Well, that was fun.🥶❄️🧊
Everyone, please take your places and let's get back to the good work! I hope you're doing well and recovered from the ice, the freeze and the very slow thaw. Back to setting alarm clocks once again. :)
I met a young gal last week. She' s a high school senior working a part time job and we got to talking. She explained how stressed she feels all the time. She also shared she had taken an AP level psychology class and understands what stress does to the human body and brain. She explained that the three main parts of the human brain are further divided and of course each section of our brains responsible for different functions. STRESS effects every single section of our brains. Some stress is good and important for our bodies and brains, but not all and absolutely not all the time. Over 80% of disease is believed to be a result from too much stress for too long. Yikes. Our modern pace is at least part to blame. We're not going to reverse time, so we have to figure out how to manage better. If my new friend wants to figure it out at 18, we all better get after it!
In case, you were considering NOT doing yoga this week, because you have far too much to do after missing much of last week.....Here's two aspects to consider to help you prioritize your practice.
Yoga regulates adrenal glands: Yoga lowers cortisol levels. If that doesn’t sound like much, consider this. Normally, the adrenal glands secrete cortisol in response to an acute crisis, which temporarily boosts immune function. If your cortisol levels stay high even after the crisis, they can compromise the immune system. Temporary boosts of cortisol help with long-term memory, but chronically high levels undermine memory and may lead to permanent changes in the brain. Additionally, excessive cortisol has been linked with major depression, osteoporosis (it extracts calcium and other minerals from bones and interferes with the laying down of new bone), high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. In rats, high cortisol levels lead to what researchers call “food-seeking behavior” (the kind that drives you to eat when you’re upset, angry, or stressed). The body takes those extra calories and distributes them as fat in the abdomen, contributing to weight gain and the risk of diabetes and heart attack.
Makes you happier: Feeling sad? Sit in Lotus. Better yet, rise up into a backbend or soar royally into King Dancer Pose. While it’s not as simple as that, one study found that a consistent yoga practice improved depression and led to a significant increase in serotonin levels and a decrease in the levels of monoamine oxidase (an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters) and cortisol. At the University of Wisconsin, Richard Davidson, Ph.D., found that the left prefrontal cortex showed heightened activity in meditators, a finding that has been correlated with greater levels of happiness and better immune function. More dramatic left-sided activation was found in dedicated, long-term practitioners."