Headstands heal stress

Favorite yoga pose for the Endocrine System: Headstand (sirsasana). Headstands stimulate and provide refreshed blood to the pituitary gland, harmonizing hormones and Nervous System. Headstand provides wonderful natural benefits in dissolving stress, sadness, depression and lethargy.  

I joke with my yoga teacher that my brain is my worst body part, as it complicates everything and triggers my heart, cutting through anger first. Of course, I'm referring to my overthinking mind and incessant thoughts. My thinking brain makes me feel heavy. How do my glands interplay? My overthinking mind directly affects my hypothalamus and pituitary, and therefore regulation of my Nervous System. I feel this as stress.

Science confirms yoga reduces Cortisol

According to the Endocrine Society, yoga helps reduce the levels of blood Cortisol, the stress hormone, and modifies hormone levels in healthy people or those with endocrine disorders. It was proven to show significant results with yoga 7 consecutive days. It is indicated that “Ultimately, further research is needed to elucidate the effects of yoga on endocrine physiology and stress response in humans." (Source: Endocrine.org)

Stay in balance

I feel dramatic physical changes when I’m psychologically disrupted (starting with my mind's thoughts). When this happens—sometimes brought on by my intensive yoga poses that release trapped energy—my body reacts by changing its release of hormones.

Intuitively, staying in balance is imperative (physiologically, psychologically, spiritually). I feel the innate ability to balance myself out no matter what.

Mysore Ashtanga releases toxins

It’s a trickier task with my Mysore yoga as I go everyday regardless, and do the same sequence each day. This is my practice of subtle balance (no pun intended). If I’m tired, I go slower; if I’m heated, I cool off; if i’m in pain, I don’t go as deep into aggravating inflamed body parts; if I'm emotional, I prepare myself during heart-opening poses (backbends) by noticing what’s happening.

After yoga, I take good care of my state of being (to balance out) with either rest, epsom salt bath, private seclusion, warming/cooling foods/liquids, writing, etc.

Energy redirected to overcome imbalance

Stress can be defined as the Nervous System’s "fight or flight" system recruiting the body’s energy stores to overcome imbalance with hormones. The subtle body has its own way of disrupting the field—one being the loss of the spirit connection.

Yin and Yang are Traditional Chinese Medicine’s interdependency of opposites. There cannot be activity without rest.

Ashtanga yoga cleansing is challenging

Just knowing that my Mysore practice is training my entire system to integrate its teaching and balance out makes me smile. Sometimes sleeping it off is the best way to counter balance stress and fatigue (as toxins) as they cleanse their way out of my system after yoga. Also, learning to balance the right and left sides of the brain. And keep going to yoga.

“Do your yoga, and all is coming." ~Pattahbi Jois