“The appearance of things changes according to the emotions; and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves.”
— Kahlil Gibran
Sara, a young mom, told me, “ I felt like the luckiest person on the planet last week. I even found myself humming as I pushed my son in his stroller. This week, I have been wondering, how can I possibly keep doing this—the interrupted sleep, the isolation and so little time for myself? How I can feel so content one week and so depleted the next? Nothing in my life has really changed, yet it all looks different.” As Gibran says, the appearance of things changes according to the emotions. I hope this young mom felt the magic and beauty inside herself last week, because this week she certainly felt the darkness and the despair.
Yoga is dancing with emotions.
Rather than trying to avoid the ups and downs, it’s better to build resilience so that you can absorb, with compassion, the inevitable mood shifts and ride with them. For serious mood disorders, it is essential to ask for professional and family help. Today’s post is all about working with normal shifting moods by calming and activating the nervous system. Yoga is dancing with emotions.
ON THE MAT
William Broad, in his newly published book, The Science of Yoga: The Risks and the Rewards, reviews the latest research on how mindful yoga can shift moods. Based on the research, here are 2 quick tools for shifting moods when things are out of balance, and one preventative tool to build resilience. Check out Amy Weintraub for more info and video.
1. Dancing with Anxiety: Try a combination of slow deep breathing, forward folds and shoulder stands to activate the parasympathetic nervous system which is calming. Take a moment to stand in Tadasana, inhale the arms up overhead, exhale as you bend your knees deeply, fold from the hips until your chest rests on your thighs, and fingers touch the floor. Straighten legs slowly and flatten the back on the inhale, fold forward on the exhale. Repeat several times.
2. Dancing With The Blues: Try Breath of Joy and Sun Salutations. For Breath of Joy –while standing, inhale and bring arms up to the sky, palms open facing you, exhale “Hhaaa” while rapidly bringing the arms down, hands in fists. Repeat 5 times then move into 3 sun salutations.
3. Smooth Out Fluctuating Moods: The most consistent and remarkable scientific finding is that a regular yoga practice, consisting of 50 minutes of asana, including sun salutations, backbends and twists, slow deep breathing and svasana, twice a week, increased GABA levels by up to 80%. The more the participants practiced, the more their GABA levels rose. Low GABA levels are associated with depression and anxiety. Higher levels are associated with feelings of relaxed wellbeing. Research also shows it may be possible, by practicing Cobra and Plow, to raise testosterone levels, which are also correlated with feelings of increased wellbeing and improved sexual arousal and experience.
The best way to decrease stress, smooth out fluctuating moods, build emotional resilience, and prevent depression over the long term, is to experiment with a regular yoga practice. Find a combination of active sun salutations with activated breathing, forward folding, stretching, twisting and back bending with slow deep breathing that works for you. Always include a brief deep relaxation at the end. When we feel more relaxed and flexible emotionally and physically, it is easier to make good decisions as a parent and a partner. And the good news is… practicing yoga feels really good.
OFF THE MAT:
Simply observe and enjoy the benefits of your practice.
“May we all feel at ease, may we feel safe, may we all feel flexible.”
I provide counseling and one on one consulting for parents struggling with stress. Contact me at infoattheyogaofparentingdotcom or visit me at www.alisonrogerscounseling.com for more ways I can help.
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