why we can't "think" our way out of stress (plus, 15-minute meditation for relaxation)
Have you ever tried to tell yourself to calm down? How many times did that help you shed some tension?
Here’s the thing: We can’t think our way out of stress and into a relaxed state.
According to cutting edge science, true neurological relaxation is actually initiated from the body up rather than from our thoughts down. In fact, at least 80 percent of the messages that it’s safe enough to relax go from the body to the brain while 20 percent of those messages go from the brain to body.
So, if we want to elicit the relaxation response and process chronic stress that can wreak havoc on our health, we can lean on our yoga practices to nurture the environment from our body. Rather than work from our “head,” we begin at the bottom, sending the message from the body up to the brain that we don’t need to be in survival mode. That it is safe to relax.
Then, from a more relaxed state, we can send messages back down the body to further nourish ourselves in this healing state.
OFFERINGS TO NURTURE YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM
a supple psoas workshop (free!)
on demand now
Join me for a free 60-minute workshop to learn how the psoas is related to stress and digestion and to practice a short supple psoas sequence that weaves together mindful slow yoga, restoratives, and conscious relaxation.
new practice series: the anatomy of rest and digest
start the first practice today!
Join us for a practice series to take a deep dive into the “anatomy” of rest and digest and work with stress and relaxation through practices that focus on the psoas, diaphragm, and vagus nerve.
register here:
included in online studio membership | full series | single classes
plus, FREE companion meditations here
restorative yoga teacher training
starts in january 2024! payment plans and partial scholarships available
Called to the journey of creating and guiding practices that help you and your students release layers of tension, calm the nervous system, and feel at ease? My 108-hour training features an extensive curriculum and guest teachers Indu Arora, Hala Khouri, Dr. Gail Parker, Tracee Stanley, Lisa Weinert, and Dr. Christiane Wolf.