In the works of Hatha Yoga, the branch of the philosophy that talks about the physical body, the Yogi masters explain the amazing life fluid that nourishes our entire system: the blood.

Approximately one-tenth of your body weight is made up of blood, which is distributed in different parts of the body. Of this quantity, a quarter is allocated to the heart, lungs, major arteries, and veins, another quarter to the liver, and a quarter to the muscles. The remaining quarter is divided among the other organs and tissues. Additionally, the brain uses roughly one-fifth of the total amount of blood in your body.

The blood is responsible for nourishing and vitalizing all parts of the body. Insufficient quality of the blood or inadequate circulation can lead to impaired nutrition in some areas, which may result in disease.

So, how does the blood nourish our body?

The journey begins when we eat. After food is digested, the nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream and transported to every cell and tissue in the body through arteries. This enables the blood to perform its essential functions of rebuilding and repairing the body. The blood then circulates back to the heart through the veins, carrying waste matter and broken-down cells that need to be eliminated from the system.

The arteries are a network of flexible tubes that divide into smaller and smaller branches, similar to a complex road system. Beginning with larger tubes, the arteries branch off into smaller ones until they reach the smallest tubes, known as capillaries.

Capillaries are a fine network of blood vessels that spread throughout the tissues, allowing blood to come into close contact with all parts of the body. These vessels have walls that are extremely thin, which enables nutrients from the blood to pass through and nourish the surrounding tissues. Additionally, capillaries also collect blood as it circulates back to the heart.

After delivering nutrients to the tissues, blood starts its journey back to the heart, carrying waste matter, dead cells, and broken-down tissue with it. The return journey begins at the capillaries, but instead of flowing back through the arteries, a switch-off mechanism redirects the blood to smaller tubes known as veins.

The blood then reaches the lungs, where its waste and impurities are eliminated through a burning process before being expelled from the body.

In addition to blood, there is another fluid in the body called lymph that circulates through the system and is similar in composition to blood. The purpose of the lymph fluid is to help maintain the body's fluid balance and defend against infections. The lymph is purified and rejuvenated by the lymphatic system before re-entering the bloodstream for reuse.

All of this flow of blood to and from the heart is called circulation. And the engine that drives this wonderful system is, of course, the heart.

The Yogis encourage us to remember the amazing circulatory system because the quality and quantity of blood are influenced by the food you eat and the way you eat it. By selecting and eating the right kind of food as nature intended, you can have better blood quality. And if you consistently eat junk food, the quality of your blood will be lower.

If we understand how our body functions, we can take better care of it.

The blood is the life and you make the blood. Always remember this. Nourish yourself properly.