Hot yoga is not “relaxing”.

Hot yoga is not “relaxing”.

I recommend yoga to everyone because most people are so disconnected from their bodies, that they can’t tune into what they actually need in any given moment- from hunger to satiety cues, dehydration cues, pain & tension, and more.

Also, stress-management is a non-negotiable if you want to be healthy & happy. You can take all the supplements, eat the “perfect” diet, etc. but, if you’re not moving your body out of “fight or flight” and into “rest, digest & healing” - YOU WILL NOT HEAL & feel better. Period.

When I’m working with “Type A” clients who are trying to improve their health, very often when I suggest yoga, they sign up for a hot yoga class…

Now, I LOVE hot yoga, and for many years I thought that was my “relaxation practice”… until I experienced burnout.

Through my burnout recovery I began to study the difference phases of the nervous system - the “fight or flight” (sympathetic) & “rest, digest & heal” (parasympathetic) - and how to activate each state.

The heat & intensity of hot yoga stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. This is why your heart rate goes up, you sweat, and you breathe harder than normal.

To truly heal, you have to move your body into a parasympathetic state. With yoga, this is with more restorative, or yin, type practices. In these practices you do not get your heart rate up, but you do get into your body. You feel the sensations. It’s not about burning Calories, it’s about tuning into the signals your body gives you…

Do you HAVE to do yoga to activate your parasympathetic nervous system?

No, but for me, at least, it was the gateway tool I used to be able to heal.

If you have the desire to stop dieting & intuitively eat… If you have the desire to heal from burnout... If you have the desire be healthy & happy… is 100% necessary to be in your parasympathetic state at least part of the time.

Learning to sit in silence & feel your body is hard, when all you’ve ever done is push, push, push… but, learning this skill is worth it. The dividends you receive are exponential, and they have a ripple effect into every aspect of your life.

Get out of your head & into your body.

Heal.

You deserve it.💖

XO,

Stacie