Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com
yoga@cherylthomas.com
415-308-3377
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 Stress is Stressing Me Out (Part 3)
You're warm, it's dark, every muscle is relaxed and you feel
like you're floating as your legs, back, neck and shoulders are supported. You've never feel so relaxed. Are you on a Maui
beach? Too many
margaritas? Are you dreaming? Nope. You're resting in a Restorative Yoga class. No sand, no hangover.
Just as efficient as the lightening fast, fight/flight
response (sympathetic nervous system), the body offers up the opposite--the
relaxation response (parasympathetic nervous system). As stress hormones clear out, the heart rate slows,
muscle tension relaxes and the body returns to normal. This is a natural response. Your body
knows how to relax. This bears
repeating. You do not have to do
anything to activate the relaxation response-it's built in. But, you do have to allow it to happen. Both systems (sympathetic and
parasympathetic) work independently, as they have separate jobs. If your fight/flight hormones are racing
through you, it's going to be impossible to relax.
There are certain things we can do to help turn off the
fight/flight switch and turn on the relaxation switch. Because the sympathetic nervous system is
activated by lots of stimulation--muscle activity, upright posture, inhalation
and especially pain and strong emotions (fear and anger), we merely have to do
the opposite to flip the switch. Here
are some suggestions:
1.
Comfort
(lack of pain). This is super important
for the body to relax.
2.
Laying down.
Head lower than the heart (stimulates blood pressure receptors)
3.
Quiet Brain -
Adopting the attitude of feeling safe and believing that your body know
exactly what to do.
4.
Blocking Light - Light is stimulating.
5.
Warmth - It is difficult to relax when you are cold.
Restorative yoga classes set up these conditions in order to
give your body the chance to let the relaxation response happen. We use bolsters and blankets and straps and
weights and blocks to support your body so it can relax. Most of the postures are laying down, many
with the legs elevated. Blankets help
keep you warm, an eye pillow blocks light.
It's quiet and you have nothing to do but rest. The postures are held from 10-20
minutes! Can you say "Ahhhhhh".
I will be holding a 2-hour restorative yoga class at Body
Works in Petaluma on October 9 from 3:30-5:30.
We'll chat about how to manage stress, do some easy stretching and spend
90 minutes relaxing. You can go to www.BodyWorksYoga.com to register. Please come.
You deserve it.
Want to read some of my past emails? Just click
here and you'll be taken to my newsletter archive page. Enjoy
and as always, please let me know your thoughts!
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Week of September 26, 2010
Monday
Noon - 1:00
Yoga on Center, Healdsburg
Slow Flow - All Levels
Tuesday
8:45 - 9:45 a.m. Graton Community ClubAll LevelsNoon - 1:00 Yoga on Center, HealdsburgSlow Flow - All LevelsWednesday5:30 - 6:55 p.m. Yoga Studio Ganesha, SebastopolVinyasa Flow + Restorative - All LevelsThursday 8:45 - 9:45 a.m. Graton Community Club, GratonGentle Flow - All Levels
Week of October 3, 2010
Tuesday
Noon - 1:00 Yoga on Center, HealdsburgSlow Flow - All LevelsWednesday 5:30 - 6:55 p.m.Yoga Studio Ganesha, SebastopolVinyasa Flow + Restorative - All Levels
Thursday 8:45 - 9:45 a.m. Graton Community ClubAll Levels
Saturday10:30 - 11:30
Stone Creek Zen Center, Graton
All Levels Yoga
3:30 - 5:30 p.m.Body Work Yoga, Petalumawww.bodyworksyoga.comRestorative WorkshopCLASS WEBSITESYoga on Center: www.yogaoncenter.comYoga Studio Ganesha: www.yogastudioganesha.comWestside Yoga Studio: www.westsideyogastudio.netBody Works Yoga: www.bodyworksyoga.comStone Creek Zen Center: http://www.stonecreekzencenter.org/ |
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Hope to see you soon!
Namaste,
Cheryl
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Bulletin Board
Grab your Calendars! It's Restorative Yoga: I'll be leading a 2-hour restorative class at Body Works in Petaluma on Saturday, October 9 from 3:30-5:30. We'll chat about stress, do some gentle stretching then luxuriate for 90 minutes in restorative, supported poses. For info and registration go here to register. Click on Workshops.
Up-To-Date: Go to www.cheryl
thomas.com. Click on the classes link and there will be a spiffy new on-line calendar. It should always be up-to-date.
Graton Yoga Peeps: Us Gratonite Yogies have a place to call our own. It's www.yogaingraton.com. There will be information about current and new yoga classes offered in Graton. Don't live in Graton? No problem. We want you to come anyway.
Moms, Come
Join Us: The morning classes at Graton Community Club will change to 8:45 - 9:45. Hopefully this will help out you Moms who can now come to yoga the school drop off.
Graton Community Club Class Changes: Note the time for the morning classes is now 8:45 - 9:45. For now, the Saturday morning class will be offered by me and Corina at the Stone Creek Zen Center. Big time change: 10:30 - 11:30. Keep checking with www.yogaingraton.
com for updates and changes. Hopefully, soon, we'll be able to offer an earlier Saturday class.
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