We talk about stress like it's a bad thing.  Stress saves lives.  It is the result of the activation of our complex, but amazingly efficient, central nervous system.  Many of us know it as the fight-or-flight response referring to the animal world.  When animals are threatened, in order to stay alive, they either fight or run like hell.  We've got the same mechanism.  When our fight/flight response (sympathetic nervous system) is activated, our pupils dilate (better to see you with), blood pressure goes up (more blood to the muscles), peripheral vision diminishes (eagle eye focus), bladder relaxes (oops), the immune system slows (we'll worry about that cut later), digestion stops (no time to digest that Quarter Pounder), and erection is inhibited (no time for that either).  This response works extremely well for animals in the wild and for us homo sapiens alike.  We should thank our sympathetic nervous system and its cadre of hormones (adrenaline, et al) when we have to grab a child from danger, flick a burning ash off our shirt, or decend K2. 

What happens next?  The danger is over.  Now it feels like a quadruple-quadruple-cappuccino is coursing through your body.  Fortunately, after a bit of time you exhale, the pendulum swings and you're back to normal.This is all how it's supposed to work.Where this gets unhealthy is when it happens all day long--the fight with the hubby, the nasty email from your co-worker, the bounced check, the sick child, Fox news. The stress hormones keep getting dumped into the system and on top of it all you add 4 cups of coffee and 2 diet cokes. The system gets damn tired. No wonder we're exhausted. 

Carumba!  There is an antidote--the opposite of the fight/flight reflex is the "relaxation response" (parasympathetic nervous system).  It's the chamomile tea to the Jolt cola and the relaxing massage to the 8-round fight.  Thank goodness the body does this automatically for us, if we'd just step out of the way, of course.  Most of us don't give ourselves the time to allow this response to grab hold. Or, more accurately, many of us just don't know how.  We think that lounging on the sofa and watching The Dark Knight for the 10th time is relaxing.  

Restorative yoga is the anti-stress cocktail that is starting to pop up at your local yoga studio.  It sets up the conditions for your "relaxation response" to take hold.  You actually learn what it feels like to be physically supported so you can let go (hard for you control freaks, huh).  With restorative yoga, we hold the body with tons of blankets and bolsters and a few straps and weights and blocks.  You need this.  Everyone needs this. 

Check out next week's column for more on the relaxation response and restorative yoga.  And, please put October 9, 3:30 - 5:30 on your calendar when I'll be leading a 2-hour restorative yoga class in Petaluma! You deserve it, you really do.