is eliminated.

By better understanding The Lymphatic System and how exercise supports it, you can take your Pilates practice and health to the next level. Join our workshop to learn more.

Next workshop meets on Zoom on Wednesday November 8th, 2023 at 8am mountain time 6pm Dubai time for three hours.

Workshop Reviews

This workshop is simply brilliant and I am so grateful that you shared your knowledge with the rest of us. You explore a benefit of Pilates (enhancing the functioning of the lymphatic system) that I have felt in my body all along yet couldn't quite nail what it was - and now I can.

This is such valuable information and I have felt healthier and more rested with less sleep since I began doing lymphatic stimulation regularly.

I just watched the workshop & it was amazing! Clear, concise information presented in a really organized, understandable way. And fascinating!! Thank you so much for offering it!

Certified Pilates Teachers can earn 3 CECs for this course.

Face Pilates

Visit www.kinesispilatesdenver.com/face-pilates for our new Intro Face Pilates Online Course.

You probably never thought about exercising your face muscles before. But in Pilates, we believe all muscles—small and large—need to be trained. Why wouldn’t that include the 50+ muscles of the face, head, and neck?

Exercise of the facial muscles is called a lot of things—face yoga, face gymnastics, facersize. Since I teach Pilates, I’ll be calling it Face Pilates. But regardless of the name, it is just exercise and tissue manipulation/massage of the face and neck. Face Pilates is sometimes performed by the muscles alone and sometimes with resistance provided by the hands (you may be relieved that no equipment with springs is involved).

My interest in face exercise has slowly been building for a decade. It began when one of my children needed Orofacial Myology, which is basically physical therapy for the mouth and face. To see how regular exercise could change the shape and function of his mouth was impressive. Then I saw a rolfer and a cranial sacral therapist who would massage inside my mouth and cheeks with great results. Then I underwent vocal cord surgery in 2018, and a huge piece of my recovery was exercise as well as deliberate relaxation of muscles in the mouth and neck. The final straw was when COVID struck and the necessity of face masks made me change the way I used my jaw to speak, sometimes causing muscular soreness and headaches. All these experiences made me realize that I wanted to give dedicated attention to the tiny muscles of my face, jaw and neck.

While my primary interest in beginning a face exercise program was better use of facial muscles and reduced pain, it wasn’t lost on me that training these muscles may also change the appearance of my face (before and after photos below). I’m in my 40s and have been noticing small changes to my face—dark under eye circles, a hollowness and thinning of the face, wrinkles—that I would like to slow or reverse without botox and surgery. I want my face to feel and look as young as my body does thanks to Pilates. It would be nice to be able to change the function, as well as form, of my face with one natural and affordable approach.

When you exercise, only muscles that are specifically used experience an increase—about tenfold!—in circulation and the myriad of benefits that come from more vascularization, blood flow, oxygen, and nutrients, as well as improved waste removal. So while I was doing Pilates and movement for my body every day, none of the muscles of my face were benefiting from all that exercise. In fact, I know from pictures that if anything, I tense my face in unproductive ways while performing Pilates (see in these photos how I inadvertently elevate my eyebrows while performing spinal extension…)

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I began with a Face Yoga program from Glowinface, and expanded into a variety of other face exercises from a host of experts in the field. I combined it with massage techniques and acupressure I have learned from therapists over the years. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to activate muscles I had little control over and felt emotional and psychological changes after exercising my face. After teaching Face Pilates to some of our teachers and clients, they had this to say about the experience:

• I really enjoy face pilates. It’s great stress relief.

• My face feels so strong. Smiling feels great. It’s easier to do.

• The self massage really reduces tension and helps with headaches.

• I love the way my face feels. I literally feel uplifted.

• If I practice before bed, I feel more relaxed going to sleep. And it helps with my TMJ.

• I didn’t like opening my mouth wide before because it hurt.  I would cut my apples instead of eat them whole.  I notice now it’s easier to open my mouth.

Just like all exercise programs, consistency is the key. Practicing daily means the face muscles, connective tissue and skin get regular increased circulation and toning. Personally, it took at least a month to notice better control of my face muscles and reduced headaches when wearing a face mask, and close to two months to see visible changes to my face. The good news is that it’s easy to sneak into your day, like when you’re reading a book, while waiting at a stoplight, or when you first wake up but want to stay in bed a bit longer.

One of the best things about self awareness and improved muscle control is not just that you can move your face differently, but also that you can relax those muscles when not using them. Reduced facial tension can mean less headaches, less jaw clenching, fewer wrinkles caused by tension (like pursed lips and furrowed brows), and a plumper feeling to the tissue. There’s also a noticeable mood boost from this type of self care. Especially right now when we’re seeing fewer faces and communicating less with our faces, it’s very satisfying to spend time closely connected to your own face or the face of your virtual teacher, especially in the sometimes amusing exercises (who wouldn’t feel better after watching themselves make “funny faces” in the mirror?) See this meta-analysis for more on this.

Want to give Face Pilates a try? Starting on Friday October 2nd 2020, we’re launching a 10-week virtual Face Exercise and Massage course. (The next session will begin March 12, 2021—sign up here). Consistent exercise and massage of the face and neck can give you:

• Increased self awareness, especially of expressions you make inadvertently while focusing on other tasks.

• Increased control of facial muscles.

• Increased tone and volume of facial muscles, which has the potential to change the appearance of your face (note in the before and after photo how my eyes have brightened and the area between the nose and upper lip has plumped).

• Increased strength and resting tone in the neck.

• Increased circulation to the muscles, connective tissues, and skin of the face and neck, changing the color/tone and health of your skin (note in the before and after photo how much pinker my skin looks).

• Increased potential for angiogenesis—the growth of new blood vessels.

• Deep relaxation of not just the face, head, and neck but also the mind and spirit.

• Increased range of motion in joints like the jaw.

• The potential to reduce tension in the jaw and tension headaches.

• The potential to balance out asymmetries of the face (note in the before and after photo how my eyebrows are a little more symmetrical).

• The potential to better control vocal projection, resonance and articulation by relaxing the muscles that choke our voice and strengthening the ones that form speech.

• A simple way to self care that doesn’t require as much energy and motivation as exercising your whole body and can easily be incorporated into your daily routine.

Update:

We now offer our Intro Face Pilates course as an online option, worth 6 CECs for Certified Pilates Teachers. Learn more on our Face Pilates Page.

Out of Control or In Control?

When life feels out of control, unpredictable, and scary, remember that you have a movement method originally called Contrology.  The science of control. 

You may not be able to control what's going on around you, but you have control over some things. 

You have the chance to spend part of every day moving mindfully, thoughtfully, with intention.  You have the chance to breathe deeply, put all your joints through their full range of motion, coordinate your movements, forget about your troubles, and focus on yourself. 

Life may be uncertain, but you can have moments of certainty, calm, clarity.  You can choose to take control of the things you can control and by doing so, feel empowered.

We're here to help.  Our studio has gone virtual and we have multiple options to keep you practicing the coordination of mind, body, and spirit at home. If none of our options meet your needs, just reach out and we're happy to help craft a solution that does.  

How Pilates Prevents Injury and Improves Tissue Health

Joseph Pilates said in his 1945 book Return to Life that we should not “devote ourselves only to the mere development of any particular pet set of muscles…” The term “pet muscles” is exactly right, even 85 years later. We do have muscles we love more than others, and requests to work the abs, glutes, and triceps are abundant. But what about iliacus, quadratus femoris, or supraspinatus?

Rather than training specific muscles with intensity while completing neglecting others, Joseph Pilates believed we should work towards the uniform development of our whole body. And here are two important reasons why.

Injury Prevention

When you develop your big gross motor movers, like the quads and glutes and lats, without training the smaller muscles that stabilize the spine or support the joint, you create an imbalance. The big muscle is likely already stronger, relatively speaking, then the smaller, supporting muscles. And by focusing your training on it, you exacerbate that imbalance. Now when the bigger, stronger muscle pulls on your bones, the smaller muscles will struggle to balance its pull—and voila, the risk of injury increases. It’s like hanging a really heavy painting on a very thin wall. The wall just can’t support it. And your spine, or your shoulder, or whatever other joint you want to think of, can’t always support the strong pull of your gym-developed big muscles.

Improved Circulation is Specific

As if injury prevention wasn’t a strong enough motivation to work all your muscles in an even, balanced way, there’s more. We tend to think that exercise of any kind increases health to the whole body. But not exactly. When you use your muscles, the contraction of that muscle helps pulls blood to the area from the capillaries—bringing oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removing waste products. However, when you exercise your legs, this affect does not occur in your upper body. Only the areas of the body you use get the improved circulation, nutrition, and waste removal. If you want that kind of health for all your tissues, you have to work all your tissues. That includes your feet, your hands, and your neck. Definitely not the pet muscles you were hoping to strengthen, but ones that need strength, range of motion, movement, and circulation just as much as your six-pack abs.

Multi-tasking Exercise

Joseph Pilates wanted you to work your whole body in every exercise. First of all, that’s highly efficient. We don’t really have time to isolate each muscle and work it effectively every day. But Pilates exercises are also multi-tasking exercises—rather than an isolating clamshell for your deep six rotators, you’re going to do side kicks, which works not only your hip’s external rotators, but also your hip abductors, flexors, extensors, as well as your knee extensors and foot dorsi and plantar flexors, and depending on your form, even your stabilizing shoulder, obliques, and your non-active or standing legs abductors too. Phew! That’s a lot of muscles to work in a single exercise. If you’re aware of your whole body in every Pilates exercise, you can benefit multiple areas at once, ensuring more parts of your body benefit from improved circulation and waste removal, and ensuring a better chance of uniform development of your body that will help prevent injury.

So don’t play favorites. Work everything. Give every muscle some love and attention, and better yet, do it in whole body exercise!