If you’re interested in more theory behind this week’s lesson, you might have a look at the following resources.
Sympathetic vs. parasympathetic nervous system
The sympathetic nervous system is the body’s “fight-or-flight” mode. This mode can be life-saving if you are under immediate threat. If you go for days or weeks in this mode, though, it can:
- upset your digestion
- decrease the amount and quantity of your sleep
- cause muscle tension, headaches, and stiffness
The parasympathetic nervous system is the body’s “rest-and-digest” mode. We are looking to increase parasympathetic tone through movement and breathing. When your parasympathetic system takes over, you:
- feel less edgy
- relax physically and mentally
- breathe more easily
- find it easier to look past daily stress and engage with the good things in your life
One of the body structures western science believes is involved in the sympathetic/parasympathetic balance is the vagus nerve. This nerve runs from your brain to deep in your gut and connects pretty much every system in the body. “Vagal tone” and “polyvagal theory” are getting a lot of attention these days – though in some ways, it’s just western science finally being able to measure something that wisdom traditions around the world have known for thousands of years: the mind and body are connected and impact each other.
Adrenal recovery yoga
Adrenal fatigue is a name for the burnout that can happen after long periods of stress or illness. It causes dramatic changes in the way the body’s endocrine system works. This week’s sequence draws heavily from the work of Dr. Michael Lam, who specializes in adrenal recovery. His blog post on Yoga for Adrenal Fatigue Recovery goes into a nice level of detail about how specific yoga poses and breathing can help reset the body’s balance.