I think we all understand that exercise is important in burning-off cortisol (stress hormone). But it’s also important to understand that high-intensity cardio workouts can keep some folks stuck in fight-or-flight instead of brining them back into rest-and-digest.
This is where slow, gentle, chair yoga can be highly beneficial for folks who are struggling to find the right regimen in maintaining exercise but without over-exercising.
Cortisol is a tricky little hormone. It’s important in keeping us safe, however, many folks find themselves stuck in a cycle of being in constant fight-or-flight. This can cause you to feel anxious, stressed, and frustrated. It can also help your body store fat because it is trying to protect you.
Oftentimes, these folks turn to exercise to try to burn off their stress, and what they’re actually doing is producing more cortisol because the body is already hyper-vigilant and thinks that exercise is actually your way of telling it to stay aware (ward off predators, so-to-speak).
When we turn to slow, gentle, chair yoga we are allowing our body to relax and turn off the cortisol response. Pranayama (breath work) is the mainline into the autonomic nervous system and can help us come back into a parasympathetic state (rest-and-digest). This allows us to calm down and turn off the extra chatter in our bodies and minds.
Chair yoga is NOT just for the elderly … it is for anyone who is trying to calm their nervous system — and especially folks with hormonal imbalance. Your current style of yoga or exercise may actually be the culprit in keeping you stuck in sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight).
Ready to try chair- based yoga?
Check out my book: The Chair Yoga Pocket Guide … when you purchase through my website you will also receive TWO VIDEOS to complement the book!! www.creatingwellnessfromwithin.com/book
